If you’re a long-time PC gamer, you’ll probably already have downloaded plenty of user-generated content for your games. Whether you’re installing the best Minecraft mods or playing around with the best Sims 4 mods, you’ll have found ways to expand your favourite games beyond what the developers could ever have imagined – or been able to include without having a lengthy call with Shrek’s lawyers.
You’re already aware of the ins and outs of modding and add-ons, but have you ever properly stopped to think about what you’re installing? Are you properly checking your file sources? And when a friend of yours starts to raise questions about the use of mods, how are you going to answer them? After all, not everyone is ready to make the UGC leap, and you might need to convince some people that their games could be made better by doing so.
There are plenty of pros to downloading and playing with mods, but some of the cons can be pretty costly, not just to your time but even your rig. We’re taking a look at both sides of the argument in the UGC debate, because even though we adore mods, it’s always worth keeping in mind why others might be more cautious of them.
Pro: More content for your favourite games
This one’s easy. Games can only contain so much content at launch, after all, and even with content packs, season passes, and expansions, there’s going to come a point where developers have to put the game down and move on. But the community stops whenever it wants to.
With user-generated content, you’ve got near-endless possibilities for new features and content for your favourite games. Take Skyrim, for example. Bethesda may have left official development behind years ago, but there are still new quests and NPCs being added thanks to UGC, keeping the game fresh and alive well beyond its original shelf life. Some of the best Skyrim mods also help improve the graphics and UI of the game, improving on an already fantastic RPG experience.
Con: Rogue UGC might brick your hardware
It’s easy to get excited by a shiny new piece of user-generated content. It’s also easy to not check where that UGC is coming from and accidentally install a bunch of spyware, malware, and other nasty programs that can absolutely wreck your rig.
Ensuring you download UGC from trusted sources is a surefire way to ensure you don’t end up with a virus flooding your hard drive, but even finding those sources can be tough for newcomers. Apps like Overwolf and CurseForge help mitigate that problem – everything downloaded from them is guaranteed to be safe for your PC, so you can pick up whatever takes your fancy without needing to do any extra research.
Pro: You can get some truly wacky content
Unless they’re making a Thomas the Tank Engine game, it’s highly unlikely a developer is going to get the rights to the titular train for an appearance in their game. But when the modding community is left to its own devices, you can almost certainly expect this once-friendly vehicle to appear as a devastating boss in games like Elden Ring.
From watching Kratos get beaten up by Ned Flanders to swapping Mr. X’s theme music to ‘X Gon’ Give It To Ya’, there are thousands of ways modders have ignored tonal consistency for the sake of absolute hilarity. And without mods and UGC, you wouldn’t get to see this level of nonsense in a game you already love.
Con: Complicated installation processes
Mods and UGC are often a bit more slapdash than the core game, thanks to being made by a tiny number of enthusiasts working for free. Unless the game comes with dedicated modding tools, this means that actually installing UGC can be quite a nuisance. And honestly, who wants to spend twenty minutes figuring out how to replace the audio files of Dear Esther just to play a dumb mod about sandwiches?
Of course, when modding tools and services are available, this problem is easily averted. Downloading mods through CurseForge takes just a few clicks, and you don’t need to worry about messing up any of your files during the installation.
Pro: User-created apps can help you improve in competitive games
Now let’s be abundantly clear – we’re not talking about cheats here. Using cheats in multiplayer games is a great way to get yourself banned, and that’s not what we’re all about. But there are lots of apps out there that can help you track your performance in games like League of Legends and Valorant, and help you study past games to improve your future results.
There are plenty of great apps like this on Overwolf, and they’ve all been approved by the developers to ensure that you won’t suddenly find yourself banned mid-game. And they come with all the other benefits we’ve already mentioned – they won’t crash your PC, and they’re super easy to install.
Obviously we think mods are amazing – we’re PC gamers, after all. But it’s always important to think carefully about what you’re installing, and make sure it comes from a trusted source, like Overwolf and CurseForge.
Be sure to check out CurseForge today and start adding to your favourite games.
