Modding Support of Game Engines
The 16th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games (FDG) 2021, New York, NY, USA, Association for Computing Machinery, (2021)DOI: 10.1145/3472538.3472574
Abstract
This paper aims at showing how different game engines support modding. To this end,
the concepts of modding and game engines alongside their historical evolution are
introduced first. Additionally, some well-known game engines and mods are presented,
and their unique features are described. Further, the effects of using game engines
and those that modding has on games, developers, and players are laid out. Particular
focus is placed on the effects on competitive games. These effects include an enhanced
lifespan for games and the requirement for more development effort. Finally, the modding-support
of selected game engines is illustrated and compared with each other. These engines
are the id Tech engine(s), Unreal Engine, the Source engine, and Unity. The paper
is then concluded with an outlook on future research possibilities and recommendations
to developers.
