An Update From Dark0ne
I started this project back in 2001, in my bedroom, with a 56k modem, an excitement for the upcoming release of Morrowind and with no grand ambitions or intentions. I didn’t set out to build a business, I just wanted to make a place where modders could share their work without worrying it would vanish into the internet either the next time a fansite went offline or a publisher decided they were done with it. That idea grew legs, sprouted arms, and turned into Nexus Mods.
Since then, this site has been my entire adult life. Every single day, for over two decades, I’ve been "on call", whether it was fixing issues, reading feedback, pushing updates, or getting pulled into the latest bit of community drama. It’s been rewarding, sometimes chaotic, often exhausting and always personal. Somewhere along the way, I forgot to step back and breathe, or sleep properly. The dilemma of running a major social network that does not rest!
The strain of being responsible for the behemoth I created has taken its toll. The stress of the job has been a regular source of anxiety and stress-related health issues. I realised that I have been burning out and this started to have an impact on my staff and Nexus Mods as a whole. So, I firmly believe that the best thing for the future of Nexus Mods is for me to step aside and bring in new leadership to steer the business forward with renewed energy to make Nexus Mods the modding community we all truly deserve.
One of the biggest reasons I've been doing this for so long is that I've never felt that I truly found someone who really "gets" the modding community the way I do. Finding a new owner who would be able to understand and respect the myriad intricacies of both Nexus Mods as a business and the wider modding community was essential.
After months of meetings, face-to-face talks, and a whole lot of soul searching, I am thrilled to say that I truly believe I have found the exact right people for the task.
So yes, the ownership of Nexus Mods has changed hands, but I want to be clear, this isn’t some corporate “exit” or a backroom deal. This is me doing something I probably should’ve done years ago: taking care of myself. Reclaiming some headspace. And finally letting go of the idea that I have to do everything and be responsible for everything myself.
What changes now?
Honestly, not a lot, at least not from your side of things.
Behind the scenes, I’ve already been stepping back bit by bit. Over the past few years, the team has taken on more of the weight and the site’s been doing better than ever. What’s changing now is simply the formality of it, making sure the right people are in place to guide Nexus Mods into the next era.
That includes some structural updates to the company ownership that we aren’t shouting about, but I want to be transparent: they’re about long-term stability, not changing the values or direction of the platform. Nexus Mods is community-first and mod-author focused, that’s not up for negotiation.
While I am stepping back, it's important to understand that Nexus Mods isn't just about me and hasn't been for a long time. The Nexus Mods you see today has been created by a team of 40 incredibly dedicated people, some of whom have been here for over 9 years. They live and breathe modding, they care deeply, they’re experienced, committed, and they're very much still here. None of that is changing.
So if I can ask one thing, it’s to continue supporting them, the site, and the community they help nurture every day.
In terms of new faces, you’ll also be seeing more of Foledinho (Victor), Rapsak (Marinus) and Taagen (Nikolai), who’ve come on board to lead this next chapter. They’ve got deep roots in gaming, tech, and most importantly, they give a damn; about the site, the community, and the future we’re trying to build here.
Editor's Note: We've added Nikolai to the new owners listed above. He works more in the background, but is still an important part of the team!
They have my complete trust, and I’m incredibly proud to be bringing them onboard.
What about me?
I’m not disappearing. I’ll still be annoying people on the Mod Author Discord, lurking on the forums, and sticking my nose into community matters when I can’t help myself. I’ll also be working with the team to help guide the overall direction of the site, just without needing to be the person who signs off on every little thing and without taking responsibility for any and all things Nexus Mods.
Frankly, that’s a good thing, for me, for the team, and for the future of Nexus Mods.
991 comments
Thanks for the warm welcome! We’re as excited about Nexus Mods’ future as you are. This post was all about Robin, giving him the credit he truly deserves. He built something incredible, creating a culture that’s shaped gaming and modding as we know it. We're here to honor that legacy and carry it forward, but we need to earn your trust.
Now, let’s clear the air on a few things:
Trust takes time.
We're committed to putting control back in the hands of creators, players, and communities. We’ll get back to building now.
Marinus, Nikolai and Victor.
It's been real, it's been fun, but it hasn't been real fun.
I doubt you will bring back the good old days of the internet and modding to Nexus.
Can't wait for this enterprise to finally fail and vanish into oblivion.
I would rather have it crash and burn, than leave it in your guys hands.
But deleting mods that removes pride flags and such, that's just lame.
bigot /bĭg′ət/
noun
Seems pretty clear to me in these posts who is using the term properly. Another word I'd add to this would be "irony" and "Contradiction" and my personal favorite, "Conundrum."
Warding intolerant people (i.e. those railing against or wanting to erase lgbt folk and various minorities which is typically the case) from one's diverse and tolerant community does not make one intolerant in turn, it's a bit silly to pretend it does. It has been shown time and again these intolerant people when left unchecked will diminish and ultimately destroy that community because they are intolerant and have objectives antithetical to the continued existence of that diverse community. If they really want to be a part of that (or any) community, they just have to become a little more tolerant, and in turn they too will be tolerated. Seems like a small thing, and a fair exchange. It's kind of a social contract thing, live and let live, all that stuff. I speak in general terms, when talking about the nexus specifically there's the actual site rules, which honestly don't differ much from normal society rules. They can all broadly be summarized as "don't be shitty".
Just in case you don't understand.
based on what I've seen here: mods that swap a black character to a non-black character immediately get nuked. mods that turn a non-black character into a black character are welcomed with open arms.
this goes completely against the so-called "community-first, listening approach".
those who claim to want Diversity, Equality & Inclusion really want an echo chamber of one type of opinion: their own.
like the example I gave above, the black-to-white mods being deleted and white-to-black mods being celebrated. or mods that remove trans flags from a game get deleted, but mods that add them into a game are celebrated.
it's massively hypocritical and 100% opposite of "diversity". Diversity means multiple choices for every walk of life, not only one type shoved down everyone's throat.
if Nexus Mods wants to be an echo chamber for what people describe as"woke content" only, that's just fine. it's their site, they can do what they want with it and anyone who doesn't like it can just leave. as long as they openly admit it.
people respect honesty, not hypocrisy. politician-like speeches about unity and community only to then turn around and do what I described above.
Oh, I would LOVE to hear you explain how working to make the playing field equal for all genders, and minorities hurts you. Im sure it would be a masterclass.
"like the example I gave above, the black-to-white mods being deleted and white-to-black mods being celebrated. or mods that remove trans flags from a game get deleted, but mods that add them into a game are celebrated."
Let me nab the crayons: Mods erasing diversity, created to tell minorities "You're not welcome even in my games" are not allowed because they go against the Nexus TOS. Wanting to hurt a group historically under-represented in games is *bad*.
Mods that *increase* diversity, are allowed, because they don't tell an under-represented group in games to go kick rocks. Or is your implication that there are not enough white males represented in games?
There are no rule that says I have to tolerate intolerance. Besides, it is bad for business and ones reputation.
I know this because I very rarely meet people that says all these horrible things when you are face to face with them in situations that matter.
So somewhere they must know they are in the wrong on a fundamental level.
You use mods to have bigger boobs - bigoted mod as you want to erase flat chest women
You use mods to have bigger and more perfect butt - yes, bigoted, as you might seek to erase people with small butts
You want better skins, makeup, muscles - yes, you guess it
YOU USE MORE MONEY MODS - you hate and laugh at the poor people.
Jokes aside, the so-called bigots here just don't like this is one sided. Replacing a flag or UI text is not erasing people, but Nexus did what it did, opened whole lot can of worms and now this will be insufferable as if it's kept the same, you will keep hear about censorship, but also how bigots are destroyed....and if its reverted back - I think it will be even more scary then
I want to add something here, as I feel that you are making these statements in good faith.
Opening the floodgates to the Alt-Right on this site will burn it to the ground. They will see to that. There will be r@pe mods, there will be lynching mods, there will be "Hunt the GAYS!" mods, and they will FLOOD this place with hate.
Dark0ne drew a line in the sand, I think, because we have seen it happen in real time now with what took place with twitter. And he drew a HARD LINE. And I respect the hell out of him for it. He has caught all kinds of flak for it.
But what I want to address is this idea that every action is tit-for-tat. The idea that the context of the actions of the mod maker are "The Same". When a modder uploads a mod that diminishes diversity (The black to white mod) that is an active choice to say "I don't even wanna LOOK at you. Not even in games." It is an act of contempt, not just a mod.
Equating that tit-for-tat with a mod that increases the diversity of a game is often because... well, most games are centered on the white male experience. (Independent games are better about this, but just by hair) Allowing mods that let under-represented groups experience the game a tad bit more intimately is just not the same thing. And it's not the same thing because these two things do not exist in a vacuum, they exist through our culture, and our culture is STILL actively oppressing these groups.
Anyways, I agree that this should be a nuanced convo, Im just not sure... this is the place for *that*.
isn't the woke left trying to make WHITE PEOPLE a minority at this stage? look at what's happening in Europe. I shouldn't even have to elaborate.
my implication is that hipocrisy is rampant here. you preach about diversity which is about having a bit of EVERYTHING, yet what you really want is an echo chamber filled with only what YOU want.
you clutch your pearls when someone posts a mod that "corrects" a character in a game based on a specific historical background - which you can just ignore because downloading said mod is 100% optional for those who want it. it's called having multiple CHOICES.
but trans flags in games that underage children play - which can easily be interpreted as GROOMING - are fine.
like I said, if Nexus is a woke-left echo chamber, that's just fine. just be upfront about it instead of using politician speech to dodge the question and pretend there's no censorship. that's how they burn their own site to the ground, no help from "the alt-right" needed.
if being a woke echo chamber is a good thing...then why deny it so vehemently? because deep down they know it's not.
so quit the through-the-teeth lies. it's not working for the lamestream media - that's why their ratings tank, shows get cancelled & charlatans like Jim Acosta & Joyless Reid get fired left and right - and it doesn't fly with gamers. but don't take my word for it...look at all the games flopping hard on a monthly basis & studios going bankrupt and shutting down because nobody wants that junk.
I'm sorry to report that despite our best efforts there is still no shortage of disgruntled socially inept white dudes spouting nonsense and picking the wrong targets for their anger and there likely will never be. Here's a helpful guide for those who need it and would like to improve both as a person and the planet in general: punch up, not down (as a general vague guide: authority is upward, minority is downward). I know, it's harder and takes more effort and requires bravery. But it's the right thing to do. As a bonus, it will also make women like you more because as it turns out, being a seething vat of hate for random people who have done you no wrong is kind of a turnoff for a lot of people. Not that you need this of course, you're all strong men who are not desperately lonely. I'm just saying.
Anyway, that gay dude or those blue haired activists out there isn't what is ruining your life. It's very likely the people running the government and megacorporations, because they are ruining everyone's lives and the planet. You should probably also look critically at whoever is whispering this weird stuff about white people being a minority in your ears, they might be lying to you. I wonder why they would do that?
edit: also, I have to ask, in your worldview, how do you explain the success of BG3 and CP2077 which were filled to the brim with "the woke"? Like if games fail because everyone is tired of "the woke" and these two games were both massive successes selling hundreds of millions of copies, what gives? Could it be that these other games and series failed because they were kind of mediocre or just cheap cash-grab attempts, regardless of any political stuff? This theory seems to cover observable reality better.
projecting much? that is the standard programming of a typical "leftish libtard", seen primarily all over tiktok and bluesky - the same bluesky that claims to be all about truth, openness and inclusion yet they ban JD Vance within 15 minutes of signing up before he even got a word in...hmmm where have I seen that before?
any "disgruntled white dudes" would be the ones triggering said "leftist libtards" by poking fun at them on instagram and completely destroying their warped world view with basic life facts.
on the topic of BG3 and CP***...I wouldn't know because I haven't played either of them. but if they are indeed "woke" they certainly sound like a very tiny minority in an ocean of disastrous woke flops. Ubisoft has one foot in the grave, Bioware's name is 6 feet deep in the mud with the Failguard already being a nail on its coffin-in-the-making, and even EA is feeling the heat.
*** it's actually funny how people always name ONLY those 2 games whenever they're trying to prove that going woke doesn't make you broke. they can never come up with any other examples. too funny.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/3447180/jd-vance-bluesky-suspension-impersonator/
https://bsky.app/profile/jd-vance-1.bsky.social
Also not really sure how this is relevant to... anything but whatever.
I don't disagree about these companies being crap, but that's less about "the woke" and more about the fact that they keep churning out uninspired samey open world corporate-safe committee-designed garbage imo with too much emphasis on the graphical side of things and not enough on the storytelling aspects or taking any risks, making the games a sad but pretty collectathon and checklist of chores instead of an epic experience. Like, remove all rainbow flags or whatever representation and they would still be mediocre games. I think it's largely because game budgets have grown to hundreds of millions of dollars and that makes the beancounters in charge very nervous and risk-averse. The wrong people are running the industry, and it's not blue-haired activists, it's the beancounters and executives running the companies who are only interested in profits and not in gaming as a medium in which to tell cool stories or have amazing experiences. I know what demographic they belong to (largely middle-aged white men) but I think that doesn't matter, their insatiable greed matters and is what is ruining the industry. Early access buy-in, pre-orders, in game purchases, special/extended/super editions, season passes, loot boxes, complete games sliced up into DLC, level DLC, ending DLC like the actual game end is a DLC wtf, this is the garbage that is making gaming worse, and it's all driven by greed, not gender. If you want to get angry, get angry about being fleeced while being given a subpar experience in the name of profit.
I named BG3 and CP2077 because they are AAA flagship games, have sold hundreds of millions of copies, and are well known by most gamers. I mean if you want a list of other successful games with representation, it's really not hard to find. You'd have to provide an exact and testable definition of "woke" first though, it generally seems to mean "whatever I don't like is woke" for some people, or in some cases it means "anything that isn't a straight white male protagonist is woke", or any of a thousand different claims. You can't really measure anything against such a nebulous cloud of notions (also I'm not really interested but knock yourself out).
What a short-sighted view. These games are successful because the player has a choice. They can make their own decisions without coercion. Compared to other games, they have good character development and tell damn good stories. All the things that other games in the genre that didn't sell didn't have. So your remarks are just another nothingburger. No one needs to shout loudly in one direction or another; they have a much more powerful weapon: their wallet. The more players recognize this, the sooner something will change.
So I guess mostly agree? I'd still like some clarification on what "woke" is nowadays if CP2077 and BG3 weren't it. Is there "good woke" and "bad woke"? Is the complaint really about how the representation is portrayed or integrated into the game?
I can only speak for myself, and from my point of view, that's how it is. In CP2077, every character, regardless of ethnicity, race, and religion, is well written and integrated into the story. I have the freedom to decide whether or not I want to start a romance with Judy or Kerry. I have a character editor and can design my character according to my preferences. I don't have to use pronouns or gender. So yes, it matters a lot how representation is portrayed and integrated. I don't buy any game that doesn't give me the freedom of choice unless it is modifiable, and I can customize it to my needs. And if I get a mod here at Nexus doesn't matter. All mods they ban can be found immediately on other platforms. That's the only notable thing that the DEI orientation of Nexus has achieved. It's as simple as that.
Same should apply to BG3 but I didn't play it as I don't like this sort of game mechanics.
I disagree with the paragraph to which I wrote my comment. Defining the term "woke" is none of my business. I haven't even used it in this entire conversation. So, I will not comment on it.
The following applies to all activists participating in this conversation: I don't care about your opinion. In my own home and on my own PC, I play my games exactly the way I want to, regardless of what you think or feel about it. So please spare me your comments.
People throw the word Bigot like they actually know what it means apart from just a catch-all term for people that don't live in the same mind-hive as theirs.
Here's a big word for you types - Cognitive Dissonance.
Few simple truths - Hardcore gamers are predominantly males. Straight males. Nobody liked Concord, Dustborn, and all the other woke sermonizing games you types keep preaching that people will love. It's either Helldivers or Stellar Blade, even Clair Expedition 33.
And there's nothing diverse about making all the AAA games a Black Female protagonist. Or make the Male protagonist sidelined story wise to a woman who act like a man.
Newsflash - nobody finds it fun when they're being told to just like ugly women, become less masculine, and be guilty for the color of their skin (white). You types want to change the world, you barely understand it.
And you think policing mods that don't align with your leftist LGTBQ propaganda is some kind of justice. You think mods removing the pride flag in Spider man 2 should be deleted? It's just fine? Maybe you're the real bigots here.
Ever heard of those who can't do, teach. Well those who can't create, destroy.
And that is it. It is no longer a discussion.
could we ask the context and reason for a mod.
(Note that i have no idea about any of this you are talking about, i did not see any of these mods most of you are arguing about.)
If i was playing a game where the character is white and i can't play anyone else and its a roleplaying game, and I'm a black girl in real life, and i can mod, i might want to make a mod changing my character to be female and black. this in my view would be ok the reasons are not bigoted,
But than what if a moderator comes to ask me why i made the mod, and i simply don't respond or am in a bad mood or just don't have good social skills, and give a vague answer that does not make it clear the reasons to why and it's context, maybe if i was a moderator i would want to kick it down.
About the flag, i have no idea about this flag, did not see the mod, don't know what you are saying.
But if i have a flag any flag, in my game and it is reminding me of anything in real life i don't feel comfortable with for what ever reason or i just think it is ugly, in the way, or being spammed in the game too much.(this hypothetical would be for a non bigoted human being).
Than i might just want to mod it to change it somehow to what ever i would think would be more pleasant, and i might share it cos i would think people would have the same thought, than again, i would refer to the case i made about moderation above, to this part of the comment, and again,
if not enough reason and context was given and it was not clear enough that i was making it for a legitimate reason with no bigoted grounds, as a moderator i might take it down for looking like it is bigoted.
I have no idea how things work around here. i am a newb mostly using nexus for 20 years but for moding, i have no conversations and i don't read posts.
So to summarise, instead of things in this world being seen as right or wrong immediately, instead, mods being an overall art form, they are subjective to opinions and opinions and ideals are relative, but we do not like bigotry and hate etc, that's for sure, but do we also like freedom? than we must ask the art creators for the logic, the point, the reason, and understand the creator's truth of the why things are made.
And modders, would have to be responsible fully formed dudes, that can give coherent responses that satisfy the nexus staff and give a perfect insight in to why things are made.
As a side note: this is just my opinion, i don't really like how most people think its right or wrong, no, its a middle ground. it depends on why things are made, if they are not plain out hateful like right away, i think we should get it straight before we judge the mate making them.
I also think a lot of you have really good points, like someone said that if you let one hate mod come in than they all start coming in, maybe you are right.
But i still think what would really be fair would be to get the reasons for the mods and make conscious decisions before bans.
But def hide mods that seem offensive until they are proven non offensive.
Sorry i am boring everyone with more gigantic comments,
I wish the new owners the best of luck in taking over the world, of the nexus.
Thank you for letting people have discussions in here, although i find it strange, maybe we did need this lol.
If game developers only give players one choice and thereby try to foist a certain message on them, then in my opinion that is simply bad game design.
But i believe a bunch of dudes figuring out if the reason is legitimate and actually asking about it and getting a response,
Is the fair way to go and will probably work best.
I'm talking nexus staff, maybe selected for being optimal for this kind of decision making.
Maybe it is not perfect, but it might be close to perfect :P
Better that i think, than using a logic to ban or leave unbanned certain things depending on what it does without asking the modder about his true intentions and making a thought out decision before deciding the ban/removal.
Because it might be art after all, it might have taken a lot of care, love, hard work and time to make, and maybe it was in the nicest loveliest interest/intention.
That's a flawed argument. It's the argument used by the bigoted who complain about a black woman in their game, or a gay man, or whatever that isn't a straight white male. The existence of those people is not a message. Their inclusion in a game is not a message. Their existence as a playable character is not a message. The existence of anyone other than straight white men or women who strictly conform to more traditional gender roles is not a message.
But even if it were, even if developers put a message into their game, why is that bad? Games have been statements for several decades now. Other media even longer.
LOL, "If we HIDE the bigotry well enough, you should allow it!".
LOL no.
Once again, that is not how any of this works my guy.
... also, I wonder what the EU has to say about it?
"Hatred not only affects the individual victims, it represents a threat to vibrant democracies and a pluralistic society.Hate motivated crime and speech are illegal under EU law. The 2008 Framework Decision on combating certain forms of expressions of racism and xenophobia requires the criminalisation of public incitement to violence or hatred based on race, colour, religion, descent or national or ethnic origin. "
... ... ... oop.
For example, a mod is made that is clearly not to be racist but it so happens that it touches the race subject, would be "perfectly legitimate", but now a bunch of racists are downloading it for racist reasons, that could happen or maybe that was the intention all along, i guess we would not really be able to discover that, it would be "hidden enough".
So his statement is true, but what you say is also true and brings an excellent point to what i have said here. What if people hide their hateful mods behind a sane non bigoted logic and it gets past the "filter", what if they are good at hiding the true intentions of their content.
I still think the solution would be to just trust some dudes that are really good at discerning intentions and what is art and what is not, and have them make good decisions on a good solid basis.
Thanks for commenting on my comment lol.
You can accidentally unalive someone and still go to jail for manslaughter. Intent is CLEARLY not the only factor that needs to be considered.
(Also, you can lie about intent. As someone who has had to engage with right-leaning trolls for the better part of two decades, they will twist language, move goal posts, and just blatantly lie to get their way. Like they have been doing all over this announcement, trying to bully and strong-arm the new owners into allowing their filth straight away.)
I agree with your statement AleniaVamp2000, but i will now ramble on about it. :P
You would never have any art at all, absolutely nothing, if there was censorship that simply bans something because it seems to harm a community. Anything can seem to harm any community, just needs a guy/gal to interpret it that way and share his opinion with the rest. That could not be the basis for a fair system, an artist should be entitled to do his "crazy" thing even if it pushes a few buttons, if the true intent is never to harm. A lot of art is made with the sole purpose of inciting feelings, conversations, discussions they have a provocative nature but the intent is not bad, it is the opposite, it is trying to bring about change through thought.
Ofc the interpretation of some people can be that it harms, but if that is not its intent and 50 people can see that, and like the piece, do we bend to favour the will of another 50 people that think it's harmful and deprive the first 50 of the piece they enjoy?
(ofc i am not taking in to account here that people that don't like things tend to be a lot more vocal than people who like things, but this is just a comment i don't need to go that deep)
For 100 years we are using groups of humans to decide what should be censored and not. it is a flawed system but it kinda works.
Using tv as an example, we have channels that let artists get away with more and the results sometimes is fantastic art pieces that makes us super happy, and tv shows that get completely censored and the whole idea and the show itself falls apart.
Art is by nature pretty wild, than the interpretation of anyone, can put any piece of art in a situation where it looks bad, but really i think what truly matters is what the artist thinks the piece means, (and to be honest if he/she doesn't want to say why, that is actually legit) as long as it's not something that clearly sounds hateful or horrible to the general population.
And thus the "censors" do their thing and make sure things make sense by their standards,(that should represent most of the general publics opinion) that we will just have to trust.
And as a community we will in time decide if we like their decisions or not, but the voice of the few should never out weight the voice of the many(just because they are more vocal), and the freedom of one should not trample the freedom of another. Most of us have a basic common notion that we do not want hate based content around, but if we go too far we might castrate artists trying to make genuine pieces, they will no longer feel free to make what they want, if they feel they might get shut down for it looking like something that it is not.
I am sorry... I write a lot...
anything you do , no matter what will ALWAYS get someone either offended or mad. even if it's none of their business and doesn't impact them directly. you cannot expect art or any other kind of stuff, mods included to appeal or even be okay with EVERYONE. there will ALWAYS be someone unhappy in one way or another that will be more vocal than the ones happy about it and you cannot get rid of something because a small part of the user base is throwing a tantrum. censorship and choking creativity is never gonna be the answer. if anything , it'll fuel more extreme takes and art pieces as protest. i think everyone no matter what political side they're on should be able to express their creativity as long as it doesn't cross any lines such as openly directed racism , sexism , hate or violence ( these works in every ways no matter who it's directed at).
The way you interpret this statement alone shows me how pointless it is to engage in conversation with people like you. It's all about hatred and incitement in your minds. Even if you are unable to define exactly what that is supposed to be. We experience all this every day and have seen it a thousand times before. You have no other arguments for people who do not agree with your point of view. Framing and name calling is not based on facts; it is simply an expression of the feelings you have toward others.
"If you are causing harm to a community, even if that is not your stated intention, you are still causing harm."
If someone uploads a mod without stating their intention in any way, you simply assume that their intention is bad. That's how this mindset works.
"That's a flawed argument. It's the argument used by the bigoted who complain about a black woman in their game, or a gay man, or whatever that isn't a straight white male. The existence of those people is not a message. Their inclusion in a game is not a message. Their existence as a playable character is not a message. The existence of anyone other than straight white men or women who strictly conform to more traditional gender roles is not a message."
That must be the reason why games like Dustborn exist, or why Dragon Age: The Veilguard teaches us what good and immoral behavior is.
"But even if it were, even if developers put a message into their game, why is that bad? Games have been statements for several decades now. Other media even longer. "
I play to be entertained, not to receive a lesson in good behavior. When I play games, I am not interested in the daily problems of the real world in any way. I want to switch off for a while, forget my worries, and just have fun. No one has anything against games whose stories raise philosophical questions, if the story behind them is coherent, as is the case with Cyberpunk 2077, for example. That's what distinguishes good storytelling from bad. I can make my own decisions that influence the course of the story in some way. Nothing must happen, but anything can happen. That's also why games like Mass Effect have stuck in players' memories. It's all about the decisions you make. Nowadays, virtual signaling is unfortunately more important than good storytelling.
YOU want the metric to be "Intent over effect" because it gives you cart blanch to make any ugly thing you want, then say "But I didn't *mean* for my Not-See Flag mod to be offensive!" and force Nexus to keep it up. Hence why it is a bad metric to make decisions with.
If you make a mod that is bigoted, *EVEN IF YOU DON'T PERSONALLY SEE IT AS SUCH*, Nexus has every right to take that mod down, no matter what your personal intent might have been. Full stop.
Luckily for us, the EU has pretty strong laws about exactly this, and Im pretty sure out new owners are not gonna make their first move "Get the EU all up in our butts for hosting bigotry!"
>Mentions a game that's heavily about capitalism and its impact on society.
(engaging and disarming right wing trolls is a reflex at this point... They like to make it seem like they are the majority, and use things like second accounts to puff up their presence, so that their platform of bigotry seems more popular or more "Right" than it actually is... and they do that by sucking all the air out of the room till most people just exit the convo, then they claim they "Won". Wellllllll, not on my watch lol)
Oh! A chance to point out one of your escalation techniques! And it's one of my favorites! Dehumanization!
By calling me "It", you are attempting to bait me in two ways: To start en exchange about my gender (In which you will claim Im trans in some way, trying to discredit and insult me) and/or attempting to spin the conversation into gender essentialism, which is so far beyond the scope of this thread, it will get turned off.
So, what name did I call you again? Cause Im calling out "General Bigots", and for that to be relevant to you, you would have to self-identify as one.
What an excellent example of interpreting something that isn't there. “It” refers to the matter at hand, not to you personally. I couldn't care less what gender you are or which gender you identify with. You're just revealing how you tick and how you think.
*Sniff*
I do love the smell of plausible deniability in the afternoon. But that is just awfully off topic.
So, how you feeling about how the EU frames this issue?
(This part in particular?)
"Hate motivated crime and speech are illegal under EU law. The 2008 Framework Decision on combating certain forms of expressions of racism and xenophobia requires the criminalisation of public incitement to violence or hatred based on race, colour, religion, descent or national or ethnic origin."
... no that's from the EU website dealing with combatting hate-speach.
Ugh... I even have a link? https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/combatting-discrimination/racism-and-xenophobia/combating-hate-speech-and-hate-crime_en
And finally, A DOGE!
Congratulations sir, we ran through the ENTIRE handbook today, looking forward to your renewed assault on our collective IQs in the morning!
... Oh no, did something I say come off as threatening to you somehow?
I would never want someone to feel apprehension about my presence.
I state unequivocally that you are not under any threat of any kind of violent action from my end.
I hope that helps :D
... ... ... indeed.
I wonder, if the company was sold to a US based entity, would we also apply the recent Executive Orders with the same fervor?
Would we in this case adhere to the First Amendment as intended in this form as well?
Or is it merely "For my friends, anything. For my enemies, the law."?
My private company can do as it wants, as long as it is what I also want?
Curious.
Would we in this case adhere to the First Amendment as intended in this form as well?"
Ugh, yea... they would kind of have to.
That's... that's how laws work? (Even though EOs are not technically laws)
Im unsure why you think I would think that would not be the case, actually.
We all don't want hate related content and hate mongering, we do not want separatism, elitism and extremism.
We want equality in equal measures.
As relative as everything in the world is, we can be sure of one thing, that we have the same beliefs on this subject.
Even if they diverge in the way of how we want it to happen or how it should be handled.
We don't need to measure who is more in favour of equality, we are all in favour of equality.
If we can keep the hate stuff out of our happy modding life's we will be happier.
And this is what we want.
But we also want to be free to post a mod that might sound ill intended, but we can explain it and make it clear we don't mean harm, for the sake of preserving mods that people enjoy and don't harm anyone since the intentions are clear and understood.
If you like the ideas being shared here, try and say so, maybe the nexus team will want to hear your opinions
when they are contained to a subject that is palpable, like offering more alternatives and solutions, so they can
figure out the best way to please everyone.
I will make a request, focus on what we have in common, like being in favour of equality, and not in our differences.
We can get to the solutions and in this metaphor cover more ground if we always remember that we are paddling in the same direction.
I would also like to apologise to the nexus for the big discussion, this post was about Dark0ne after all.
Thank you for the happiness you have given us throughout the years.
This is still my go to website for mods, and i hope it will keep being that for a long time.
That's usually the sentiment, the current laws are great because they fight my fight right now!
Quite clear in the statement "ugh, they would have to [follow laws I don't like]."
In addition, the usage of a non-applicable law as a sort of authoritative argument cudgel, hinting more towards "it should be this way everywhere" than what something actually is.
Just something I've often observed, and such an argument holds as much water as a colander.
Hence why I question, because I don't know if this is your frame.
An assumption, birds of a feather and all that, but not a verdict.
In a one-dimensional space, perhaps.
@Itchytreasuresack
We?
Quite clear in the statement "ugh, they would have to [follow laws I don't like]."
Disliking a law does not make it any less of a law.
This is not a concept anyone who exists in any modern setting should have any trouble with.
Thanks for playin?
This is a 100% honest ask: Egh... can we narrow that down any?
I have been having like six different convos across three different threads on here today, so while I would love to hear you out... egh... which part?!
You can copy-pasta me, even!
And for those so fervently using the "it's a private company, they can do what they want sweetie" argument, I am once again asking: where was this energy when you cried so much about Elon and Twitter?
" As someone who has had to engage with right-leaning trolls for the better part of two decades, they will twist language, move goal posts, and just blatantly lie to get their way. Like they have been doing all over this announcement, trying to bully and strong-arm the new owners into allowing their filth straight away"
Holy Hypocrisy Batman
Because you personally find something offensive or dislike a certain thing, doesn't mean that no one should have access to or be allowed to have that thing.
I'm a straight, White, right leaning man, and what someone else does is really none of my damn business, nor do I really care.
Unless it's blatantly illegal, or affects me personally, it's not my place to tell anyone what they should or should not be allowed to say/do/have/wear/ etc., so what gives you that right?
Hope no one will get offended by what I said, though. I just wanted everything to be fair, not just for me but also for everyone.
I'm a straight, White, right leaning man, and what someone else does is really none of my damn business, nor do I really care.
Unless it's blatantly illegal, or affects me personally, it's not my place to tell anyone what they should or should not be allowed to say/do/have/wear/ etc., so what gives you that right?"
You are free to make any mod you like, and Nexus is free to not host it.
See how easy that is?
Oh? Care to share what exactly he created and changed?
(I have a feeling you left out that detail for a reason.)
See how easy that is? "
Ah yes, the old "do what I like or find somewhere else to do something".
I'd bet you actually call people you disagree with fascists.
I totally agree with you！I can't even understand why those left-wingers and right-wingers want to use a mod website as their battlefield. Can this show that they understand politics and ideology? Or do they just want to be sick of players and mod writers who don't care about their pathetic "tendencies"?
I am going to suggest that if you guys want to keep commenting on my comment, to give ideas on how to improve, or just say that you agree with what i have said so far.
I will try and give some ideas you might like besides the one given above about moderators actively asking reported modders in non extreme cases, why they are making the mod before bans and formal warnings are issued.
Realise i only used nexus for actual gaming purposes for 20 years, i did not participate in image share, video share, forums, comments, nothing, i just get my mods here.
Should there be changes on how reported mods should be handled? the mods in the nexus are more than the stars in the sky.
It is probably overwhelming, costly and very time consuming to analyse every individual case with the care i am proposing.
How about using players? What players? Should it be trusted players that have made a lot of mods, have a positive participation on the site and have proven to be respectful and do not lean to any side of "politics"?
Should it be a mix of staff and players? and staff would weight 70% and players the other 30%?
Should reported mods be put in a sort of stasis and voted upon by every member of the nexus?
Maybe nexus users that have been here for long or participate very positively and never broke a rule, before being banned, should be given a free "formal warning", if the offence is not extreme? (if that is not the case already) I believe people can curb their behaviour if "formal warnings" are issued. These are just some examples of alternatives you might want to get behind on.
I am sorry to all other people trying to make comments with giant walls of text like this comment.
It is a classic, I mean do you know how often I hear "If YoU ThInk MERiCa BAD GO soMeWhere eLSE!!!" during the course of my week?
"I'd bet you actually call people you disagree with fascists."
Only when they are actively cheering Fascism. "
Fascism, as historically defined, includes strict government control over industry, suppression of individual liberties, and opposition to free-market capitalism.
Everything the left loves.
You want a site where only what you like or approve of is allowed.
So who is the real fascist?
Don't stop with your partial definition, you were doing so well but stopped short, let's have a more complete one:
...and let's not forget the evidence the fascists left us last time they ran things: destruction of various minorities, anyone deemed not white enough and of course the lgbt folk, millions of people dead, nobody having a good time including the fascists.
You know, none of these things sound like "the left" (aside from the fact the definition clearly indicates "far right"). These things really sound like another group of people. I bet they love military parades. Anyway I'll leave you to answer your own question, now armed with a more complete understanding of the word. If you'd like, there are very long scholarly articles defining and examining fascism in excruciating detail that I could link. I don't think any of them associate it with "the left" but we could review them.
This post is made from an unbiased stand point afterall, because i did not ever follow the site in the way these users do.
I was merely trying to help people and the nexus out. (my point of view is strictly from a avid gamer/artist/human perspective)
If there was truly a problem with things looking too one sided/unfair, i hope the things i have said here will possibly help the nexus make decisions on how to improve on that, and make users and modders on the site more satisfied with the service.
The sole reason i am here, is to give my thanks to the nexus and it's users, by making mods.
I am sorry i participated in this discussion and accidentally made this post look like the wall of china on an unrelated topic.
regarding 'trolling' and 'harassment' and 'bigoted' kinds of modding.
Yeah it exists. There's the easy callouts (nazi swastika gunner down thrills etc) kinds of modding. There's a lot more that are on the fence
(removing pride flags and/or changing them to other flags like the US flag or some other country's flags instead.
As modders, nothing we do is really 'authorized' by the devs. Even if we think it is it really is outside their purview. We do what we do for ourselves and hopefully for others to enjoy as well.
I feel that a 'Valve' approach to this issue might be the better solution. Allow whatever as long as it isn't blatantly illegal (CSAM/etc) and have there be a 'controversy' filter enabled by default for this kind of material that authors would need to tag/flag properly and users would explicitly have to 'opt-in' to even see, similar to how adult mods work now.
I feel disgusted and absolutely despise a lot of these 'trollish' mods, but they do have a right to exist. Arbitrary bans at the whims of the
site owners benefits nobody. A more 'hands off' approach and proper tagging/filtering is something that may not only benefit modding overall
but treat it more as the art form that it can become.
Let the downloads speak for themselvse. If a mod is unwanted then the lack of downloads will reflect that metric. If you hate the idea of someone changing flags to something else in a video game you enjoy, then don't worry about it. It isn't your business what others do in their
single-player games, be it adult mods or otherwise. Live and let live. Remain neutral like Switzerland. Provide service to all instead of
arbitrary judgement calls.
So yeah, this would allow those horrid 'nazi swastika etc etc' type of troll mods and the flag-changing ones and the skin-color-changing ones and all the rest. So be it. We don't need to see it, we can filter them out if we don't want to see them, and what others do with their single player games is not our concern.
If we want to be 'fair' about it, people should be permitted to filter out LGBT+ material just as much as LGBT+ people should be able to filter out 'controversial' material they disagree with. Tagging and flagging and letting the users decide is IMHO the best approach.
Most politicians will look at this site once, and conclude that this is meant for children, and you can't peddle pornography and hate to children.
Nexsus is already on a tightrope as is.
It's interesting to think about all of the sane people that share this exact sentiment silently gliding through these threads or disregarding them entirely. That is, how representative of general public sentiment are the posts from the "culture warriors" in here?
Regardless, I 100% agree. In my experience, no company or social media influencer or otherwise neutral entertainment faculty has ever benefitted in terms of finance, outreach, scope, etc. in the long term by drawing ethical lines in the sand, other than those necessitated by law. It just doesn't make sense for a brand to contribute resources in this regard. You will, by the fundamental nature of the effort, alienate potential customers, meaning less money. Any promise of gain beyond that is empty.
As you said, provide the means to adequately filter content to the consumer. They will naturally shape the landscape of successful product. Any interference beyond that will, at best, be a waste of time and effort, but will likely also leave money on the table in the long term. Unless, of course, you're a perfect judge of market sentiment...
I don't like mods getting deleted just because of x reasons, just put a toggle and let the user decide.
The things I've seen removed were like "remove all black people from the game", or "turn all black people white, or "remove lgbt people or pronounce from the game". There is a huge difference between a mod for adding a unrepresented group to a game, or removing a group the mod author doesn't want in the game. Setting those things as equal is like saying you should be allowed to be a jerk, because others are allowed to be nice.
Anti-woke has emboldened blatant racism and sexism. And it's fine for a community driven website to take a stance against that,
imo.
I have no qualms with the so called "censorship", and I think all the moderation I've seen has been very fair. I hope that continues. But the
complete lack of transparency from the new leadership seems so odd to me.
"We’ll share more about ourselves when we’ve earned that right." What does that even mean? Maybe facilitate trust with a little transparency? You monetize gaming startups, why would you treat this site any differently?
One way to earn trust is to be straightforward.
For exemple allowing skin color modification from X to Y but not from Y to X is censorship , fairness would be either you accept both X and Y OR refuse both
Or lets talk about localization mods whose sole purpose is restoring the original script but get banned because of the moderators being offended about the content that are in the game
Or the classic ''hrmm the cartoon characters are canonically young so mod BANNED'' despite you know BEING LITERALLY NON EXISTENT CARTOON CHARACTERS who don't look like humans except for the most sickos of minds who can't differentiate fiction and reality
Gender mod same s#*!
i don't call that ''fair''
It's a Danish startup consisting of gamers, not some psychotic Wolf of Wallstreet dudes. But we are all here to make money and provide for our families.
I've noticed that the new owners' country of origin has come up from time to time here. I'm not really sure why, though. As far as I understand, Black Tree Gaming Ltd (the parent company of NexusMods) will still remain incorporated in the U.K.
In regards to their background, we know they have some roots and specialized interest in the gaming sector, but looking at their social media, they clearly have a streak of buzzword-laden posts that seem to indicate a keen interest in monetization.
100% agreed. I'm not even remotely opposed to them making money. If you're been paying attention, Nexus has been struggling to pay the costs to maintain the site, which has been skyrocketing as of late.
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06360077/filing-history *
I believe that Nexus CAN do much better financially without ruining the site.
*Edit: I see there are several new filings this week... Robin Scott (Dark0ne) and a couple others have been terminated from the company and Sovwood Bidco Limited has now taken majority share.
**Edit 2: Info on Sovwood Bidco -- https://x.com/Vara_Dark/status/1935493822256914433 -- they're a shell company. Yeah, nevermind, this isn't good.
We should pick up this discussion in a month or so.
One thing for sure, I would rather see the site crash and burn, than having it go through some kind of elonfication.
I get what you mean, but this is hardly speculation- we are gathering facts. Nor is it a good idea to take a 'wait and see' approach.
It's important to gather this information because we want to know what the new owners are planning to do. They bought NexusMods with a purpose in mind.
The biggest issue right now is that they haven't been as forthright and transparent as we would have liked. It seems they've fessed up about Chosen because the community immediately started doing their own research as soon as the news article was posted. IMO this should have been mentioned right away, front & center.
As far as 'wait and see' -- if the new owners turn out to be less than well-intentioned, it may be too late by the time we find out. This is the time to diversify and back up any mods you can't live without. If they were to move to a paywalled model (which to be frank, I still doubt), it could become very difficult or downright impossible to recover some mods.
We do have a plan, but none of it matters if we don’t get the basics right: earn trust, support creators, and protect what makes Nexus special. Talking too early feels like selling. We’d rather build first, then speak with results.
Happy to keep listening in the meantime.
Understand that a lot of this comes from a place of curiosity - we don't know who funded the acquisition or why, and there's a lot of questions about what the core competencies and strengths of this new team are. How will they get Nexus to a place where it's achieved sustainable growth, etc.
I believe in "trust, but verify". At this point, Nexus is your platform to do what you see fit. We'll take you at your word. But, the community should always look after itself.
I think being as forthcoming as possible is the right way to establish a positive relationship with the community and I hope we'll see a more detailed post introducing the new owners sometime soon.
In the meantime, will any of this buzz, in between times, be leading up to a News item from the new owners?
I was wondering why the site was breaking after this comment. It was still a fairly poignant commentary so it sucks to lose it.
Tl;dr NGGJimmy was demanding more transparency about this acquisition, who funded it, etc. Hopefully we get some answers soon.
I miss the days when there was ONLY MOD as much as you do.
Mourn for the dead Real Nexus Mods website.
I would hope the owners have some kind of morals.
Are we sure about that? From the TOS:
"Inappropriate Content:
Content that may be generally construed as provocative, divisive, objectionable, discriminatory, or abusive toward any real-world individual or group, may be subject to moderation. This includes but is not limited to content involving politics, race, religion, gender identity, sexuality, or social class."
But I fully support the "just don't download it if you don't like it" as this is actually how mods operate. You download the mods that you like and suit you best which also promotes competition in some cases as who will create better mods. Its astonishing how much mods I DIDN'T DOWNLOAD because they didn't work for me. Should I report or complain of such mods? Hell nah, it's my own personal preference, I don't download them, they don't show in my download history, so I look for something else.
Since Nexus don't have mod hide option yet, either Tag blocking or author blocking from profile could work, or simple browser script as well if you don't like something that much.
Content that may be generally construed as provocative, divisive, objectionable, discriminatory, or abusive toward any real-world individual or group, may be subject to moderation. This includes but is not limited to content involving politics, race, religion, gender identity, sexuality, or social class."
The key think i that whole point you missed was may be subject to moderation. It does not say AleniaVamp2000 will moderate the item, it says may be subject to moderation. I get where you are coming from but Nexus has been around way longer than this woke vs chud battle ever started. Do you want to continue fighting with each other until the site is so toxic they shut it down and call it a loss? There are already 3 mod sites that are online and running with the promise of total neutrality. If you don't learn to compromise sometime and stop making everything an attack on you or your beliefs, you will will land yourself in an early grave due to stress. I come to Nexus to get mods and make games better for me. I don't come to Nexus to be bashed and shamed because I got a mod that made an ass bigger or boobs bigger. Video games are supposed to be a way to get away from the REAL WORLD. To relax, have fun and just enjoy yourself...I dont want real world in my games...politics, social justice and what not can stay out of it. So I am going to go back to my game now, you can call me a chud, bigot or woke. I don't care. What I do care about is this site continuing to be the top modding site on the net, I like it here and I hate change. Everyone have a chill day and I will smoke a bowl to you all later today.
So, I interpret your statement more along the lines of: "When I joined this site way back in 2007 I didn't notice political and religious discussions/interactions."
I'd even argue that everything you do within a (broader) social context can be considered political, no matter your intentions, even more so on social platforms, which NexusMods is. So, by saying X is non-political would be kinda equivalent to saying it is non-existent or asocial.
Today, people network on more modern platforms than forums. For every major game, there is at least one modding Discord. In most cases, there are even several. They usually specialize in different things. Forums were the massive thing when this site was founded, but today they are almost meaningless.
After that we had ICQ, Skype, and others that allowed direct and immediate communication. They too have since disappeared into insignificance and were replaced by more modern alternatives. In my opinion, they should adapt to these changes. That would significantly minimize the development effort for the site and cut some overhead which has a positive effect on revenue.