I WILL NEVER TAKE MONEY FOR ANY OF MY MODS AND WILL NEVER PAY MONEY FOR ANY MOD!
I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION TO MOD AUTHORS TO USE MY ASSETS FOR PAID MODS! NEVER!

Hi there everyone!

I haven't been in for a while, being busy with life and experiencing a
couple of troubles (with modding, that is with the game... and life).
Since everything has settled down for me now, I came back to prepare
another play-through with my favorite character and I stumbled over
something called "paid mods".

Well, I would like to make it short, but a couple of things must be said!

What I think about it? I think this is not the true spirit of a community!
We all came here to pimp our skyrim game (or others). Some of us have
hundreds of mods currently installed and tried out even more. If I paid
only one Euro for each and every single mod I have currently installed, I tried in the past (and maybe got rid of again), I would be a
poor man, not having any money left for food or my apartment. ;p

Technically I think it's a problem in many ways. Most people just click the install
button and run the game. Those are stumbling over problems sooner or
later. They will be left behind with an unplayable game (unless they are
extraordinarily lucky!), because by choosing mods without reading
descriptions and not knowing what exactly they (the mods AND the users!)
do, they will have bad conflicts sooner or later, resulting in alot of
frustration. Some mess up their game so badly, that a fresh install
doesn't even help anymore (seen it several times). And this is what
average users should pay money for? Bad idea!

Secondly, what I just mentioned, you want to try out a mod. Maybe it works for you, maybe
not. Maybe you like it, maybe not. Even if you read descriptions and
know what you (and the mods) are doing, conflicts are not always 100%
avoidable. Can I get back my money for a mod, that doesn't work for me? I
doubt it!
Plus the sheer number of mods most people are trying out makes the idea ridiculous. As if I would pay hundreds or even thousands
of bucks to mod ONE game! And we all know, you are not done, when you've
installed 5 or 10 mods! There is more you want to change. Yeah, we can
never get enough, we are kinda junkies, aren't we? ;)

But seriously...

Even if all the things mentioned before were a legit aspect about the topic, what makes a community like this what it is?
The free sharing of your works!
Well, some of us just take, because they don't have modding skills or maybe
they are too lazy, but hey, it's absolutely ok! You just want to
consume, it's legit! Because you already "pay" in a certain way! You
"pay" with a download. If a mod author takes notice, that his mod has
been downloaded, it makes him happy, because someone showed interest for
his work. It brightens up a modder's day! Then you can "pay" with your
endorsement. Or even with kudos, that you give to a person with
extraordinary ideas or whatever. You can "pay" with a nice comment as
well! And all of it makes the mod author happy and makes him keep going.
This payment is enough!

Some others "pay" by creating mods for the community. Give what you can and take what you need. Fair deal! No
one is pushed, every one gives freely. This way a community thrives in a
healthy atmosphere. If you want to use other people's resources, you
ask kindly and credit the other mod author, which in a certain way is
another "payment" as well. And all is good and creating more creativity
in a community like this.

But the moment money comes into play it gets ugly. People hold back, people are not willing to share anymore,
because they could make a "loss", if another mod author is having the
idea, that could have come to the original author of an asset as well.
And then it produces struggle and fighting.

In my eyes "paid mods" are a limitation of the potential of a community and thus are
"mortal sin"! The companies' greed is destroying a well running system
by exploiting other people's work. Don't let them take you down! As for
now, we DON'T HAVE to take money for our mods. And I know, should the
day come, when ALL mods must be paid, I would immediatly take down all
my mods and quit modding for the "community" forever, because that would
be the day when the "community" is dead! There will be no more
community! End of story!

Don't be seduced! Keep up the spirit of the community, keep it alive! Thank you!

I WILL NEVER TAKE MONEY FOR ANY OF MY MODS AND WILL NEVER PAY MONEY FOR ANY MOD!
I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION TO MOD AUTHORS TO USE MY ASSETS FOR PAID MODS! NEVER!