"Modding", the term itself. Options

[ghastley]

When this section was created, the term modding referred to the creation of mods. These days, it has come to mean just using mods that others have created, and it is getting to the point where even that is too difficult for people, and they need collections.

So what replaces the term? What is the process of mod authoring called now? Most of the alternatives I have seen make it hard to separate us from the original game creators, and where do people like Virtuos fit in? Is Oblivion Remastered a mod or a new game?

[ghastley]

Looks like the old guard here remembers when you had to make your own mods, so "modding" meant creating. If you got into it post-Nexus, then it would mean downloading and using. There is probably a new meaning that captures the ability to add a new mod to a downloaded collection.

I think some of the inconsistency with the term arises from the way mods don't just build on the base game, but other mods. It's not unusual for Unofficial xxx Patch to be a pre-requisite for a mod. And there are a number of frameworks for animation and asset distribution that also form a common layer that other mod creators use.

We may be past the point where simple terms like "modder" can have any precision.