Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi caused a stir last December when he asked modders “not to create or set anything offensive or inappropriate” for the second part of the RPG’s remake , which just launched on PC. While it is not clear what is “harmful or inappropriate”, such a general statement would certainly cover naked mods, which are as unnecessary in PC gaming as fiddling with your graphics settings raise
Naturally, the PC gaming community responded “Okay, bro” before continuing, as one redditor so eloquently put it “the big hog of Cait”. Hamaguchi recently returned to the subject when asked by Automaton Media about his own perspective on mods. This time, he gave a more detailed answer, though one that didn’t necessarily involve anything more unusual than before.
Hamaguchi began by pointing out that he has been known to dabble in the field of change. “As someone who plays on PC, I sometimes use mods myself,” he told Automaton. He also acknowledges that flexibility is an important aspect of PC gaming. “I know that mods are accepted by the community and that they bring fun to many players”, he added, “I see it as a good thing for myself.”
In particular, Hamaguchi says “I respect the modding community” and recognizes the importance of mods in PC gaming, noting that mods can “breathe new life into games” years after release. , citing Fallout and The Elder Scrolls as evidence. He also notes that “Volunteers often move faster than companies that produce equipment.”
All this is fair and true, if there is no general view. But it then goes back to the details of the mods players should use and which they should not. Regarding his previous comments, Hamaguchi said he “wasn’t trying to tell people not to use mods.” Instead, he said it is “More about consciousness. Both the creator and the user alike must ensure that mods do not detract from the desire to play.”
To me, this seems less sanctimonious than saying the same thing he did before. Unfortunately, it is also easier to argue. You can make the case that every MOD ever made detracts from what the game wants, because they add or change things that weren’t made by the developers to begin with. You may be able to remove mods that fix bugs, but even a MOD that makes it easy to play the product doesn’t necessarily fulfill the game’s needs.
Hamaguchi also spoke about the experience he had in mind later in the interview, even as he danced around the topic. “There are mods that can affect some players, so I encourage users to research what they are developing and for developers to remember their audience.” Just say you don’t like the horny mods, Naoki! Sir your morals are not true.
In fairness, I am not entirely unsympathetic to Hamaguchi’s opinion. The internet’s unsatisfying nature can get a little wearing, and I personally don’t understand the appeal of playing games where people have their bums out when they don’t want to. do. But I’m not against it. Aside from the fact that morality over mods is like throwing in a hurricane, players should be able to do what they like with the game once they have bought it.
Also, as Andy pointed out the last time this discussion rolled around, Square Enix isn’t above itself. leaning on the racer Details of Final Fantasy 7 to make money. Modders, by comparison, do it purely for love. You may not like the shape, size or composition of that love, but that will not change things.
