Why is it readily available to have a modded or hacked game to enjoy on PC while consoles very rarely have hacked or even modded games?
In: Technology
Every company would love to restrict what you can do with their product – god forbid you find something you can do that will make you give them less money than you otherwise would. Originally, consoles were just machines that ran games, and back then, modifying games was practically inconceivable. No one needed to let you do it because no one realised they wanted to do it. When more modern consoles came round, ones that functioned more like computers, nobody expected to be able to mod their games, so the companies making these consoles could restrict that ability and no one would be upset about it.
Computers on the other hand had their routes in the creator, not the consumer. They have always been things you could do whatever you want with, but have had more things to do added to them over time and gained increased user-friendliness to the point even casual chumps who know nothing about computers like me can use one for all sorts of things. Because everyone has always expected to be able to do whatever they want with their computer, no computer company has been able to truly restrict it, despite really wanting to. You can see this desire manifest in things like the Chromebook, which is really just a laptop that the operating system prevents you doing a bunch of normal computer things on. Why these limitations? Because google makes more money if you have to store everything in their cloud and only ever use their own applications. If computers had just been invented today, they’d have all the same limitations of chromebooks and consoles. You can see this in fact in smartphones. Because the market started out restricted, it has always been able to remain restricted, with both ios and android doing a lot to make sure you only ever do things they want you doing.
So, you can get modded games on PCs because the protections the PC market has against corporate restrictions on use allow a degree of control and access consoles don’t want you having. To get modded games on consoles (which *is* possible, I’ve done it on my 3DS) you first need to mod the console itself to make it less restricted.
Because consoles are designed specifically to try and prevent unwanted modifications to their games. Console developers are free to put all sorts of elaborate anti piracy right into the design of the console itself and build their games to match. With a PC, the system itself doesn’t come with that type of dedicated anti cheat, it’s a general use device so devs are on their own to figure out how to secure their pc games.
Not saying it’s truly black and white but – two aspects –
1. Console makers have a tremendous amount control of the content used on their systems. Since all PS4s are made by Sony, using Sony software, playing games using Sony’s proprietary game network system it’s easy for them to a. keep out mods and hacks from being available to its users and b. to detect and deter hacks that do make it through. Hacks/mods can be used to import viruses/malware and also make the game less fun for other users, both serve to drive casual users away from buying more Playstations, so there is an incentive for Sony to guard it’s software.
2. PCs are not as centralized, they are cobbled together by parts made by numerous manufacturers, running software that’s just as varied. So it’s harder to for anyone to act as a controller of the content being played. If people hack a game to the point it’s no longer fun for casual users, those users aren’t going to suddenly stop buying Motherboard X or monitor B, or even to switch from Steam to whatever bullshit EA offers. So no party has an incentive to play gatekeeper.
There is also a selection bias. The overlap of users who know how to create, source, and employ mods, set up their own networks for play, and actively want to be part of the mod making/using community also generally like to build their own rigs and not be burdened by a controlling agency, so they tend to be PC users rather than console users.
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