Modding: A Positive or Negative Effect

On the topic of Modding, one thing that I grew to become very interested in was the topic of game fans that are a potential threat to the industry because they get excited to make new games.  Since gamers now do not have to build a game from the ground up, and instead can create a new game from the basis of other games, then I do not see why this actually is not happening more often. 

There are two sides to the issue which include either it is considered free labor or participatory culture.  Now, allowing people to actually produce versions of games can actually be a huge negative and I agree with that as well.  This is because I can see regular people making more crap versions of games , then actual interactive, mind stimulating games that appeal to the general public.  I am not saying this because I do not think highly of our gamers, but I am just trying to be realistic.  Yes, I am sure that there could potentially be games that come out of this, but I envision more junk than not. 

For example, this happened when the video game to ET came out.  ET was a hit movie, so why did someone think it was automatically going to be a hit video game?  I believe that videos and games are intertwined in some senses, but for the majority of the part are extremely different in the sense of how a user views a video and a game.  I can see more people falling asleep with movies than with videos because games are simply more interactive.   However, back to the ET topic, unfortunately since the ET video game was so horrible it tinted the credibility and the outlook on the games system Atari itself.  I would not be so willing to let people make different versions of my games and run the potential risk of having my entire game system flop.  I do not think that it is worth it in the least bit.  What Apple is doing, by controlling the applications that people are starting to make, is a very smart decision on their part.  Sure, they could potentially be missing out on some really great ideas, but for the most part at least they do not run the risk of having one horrible application taint the image of their brand and name.  Brand loyalty is what brings consumers coming back to a specific product, and when you have diminished your brand loyalty, you have diminished everything else.