ModDB, the community site for user-made mods of PC games, is 10 years old.
The site, founded in 2002 by Scott Reismanis, has marked the occasion with a timeline documenting its 10-year history, during which it hosted the likes of Garry's Mod, the million-selling Source Engine mod.
Reismanis said: "Whether game creators encourage it or not, people love to tweak and change their favourite games. In the end we all win, give a modder complete creative freedom and the result is the creation of timeless classics such as Counter-Strike, Dotaand, more recently, DayZ, which millions have played."
More than 17,000 mods have been added to the site's database over the years, and it passed one hugely significant milestone just three weeks before its 10th birthday by reaching a million members. It currently sees between 2,000 and 4,000 new signups a day; if that rate is maintained ModDB will pass two million users within a year.
It's no surprise that the site continues to grow at such a rate: modders are capable of increasingly remarkable things. There's theArmA II mod, DayZ, which propelled Bohemia Interactive's ageing shooter to the top of the Steam charts. Almost 9,000 mods for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim have been released since the launch of the Skyrim Creation Kit in February.
There's iCEnhancer, too, the stunning Grand Theft Auto IVgraphics mod, and the recent collaboration which saw a multiplayer mode added to Avalanche's open-world action game Just Cause 2. These aren't made just for fun; modding is one of the best applications for a game industry job. Valve hired Dotamodder Icefr0g for Dota 2, and has involved modders in development of upcoming multiplayer shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Back in 2008, Valve co-founder Gabe Newell said modding was "better [for] both honing your skills and demonstrating your talent to a potential employer than work experience."

http://www.edge-online.com/news/modd...moddb-turns-10