# We grew up with mods. Now let people mod your game. Counter-Strike, Dota, Garry’s Mod. Players taking games somewhere unexpected helped shape the gaming culture we love. We want more people to be able to make those kinds of discoveries. We grew up with mods. - Counter-Strike - Dota - Garry’s Mod Counter-Strike, Dota and Garry’s Mod are part of the modding culture that inspired us. These are not Summer games. [Understand game ownership](https://www.summerengine.com/ownership) ## A mod can become a whole new way to play. Someone changes the rules, builds a different world or sees a possibility the original creators did not. Other people try it, add to it and make it their own. Some of the most influential ideas in gaming have grown out of that kind of experimentation. That is what excites us about modding. A game can become a starting point for someone else’s creativity, and a community can find something its creator never expected. ## Making a mod has required too much technical knowledge. Having an idea for a change and knowing how to make that change are different things. Understanding a project, changing its code, working with its assets and packaging the result can keep people from ever trying. Agents give us a chance to lower that barrier. The same tools that help you make a game can help someone understand and work on a permitted modification. More people can try the idea they have, rather than stop at wishing someone else would build it. ## Getting a mod into people’s hands matters just as much. Creating the modification is only part of the experience. Players have had to find the right files, work out where they go and check that everything still runs. Great work can remain out of reach because getting it playable takes too much effort. Summer connects game creation with a player destination. That lets us think about the whole path: making a mod, sharing it and helping someone get into the modified game. Easier creation alone would leave half the problem unsolved. ## Modding is opt-in. The creator decides. We love mods, and we also respect the person who made the original game. You choose whether to invite modders into your work. Uploading a game is not automatic permission for someone to change or redistribute it. When you do open a game, make the invitation understandable. Explain what people may change, what they can share and how credit works. Keep the rights attached to third-party assets and contributions in view. - [Your ownership and your choices](https://www.summerengine.com/ownership) ## Give both the original creator and modders their credit. A mod builds on something another person made and can add substantial new work of its own. Players should be able to understand that relationship: which game it comes from, who made the modification and what changed. Clarity also helps people decide whether to install it. Compatibility, the game version it supports and a way back to the original experience matter to the person who just wants to play. ## Keep the relationship open to new ideas. You do not have to predict every good idea your community might have. A different mode, a strange character or an unexpected rule can change what people enjoy about a game. Opening that door is a creative decision, not an obligation to give up the direction of your original game. Monetization is another separate choice; permission to mod should not be confused with automatic participation in an economy. - [Our love of games and creative freedom](https://www.summerengine.com/values) - [Understand optional creator participation](https://www.summerengine.com/creator-program) ## Does publishing on Summer automatically make my game moddable? No. Modding is opt-in. The creator decides whether to allow it and what the permission covers. ## Does downloading a game or asset give me permission to redistribute it? No. Check the permission and license for the work you want to use. Playing something, modifying it for yourself and sharing a modified version are different actions. ## Build a game people want to spend time with. Share the original, listen to the people playing it and decide whether you want to invite them to build on it. [Share your game and build with players](https://www.summerengine.com/publishing) ## Keep exploring - [Game ownership](https://www.summerengine.com/ownership) - [Our values](https://www.summerengine.com/values) - [Publish a game](https://www.summerengine.com/publishing) [Page map](https://www.summerengine.com/page-map) [Summer Engine — Terms of service](https://www.summerengine.com/terms) [Summer Engine — Privacy policy](https://www.summerengine.com/privacy) [Summer Engine — Refund policy](https://www.summerengine.com/refunds) [Source and licensing](https://www.summerengine.com/source-status) Canonical: https://www.summerengine.com/modding Language: en [Read as Markdown](https://www.summerengine.com/modding/content.md)