Modding is a great way to start the ball rolling with a project, one that allows you to explore ideas that it me not be possible to with full-games.  That’s the view of Bohemia Interactive game designer Dean “Rocket” Hall, who just so happens to have created the incredibly popular Day Z mod for Arma II.

“If you can cross off a few specific problems, then mods are a really fantastic way of dealing with your product.” he told Rock, Paper, Shotgun when asked about modding.

“Like, I’d tried to pitch this concept to other studios before, and people just weren’t interested in it. I’m sure [Bohemia Interactive CEO] Marek Spanel wouldn’t mind me saying that, if I came to him with the concept and without these kind of numbers, he probably would’ve thought I was a bit crazy as well. So modding allows you to do this kind of exploration.”

Hall believes the reason for Day Z’s success is almost entirely down to word of mouth via the internet.

“I think a lot of it comes down to social media. Social media has really come of age. Like, you look at all the protests going on all over the world. I think the same thing’s kind of happening with games.” he said

“It’s certainly why Day Z was successful. There was no promotion. I made one little tiny post in the Bohemia Interactive forums asking people to help me with testing. And then, all of a sudden, people began having these experiences.” he added.

The full Day Z interview with Dean Hall can be read on Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

Modding is a great way for Train2Game students to practice and show off their skills, and there’s a lot more about it here on The Train2Game Blog, including what Valve, Ubisoft and  id Software had to say to us about it.

Do you agree that modding is a good way for game developers to explore ideas that may not be possible with full games?  How important is social media? And are you playing Day Z?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.