Editing Video game modding (section)

===Unforeseen consequences or benefits of modding===
In January 2005, it was reported that in ''[[The Sims 2]]'' (2004) modifications that changed item and game behavior were unexpectedly being transferred to other players through the official website's ''exchange'' feature, leading to changed game behavior without advance warning.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Knight |first=Will |title=Supernatural powers become contagious in PC game |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6857-supernatural-powers-become-contagious-in-pc-game/ |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US |date=7 January 2005}}</ref>

After the [[Hot Coffee (minigame)|"Hot Coffee" mod incident]], there were calls from the industry to better control modders.<ref name="auto"/>  There is concern about mods that show [[nudity]], and [[Bethesda Softworks|Bethesda]] does not allow mods with such content to be uploaded on its website. Nexus allows for mods which allow nudity as long as nudity is not present in the preview image. One of the most popular mods of this type is Caliente's Beautiful Bodies Edition, which allows for body modification in Bethesda's ''Skyrim'' and ''[[Fallout 4]]'', and has been downloaded at least 8.2 million times.<ref name="auto8">{{cite journal |last1=Kretzschmar |first1=Mark |last2=Stanfill |first2=Mel |title=Mods as Lightning Rods |journal=[[Social & Legal Studies]] |date=17 July 2018 |page=096466391878722 |doi=10.1177/0964663918787221|s2cid=149824659}}</ref>

In 2015, members from the ''Grand Theft Auto'' fan site GTAForums reported instances of malware being circulated through modifications written for ''Grand Theft Auto V''.<ref name="Seppala">{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2015/05/15/gtav-pc-mods-malware/|title=A few 'GTA V' mods are installing malware on PCs|last=Seppala|first=Timothy|date=15 May 2015|work=[[Engadget]]|access-date=16 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rad |first=Chloi |date=2015-05-14 |title=Grand Theft Auto 5 Mods 'Angry Planes' and 'NoClip' Infected With Virus |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/05/14/grand-theft-auto-5-mods-angry-planes-and-noclip-infected-with-virus |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=[[IGN]] |language=en}}</ref> Two of the modifications in question, namely "Angry Planes" and "No Clip", came with code for loading a [[Remote administration software|remote access tool]], and a keylogger for stealing [[Facebook]] and [[Steam (service)|Steam]] account credentials.<ref name="Chalk">{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/gta-5-mods-angry-planes-and-no-clip-contain-malware/|title=GTA 5 mods Angry Planes and No Clip contain malware |last=Chalk |first=Andy |date=14 May 2015 |work=[[PC Gamer]]|access-date=16 May 2015}}</ref> The modifications in question have since been taken out of circulation, with affected players being advised to change their social media account passwords and disinfect their computers.

The National Crime Agency of the UK has indicated that modding can act as a pathway to cybercrime for some people.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/who-we-are/publications/6-pathways-into-cyber-crime-1/file|title=Pathways Into Cyber Crime|author=National Crime Agency|year=2017}}</ref>