Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's director Naoki Hamaguchi caused a stir last December when he asked modders "not to create or install anything offensive or inappropriate" for the second part of the RPG's remake, which just launched on PC. While he didn't specify what was "offensive or inappropriate", such a broad statement would certainly cover nude mods, which are as inevitable in PC gaming as fiddling with your graphics settings.
Naturally, the PC gaming community responded "Sure, bro" before continuing to put, as one redditor so eloquently put it "a massive hog on Cait". Hamaguchi recently returned to the subject when asked by Automaton Media about his personal perspective on mods. This time, he offered a more detailed response, albeit one that doesn't necessarily reflect a vastly different stance than before.
Hamaguchi began by pointing out that he has been known to dabble in a spot of modding. "As someone who plays games on PC, I sometimes use mods myself," he told Automaton. He also acknowledges that modding is a core part of the PC gaming experience. "I'm aware that mods have come to be accepted by the community and that they bring enjoyment to many players", he said, adding "I see it as a positive thing myself."
More specifically, Hamaguchi says "I respect the modding community" and recognises the importance of mods in PC gaming, observing that mods can "breathe new life into games" years after release, citing Fallout and the Elder Scrolls as evidence. He likewise notes that "Volunteer communities often move faster than the companies that produced the source material."
All of this is fair and accurate, if not vastly insightful. But he then returns to the subject of which mods players should use and which they shouldn't. Regarding his previous statements, Hamaguchi says he "Wasn't trying to tell people not to use mods." Rather, he says it was "More about being mindful. Both creators and users alike should ensure mods don't detract from the intended game experience."
To me, this seems like a less sanctimonious way of saying the same thing he did before. Unfortunately, it's also easier to argue against. You can make the case that every mod ever created detracts from the intended game experience, because they add or alter things that weren't made that way by the developers to start with. Perhaps you could exclude mods that fix bugs, but even a mod that streamlines a game's inventory system doesn't necessarily complement the intended game experience.
Hamaguchi also infers what experience-detracting mods he has in mind later in the interview, though he still dances around the topic. "There are mods that could shock some players, so I encourage users to research what they're installing and for creators to be mindful of their audience." Just say you don't like the horny mods, Naoki! Own your futile moral stance.
In fairness, I'm not wholly unsympathetic to Hamaguchi's perspective. The internet's relentless horniness can be a bit wearisome, and I personally don't understand the appeal of modding a game so a character has their bum out when they otherwise wouldn't. But I'm also not against it. Aside from the fact that moralising over mods is like spitting into a hurricane, players should be able to do what they like with a game once they've bought it.
Also, as Andy pointed out the last time this conversation rolled around, Square Enix is not itself above leaning on the racier elements of Final Fantasy 7 to make bank. Modders, by comparison, do it purely for the love. You might not like the shape, size or fluid composition of that love, but that isn't going to change things.
