It is not always easy to truly explain how important game modification is to the world of computer games, as it has allowed countless incredible coding talents a platform to learn how to program in an environment which provides far more instant feedback than some programming languages can.

This is why coding classes that make Minecraft mods are so effective at teaching coding in a fun, exciting way.

There are countless mods available, the vast majority of which should be celebrated for the hard work that went into them. However, some mods managed to go two steps further and not only influence other games in their genre but inspire a generation of new programmers.

The Dark Mod

Possibly the most illustrative example of how developing a game mod can evolve into developing a new game, The Dark Mod started as an attempt to remake the game Thief: The Dark Project using the Doom 3 engine as a template.

However, it would evolve significantly from this concept, turning itself into a standalone game with a robust campaign maker that currently features over 170 different campaigns made by fans.

It influenced game developers to incorporate mod support and embrace user-generated content. 

Counter-Strike 

One of the most popular multiplayer games ever made, Counter-Strike is a huge franchise and cornerstone of eSports. However, it started as a game mod for Half-Life, built on its GoldSrc engine.

What makes it so influential is its story; Minh Le created it as a side project to add to his programming portfolio, but the developer of the GoldSrc engine, Valve, bought the game outright and offered its developers jobs to keep developing it.

It was the game that showed that modding had the potential to open doors into the game industry and make a huge hit.

DayZ

Initially designed as a mod for ARMA 2, DayZ created two huge new genres.

The first was the multiplayer survival game, where people attempt to survive a huge world infested with zombies and other players who may or may not also be hostile, which created an entire genre of its own.

The other came as the result of a mod of the DayZ mod. DayZ Battle Royale by Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Green became a very popular mod in its own right, eventually leading to the games H1Z1 and PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds.

These two games would be the first Battle Royale games, which would not only lead to Fortnite but a massive and varied genre of other games, game modes and game mods.