Don’t Starve Together’s “Parasites”
When I think of games with mods, I immediately think of Don’t Starve Together (DTS) because that is the game I’ve played the most using mods. When I go to look at the list of mods for the game, however, I haven’t even scratched the surface of what is available out there. I did choose ones that I thought would improve on the game’s base without drastic changes, and those are the ones I will discuss on whether or not they are “parasites.”
First, what are mods? Mods, or modifications, is an alteration by players or fans that changes one or more aspects of a video game. According to Anne-Marie Schleiner, author of Ludic Mutation: The Player’s Power to Change the Game, it is more than that. Schleiner compares modding “to the relation of parasitism of a host” because “modders infiltrate a wealthier ‘host’ game system… [taking] advantage of this digital game product… modifying the game with tools provided by the game developer or developed by other modders”(36). Basically, she goes on to discuss how modding can be harmful but also notes that modding can clear the stage for a new configuration of play material, hoping the industry will be more open to using modder’s gifts and creations (60).
I believe the mods I used in DTS are on the positive side of mod parasitism. The first one is Global Positions by rezecib; it allows you to see your teammates on the map and reveals the parts of the map your teammates explored. In the base game, this isn’t a feature and I personally didn’t like it because I was constantly confused as to where teammates are when it’s supposed to be a team game. The second one is Minimap HUD by squeek and it’s literally just a minimap. In base DTS, you can just open the map to fill the whole screen and you’re not allowed to move when you have the map open. This way, you always can see where you’re heading as you’re moving, it’s increases the quality of travel. The last one is Combined Status by rezecib and it allows players to customize the size of the HUD and displays various other information, the main one being it puts numbers to stats instead of you having to figure it out based off a visual bar. Of course there are a ton more mods but these are just a few that flat out increase the overall quality of the game, making everything more convenient and less frustrating. Players can go further, however, and that could go into the negative aspect of parasitism but really it’s up to the players to decide what is good and what is bad. For example, there’s a mod called Backpack Slot by Jacubowy and it gives more inventory space and you don’t have to drop it to wear armor. This is breaking a design decision that the original makers decided, altering the play of the game to a higher extent than just having an extra map. Some people who want the convenience would be fine with it but hardcore/purist DTS players refuse to use it.
All these mods generate many forms of gameplay for DTS and I find that good for the longevity and audience of the game. If a player gets bored, they can try another mod to spice it up again. Players with different playstyles can alter the game to their liking as well, persuading them to actually play the game. In all, DTS’s mod community is to the benefit of the game.
Schleiner, Anne-Marie. Ludic Mutation: The Player’s Power to Change the Game. Amsterdam University Press, 2017.