+1 for modding. Having come from a modding background and had the studio call me up before I can call them up, I can say hard work pays off, but it is still hard work on both sides of the spectrum.
That said, having been a part of a modding community, it's safe to say that the 90-10-1 rule [http://www.useit.com/alertbox/participation_inequality.html] still applies. 90% of your audience will just play the game, 10% might muck with the toolset or play multiplayer, and 1% will be heavily involved in that feature.
Then you can go one level further into that 10+1% of modders, in that 90% of the stuff made will be crap, 10% will be decent, and the 1% of really awesome stuff that where they can probably get hired from their work (and it has happened). Or for multiplayer, 90% will just play with friends, 10% will take part in competitions and tournaments, and 1% will do it professionally.
Case in point for NWN, I've seen SOOOOO many boring hack'n'slash modules which made me fall asleep. Then there were gems that I still remember to this day, like one of them that had you investigate a murder, very minimal combat, LA Noire like interrogations (before LA Noire, ha). But later you discover that after you've interviewed each suspect, they ended up dead. Holy crap, you're being framed! Now you're rushing against the clock to avoid the city guard since you have a price on your head, while also trying to figure out who the murderer is and if he's also framing you. Tense!
Ultimately though, what makes that 0.01% to 0.1% stand out from the rest, that makes them more worthy to call the shots, especially if they end up at the game studio?
They don't just write down how they think a game should be designed, they actually go out and do the work.
That said, having been a part of a modding community, it's safe to say that the 90-10-1 rule [http://www.useit.com/alertbox/participation_inequality.html] still applies. 90% of your audience will just play the game, 10% might muck with the toolset or play multiplayer, and 1% will be heavily involved in that feature.
Then you can go one level further into that 10+1% of modders, in that 90% of the stuff made will be crap, 10% will be decent, and the 1% of really awesome stuff that where they can probably get hired from their work (and it has happened). Or for multiplayer, 90% will just play with friends, 10% will take part in competitions and tournaments, and 1% will do it professionally.
Case in point for NWN, I've seen SOOOOO many boring hack'n'slash modules which made me fall asleep. Then there were gems that I still remember to this day, like one of them that had you investigate a murder, very minimal combat, LA Noire like interrogations (before LA Noire, ha). But later you discover that after you've interviewed each suspect, they ended up dead. Holy crap, you're being framed! Now you're rushing against the clock to avoid the city guard since you have a price on your head, while also trying to figure out who the murderer is and if he's also framing you. Tense!
Ultimately though, what makes that 0.01% to 0.1% stand out from the rest, that makes them more worthy to call the shots, especially if they end up at the game studio?
They don't just write down how they think a game should be designed, they actually go out and do the work.