Cloudmodding

[Generated for Academic Purposes] Date: April 14, 2026 Abstract The practice of video game modification ("modding") has traditionally been a localized, resource-intensive activity requiring high-end hardware, local file access, and deep technical knowledge. This paper introduces and defines the emergent paradigm of "cloudmodding" — the use of cloud computing resources, remote storage, and distributed collaboration tools to create, share, and deploy game modifications. We analyze three core modalities: Infrastructure-as-a-Service modding (cloud-hosted build servers), Function-as-a-Service modding (serverless script injection), and Database-as-a-Service modding (shared version-controlled asset repositories). Drawing on case studies from Minecraft (Realm scripting), Roblox (cloud-native studio), and Garry’s Mod (workshop-addon synergy), we argue that cloudmodding lowers barriers to entry, enables real-time collaboration, but introduces new challenges in intellectual property, dependency management, and runtime security. The paper concludes by proposing a layered architecture for future cloudmodding platforms. 1. Introduction Modding has been a cornerstone of gaming culture since the 1990s, transforming titles like Doom , Half-Life , and The Elder Scrolls into enduring platforms. Traditional modding follows a "pull-deploy-play" model: download assets, modify locally, test, package, and share. This model fails, however, for large-scale, multiplayer, or streaming-based games where local file access is restricted (e.g., console ecosystems, cloud gaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming or GeForce Now).

| Layer | Description | Example | |-------|-------------|---------| | | Cloud-hosted mod repositories with automatic dependency resolution. | Steam Workshop CDN, Nexus Mods Collections | | Build & Compilation | Remote servers that compile code/assets without local toolchains. | GitHub Actions mod-builders, Replit game templates | | Runtime Injection | Mod code injected into game sessions running in cloud VMs. | NVIDIA RTX Remix (cloud pipeline), Minecraft add-ons on Realms | cloudmodding

Cloudmodding: Distributed, Decentralized, and On-Demand Game Modification in the Post-Local Era [Generated for Academic Purposes] Date: April 14, 2026

emerges as a solution. It decouples the act of modification from the player’s local hardware and from the game’s runtime environment. Instead, modding becomes a cloud-native activity: assets are edited in browser-based IDEs, compiled on remote clusters, tested in sandboxed cloud instances, and deployed on-demand to ephemeral game sessions. 2. Defining Cloudmodding: A Taxonomy We propose three functional layers of cloudmodding: Drawing on case studies from Minecraft (Realm scripting),