We'll file this one under "not sure what to think" for the time being, but it appears as though Steam wants to get involved with modding directly and is now selling mods for various titles that are available through their incredibly popular platform.
In a thread on Reddit's /r/pcmasterrace (Warning: Language is definitely not G-rated), user _Piggy_ points out that there is now a "Mod Purchasing Area" for Skyrim, which is near the top of the list of games most modded by users. Sure enough, there is now a section that offers modifications for various items. Depending on the level of the modification, the cost seems to range anywhere from $0.25 to $6.00. To be fair, there are also free mods available in the same section.
First off, let's get this out of the way: Modding can screw up your game if you don't do it correctly. Nexus Mods is where most people go to get their mods and there are numerous tutorials on how to do it properly without crashing your game. Even then, there can be compatibility issues as some mods will not work with others. However, when modding is done correctly, it can take a great game and make it absolutely stellar. Personally, I'm an avid user of mods for my PC games and rely heavily on Nexus Mods. I knew nothing about them, but after reading up on the tutorials with each mod, it became much easier to do the installation.
There are two sides of the coin with this:
1) Some users are afraid to do modding themselves and would rather get it straight through Steam.
2) Mods should be free because they are user created. If anything, there should be a donate option to reward the modders who do the work.
We'll let you decide, but the option is there now for users to purchase the mods straight from Steam.
