User-generated content: What it means when players become creators

Few trends have shaped the modern games industry more than user-generated content (UGC). What started with modding communities and fan patches has evolved into something much bigger: whole ecosystems where players don’t just consume games but actively build them. From Minecraft servers to Fortnite Creative and Roblox worlds, UGC has become a core part of how communities play, share, and sustain games over years.

For Room 8 Group’s leaders, UGC represents something of a paradigm shift. It changes how developers design, how players engage, and how games live long after release. In this piece, Guillaume Carmona (VP of Game Production), Yann LeTensorer (VP of Technology), and Benjamin Paquette (Senior Game Director) offer their perspective on UGC—its present, its future, and what it all means for game development.

This piece showcases some of the insights found in Room 8 Group’s and 80 Level’s joint research report—How UGC, AI, And cloud are transforming gaming—which you can read here.

From products to platforms

“User-generated content is transforming games from defined experiences into evolving, community-driven platforms,” says Guillaume Carmona, VP of Game Production. “Gamers aren’t just consuming content anymore. They want to add their own creativity, building worlds and crafting storylines. The relationship to the game shifts into a collaborative canvas.”

That canvas stretches a game’s lifecycle. Instead of content trickling only from developers, players inject fresh ideas constantly. Communities stay active, and retention metrics climb. “The fight for attention has never been as important,” Guillaume says.

UGC is a key component to creating highly engaged communities.

A case study in retention

Benjamin Paquette, Senior Game Director, offers a concrete example of how UGC helps with retention. “In one of our racing games, players could edit and create their own tracks. We had five basic tracks at launch. By providing access to our editor, retention increased by 10% within a single day, from 35% to 45%.”

Giving players tools to build dramatically shifted how long people stayed in the game. For Benjamin, it underscored that UGC isn’t a novelty. It creates ownership. Players feel invested because the world reflects their imagination, not just the developer’s.

Longevity through mods

Yann LeTensorer, VP of Technology, has seen UGC carry a game for years. During his time overseeing Farming Simulator 19, community contributions were a lifeline.

“Thousands of mods were done by creators—generating billions of downloads and keeping the game alive for years,” he recalls. “That’s the power of UGC. You extend the life of the game far beyond what a studio alone could deliver.”

No matter how large a team, the community can often outpace it in both volume and creativity. That doesn’t mean developers step aside; it means they provide the framework for player creativity to thrive, from which all sides benefit.

The accessibility challenge

Of course, making UGC work isn’t as simple as handing players dev tools. “One of the most important things is accessibility,” Benjamin says. “Developers often give players their in-house tools, but players need something intuitive. We had to replace a Lego-block system with bigger Playmobil-like segments, and suddenly players could create tracks much faster.”

This is a key lesson: the tools have to be designed for players first. Accessibility is a huge factor in determining the success or failure of UGC.

Moderation and quality

As with AI-generated content, UGC brings risks. Offensive, infringing, or low-quality contributions can harm the ecosystem if they go unchecked. “Developers should integrate moderation and reporting tools from the outset,” Guillaume says. “AI can offer a scalable first line of defense, but human review remains essential for nuanced decision-making.”

Yann echoes the need for structure, especially on platforms with stricter certification. “For consoles, you need a QA team that verifies mods before they go live. On PC, mod hubs can help ensure a baseline of quality and legality.”

Moderation isn’t glamorous, but it’s critical for maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Without it, communities can spiral into chaos, and IP holders may pull back.

Toward creator economies

The stage which naturally follows the success of a UGC ecosystem is monetization for creators. Games like Roblox and Fortnite already pay out millions to creators. Guillaume sees this spreading more widely:

When fans build upon a game world, they often devise scenarios that go far beyond the original scope. These expansions can inspire official content or even spin-offs. Over time, co-creation transforms the very definition of an IP.

Developers must create frameworks where creativity is rewarded fairly, without compromising the integrity of the game or the safety of its community.

A culture of participation

Yann is clear about what Gen Z and Generation Alpha expect from the games they play. “The younger generations are more creative than ever. Creating their own content and sharing it is simply a must-have. UGC lets them customize their game and make it really theirs.” That desire for personalization is there across genres. Cosmetic skins, mods, entirely new game modes: UGC allows players to be co-authors.

Shared creativity, shared responsibility

Taken together, Room 8 Group’s leaders describe a vision where UGC extends the lifespan of games, builds stronger communities, and even sparks entirely new creative directions. But they are clear-eyed about its challenges: the tools must be accessible, moderation must be strong, and the player must be put first.

“UGC extends the lifespan of games, builds communities, and generates new revenue streams. It’s a tool for creativity—and for survival,” Benjamin says.

For more in-depth insight on UGC, download the report we published with 80 Level.