The Skryim mod that makes the game unplayable just got killed

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the game that keeps on kicking. It's even getting yet another release to celebrate the ten-year anniversary. Nearly a decade on, Bethesda's high fantasy RPG keeps holding on for dear life, thanks in part to its extensive modding community. The game's nature makes it open to many interpretations — if you can imagine it, there's probably a mod for whatever you're thinking about.

The place to get Skyrim mods is Nexus Mods, which is where most people will go to for their modding needs. Mods get removed from the Nexus a lot for various community or copyright violations, but, as reported by PC Gamer, the most recent one to stir up some controversy is called NoSkyrim.

NoSkyrim has a simple premise: it literally makes the game unplayable. Why you'd want to install such a thing is beyond me, but I suppose if you have a crippling Skyrim addiction, this mod can help you move onto newer things. Speaking as someone who has an extensive history with Skyrim mods, NoSkyrim baffles me in its premise, appeal and application.

It should come as no surprise that it was pulled from the Nexus. That hasn't stopped the developer ThatLittleCommie from throwing a fit, creating a change.org petition, starting a r/SaveNoSkyrim Reddit community, and throwing the mod up on the LoversLab site (to which I attach a hefty NSFW warning).

I've been out of Skyrim modding for a year, and I don't know every single mod that's on the Nexus. That said, I hadn't heard of NoSkyrim until this point — quite frankly, why would anyone really care? It's a mod that fundamentally breaks the game, and it can even bork your load order (as one user pointed out).

A mod serving a small, singular purpose isn't uncommon, mind you, but NoSkyrim has only one function, one that I can't imagine anyone asking for. I'm all for modders doing what they want with the game, but it's hard to say who's in the right with this one. I can see Nexus Mods' reasoning for removing NoSkyrim, but I also understand the developer's irritation. I doubt the ruckus ThatLittleCommie is raising will put a mod that purposefully breaks the game back on the Nexus, though.

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Jordan is the Phones Editor for Tom's Guide, covering all things phone-related. He's written about phones for over six years and plans to continue for a long while to come. He loves nothing more than relaxing in his home with a book, game, or his latest personal writing project. Jordan likes finding new things to dive into, from books and games to new mechanical keyboard switches and fun keycap sets. Outside of work, you can find him poring over open-source software and his studies.