Hey all! I've decided to show and summarize the survey results! This year we've received such a high turn around in such a short time! Let's begin!
Please Note: This survey is indicative of the communities I'm involved in. There will be biases due to me not having direct outreach on other larger platforms such as Nexus and LoversLab. This survey was publicized on Discord, Twitter, YouTube, and my personal website. These results are meant to provide insight relevant to myself and perhaps other authors if they feel they have similar outreach outside of Nexus/LoversLab.
Now to begin.
n = 808, this represents the number of responses to the survey as of February 09, 2023
Section 1: SunJeong and Community
This section focused on questions for my own logistics. My interaction with the community, opinion on my content, and other constructive feedback.
How did you hear about SunJeong's website?
This question is important because it helps me leverage how I can spread the outreach of my website. This website is not free, neither is the domain. Having a high outreach is important to make the expenses worthwhile.
To my surprise, Nexus Mods with 38% is the largest referral to my website. What makes this surprising for me is that Nexus Mods forbids mention or linking of my website as it doesn't comply with their rules. Second place is LoversLab at 16%. Nexus and LoversLab being the highest rated may be due to their significance in the Skyrim modding community. What can matter a lot in these types of scenarios can be the mere mention of my name "SunJeong". A simple Google search of "SunJeong" after learning about it via Nexus or LoversLab will yield the results needed to circle back to my website. Third place is Tullius Channel with 10%. Lately, Tullius has become a significant player in the Skyrim modding community both in activity and mod development.
Do you frequent my YouTube channel?
This question is being used by me to gauge how much effort I need to place on my YouTube channel. Currently, YouTube yields the worst "return of investment" in terms of the time it takes to record videos, edit them, and wait for them to upload; versus how many views, subscribers, and ad revenue I generate.
The results are disappointing to be honest. HOWEVER, the results were an improvement from 2021. In 2021, 44% said yes they watched and 56% said no. Now we have a switch. Regardless, the results still demonstrates to me that YouTube is still not worth the time investment if only about half of users watch the content. But this could be my own fault. In 2022, I was the least active compared to 2021 for videos. Without content, users won't watch or stay engaged. Regardless of this result, I definitely plan to be a lot more active on YouTube. If the 2024 survey shows that user engagement is still too low, then I will have to consider significantly cutting back on content or outright quitting YouTube.
What is your purpose in watching my YouTube?
This question is being used to see what content I should do.
The results are not surprising. Many people do come to my YouTube to learn modding and so "Tutorials" took the lead at 35%. However, I'd like to think that I've also built positive rapport as many users expressed that they just watch my content for "me". Therefore, "All of the above" came in second at 32%. In 2022, I tried experimenting with something new to the Skyrim community but familiar to the V-Tuber scene with "ASMR". Unfortunately, it does not look like the interest is significant enough to put in much more effort. Outfit show case was another popular option at 24%. For 2023, I plan on doing more and prioritizing the aspect learning of my channel. My own YouTube analytics also demonstrate that my tutorial videos are the most popular.
What is your opinion on my V-Tuber design?
I am using this question just to see if the significant investment of having a V-Tuber model commissions was worth it.
Yes, yes it was. As a follow up question, I asked users to write an optional short answer response on what they thought about the V-Tuber overall. Not surprisingly, the answers were quite all over the place. Some of the common opinions I noticed were:
- It's too lewd/revealing
- It's the perfect amount of lewd/hotness
- The armor looks awesome
- The armor looks boring, needs more at the "top"
- Maybe try using a different hairstyle
You guys are hilarious.
In 2022, I experimented with different kinds of video content. What was your opinion?
Apart from modding, I wanted to experiment with different content. This question is being used to gauge my community's sentiment.
The answers to these questions were long answer replies but I'll try to summarize. For the users that frequented my channel, many have stated that they enjoyed the "IRL stuff". For those that don't know, I would sometimes do YouTube shorts or regular videos of thing like hiking, singing, building/upgrading PC, cooking, etc. I'm very happy to hear this feedback and I will definitely continue it. Other users expressed that I should more things related to modding in general. Some of those things included doing mod reviews, website reviews of mods, showing my modding set-up, etc. At the core of it, it seems that users are still mostly interested in Skyrim which is of no surprise.
What is your opinion on the mild fan service I posted on Vimeo?
This content was an experiment to gauge interest for content typical of V-Tubing. The fan service was a more intimate ASMR experience.
In short, many users did not know I had a Vimeo. Those that did know and enjoyed the content were already fans of ASMR and were familiar with the concept. However, as talked about in a previous question, not many in general enjoy ASMR. The continuation of this type of content remains to be seen. For those that are curious and want to listen, here is my Vimeo.
What do you think of the 3D version of my avatar? Should I change my design?
This question is just providing insight for me to see if I should change my design.
In short, the same responses were the same as above when I asked about the 2D version. Those that enjoy anime content like it, and those that don't like it just find it weird that it's associated with Skyrim. But the overwhelming majority like the 3D design and feel that no changes are necessary with a few stating that different hair designs would be nice.
What should I focus more for YouTube?
Users were given a short answer opportunity to provide custom feedback on what content to cater.
Grand majority of users told me to do whatever I want. A second majority they would like to see more tutorials (I think I should really focus on educating the next generation of modders). Otherwise people are also interested in modding reviews.
Do you frequent my Twitter?
This question is being used by me to gauge how much effort I need to place on my Twitter.
Looking at the results, people don't frequent my Twitter. I will assume this is for several reasons:
Twitter's culture is fundamentally hostile for everyone. People in general don't seem to want to visit it in the first place.
For those that do visit it, Skyrim specific Twitters tend to focus on screenshots as Twitter's UI limitation favors only screenshots. I don't post screenshots often.
Twitter is also used to make announcements and engage with the audience. In my case, I use Twitter for this sparingly but majority of users receive my updates via my website or Discord.
I will continue to treat Twitter as a small side project. I don't post often and will continue to not post often.
Section 2: Skyrim SE User Logistics
This section focuses on questions regarding how users play Skyrim Special Edition. The questions reflect current trends with Skyrim that will help me better tailor the needs of users
What is your preferred body type in Skyrim Special Edition?
This question is being used by me to determine what bodies I need to focus on. I am planning to be more selective of this question.
The quick summary is as follows:
CBBE 3BAv2 (most popular) (75%)
BHUNPv3 (12%)
CBBE SMP (5%)
CBBE (physics) (3%)
CBBE (no physics) (2%)
Everything else < 4% (COCOBody, TBD, UNP, etc)
This question will affect some ego that's for sure. I will reiterate that this survey is a representation of my community which is what matters to ME. Moving along, CBBE 3BA established absolute dominance and had the largest increase of more than 20% compared to 2021. Below is a chart of the comparisons between the first and last survey.
We saw a dramatic decrease in the standard CBBE body type as the users gravitate towards 3BA. BHUNP stayed relatively the same. When including decimals, BHUNP had a decrease of 1.6% in users. This reduction is somewhat shocking as I expected a larger decrease for two main reasons: 1. The update from v2 and v3 polarized some users. 2. We saw an increase in authors that dropped support for BHUNP. In regards to the "Other" body types, we saw a 50% reduction. Most of it was driven by the usage of COCOBody. In early 2021 (when the first survey came out), COCOBody was a new body that had debuted officially out of beta. The hype surrounding the body was larger compared to 2023. Eventually, interest waned as outfit modders did not opt in to support this body. As a result, popularity faded. My prediction for 2024 is that 3BA continues to grow in market share while BHUNP may experience a larger drop in usage.
What is your preferred download host?
This question is used to help me decide what download services I should pay for to offer users world wide the best options.
There is nothing exciting about this question the top 3 still remains as follows:
Google Drive
MEGA
MediaFire
I already pay for these services and will continue to do so.
What are your favorite type of mod(s)?
This question is used to help me prioritize mod categories.
Outfits remain king of course. Weapons is number 2 and then quests. Admittedly, I've been sleeping on weapons but have tried incorporating new weapons with my outfits. I have considered doing a unique weapons pack some time in the future.
Armor type logistics
The below shows some logistics of armor types. I will group them together.
Not surprised. Large armor packs provide convenience.
This result saddens me a bit. Male armors are few but the ones that exist tend to be pretty cool and badass. However, this result really shows that it almost isn't worth the effort to the male armors. Of the 60% that do enjoy male armors, an even smaller enjoy tend to voice that opinion unless prompted. The evidence for this (as I see it) is the lack of male content overall with screenshots, videos, and mod development. I will continue to make male armors but at the lowest priority.
Light armor provides the best versatility. I believe most of my armors do tend to favor the light armor side which provides an even middle ground between clothing and heavy.
Skyrim is still mostly played for the story/quests. This is not limited to vanilla as modded quests tend to sky rocket in popularity the first few weeks they release. The second reason of course is screenshots. Overall, "Just for fun" is the main answer which can include a variety of activities within Skyrim not limited to just questing and screenshotting.
This result does not surprise me. This shows me that lore friendly is not important. This was evident to me by the fact that the sexy/skimpy outfits remain the greatest motivator for both modder and user. This survey data supports it, my website "likes" support it, my Patreon activity supports it. This is true of other authors like Rektas. No matter how hard people try to justify that lore friendly is the way to go is simply not the case. Skimpy will always win in this sex driven world.
This is a follow up. The selections that pertain to some sort of sexiness overwhelms any other choice.
Section 3: Patreon and Monetization
This section focuses on questions regarding Patreon, paywalling, and overall monetization. This topic has been a point of contention for the community for years and has resulted in the majority of quarrels within the community.
Are you or were you a patron of any Skyrim or Fallout 4 modders? (Excluding SunJeong)
This question is being asked to determine how community sentiment has changed regarding supporting authors.
The result surprises me especially when comparing to 2021. Slightly more users are now supporting authors in Patreon. 2021:
2023:
Is there an explanation for this? It's hard to derive any meaningful conclusions. However, based on observation I have noticed an increase in the amount of authors paywalling. There could potentially be a correlation. It could also just be the community being more willing to support their favorite authors. This next metric will give us more insight.
If you answered yes, why did you patron?
So why are users paying/donating money?
Some of the answers were cut off in the graph but the bottom ones say:
- access to a timed release earlier
- access to extra textures
- access to extra mesh variations
- access to custom sliders
A good chunk of users enjoy donating. But collectively, users are patroning simply to access locked rewards. In 2021, 71% of users were doing patreon to donate. In 2023, that number was decreased to 64%. Fewer users are doing patron to just donate. In 2021, fewer users were using patreon to access locked rewards. These numbers have increased collectively. In 2021, 99% of collective users did Patreon to access some sort of reward (we are reaching 99% as users can be patroning multiple modders for different reasons). In 2023, this 99% number jumped to 113%. We are seeing one or more users trying to access rewards from different authors at a larger (14% increase) rate. In my somewhat observant opinion, this goes back to my hypothesis in the previous question that we are seeing more authors starting to paywall their work or new authors entering modding with paywalling. The future is looking pretty grim in my opinion. I only expect these numbers to continue to go up as exclusivity becomes more commonplace with not just Skyrim, but other mod communities such as FFXIV. Fallout 4 has definitely seen a large resurgence of paywalling authors.
Are you a patron of SunJeong?
In all honesty, the result here is saddening but expected.
2021:
2023:
I saw a decrease in Patreon support. While I did state the result is saddening, it's not because I want more money. This is potentially painting a bigger precedent in how "free authors" are being viewed with the rest of the competition. In the earlier questions, I described how there are MORE users using Patreon to give money. From this alone I should be seeing an increase. However, I also noted how FEWER users are using Patreon to just donate and MORE users are using Patreon to access a locked reward.
Long story short, free authors are potentially seeing less support while paywalling authors are seeing more support. This metric is also solidified from my own account across Patreon earnings. I saw a 23% reduction in earnings compared from 2021-2022 fiscal year vs the 2022-2023 fiscal year. One other note to mention is that the reduction in Patreon support could also be affected by the recent global inflation. However if this were true, we should have also seen a decrease in paywall support but we are not. Am I sad I have less money? No, I have a fairly high paying job and the lack of Patreon money does not impact me. But what this is showing me is that despite the vocal sentiment of "anti-paywalling" users are speaking with their wallets in favor of.
Do you view "time gating" and "restricted versions" as a form of paywalling? Time gate is when a mod is made free after an "X" amount of time. Restricted versions are when an author provides a free version of a mod with fewer features compared to the paid version.
The line between what's considered paywalling and not is increasingly becoming blurred. Paywall authors are even abusing the "free" moniker to incite false precedence of their mods.
The result is almost split. 57% of users think it's paywalling, 43% think it's not. I will talk more about this later as this question is a precursor how a user views paywalling whether negative or positive.
How favorable is your opinion on authors that paywall? .
The users were given 1 choice on a 1-10 rating to express favorability.
The resultstayed the same compared to 2021 with a bell curve trend for paywalling acceptability.
This result tells me that even though many users are overall indifferent about paywalling, a slight majority have a negative view of paywalling. However, these users are still giving away their money. This could be for several reasons:
Some users are patroning to leak the rewards
Some users have no choice but to pay for access for a mod they really want but are doing so reluctantly.
What is your overall opinion of mod paywalling? Is it okay depending on the price? Is it okay if it's timed? Is it okay under other circumstances? Is it absolutely not okay? Is paywalling just textures acceptable? Slutty versions? Describe your full opinion below in the long text.
Users were asked to provide a long answer.
The results that people typed out reflects the previous question. Many users don't really care about paywalling at this point. Many see it as a means to an end for the author. Many no longer mind if the mod is eventually released or a free version exists in some capacity. As I said, the future is looking grim in my opinion.
Section 4: Misc Questions
This section focuse on random questions mostly regarding on outside content that I can work on. I won't elaborate on results for each question but I'll type out a summary:
I recently started offering merch because some users expressed interest. Were you interested in merch in the first place?
Shameful plug here but you can find my merch in the link below. I also asked for merch ideas and received several good suggestions. Many users did say they wanted a Nendoroid or some sort of figure of my V-Tuber design but the complication in setting that up makes this almost impossible....at least in my current state. However, boob mousepads is definitely a possibility ;)
I keep juggling the idea of streaming but have never gone through with it. Are you interested in me streaming?
This question is the bane of my existence. But based on the results, streaming doesn't seem like a venture I should be taking too seriously. My supporters/fans are here for mods and gaming. Streaming is counter productive of that and will only satisfy the parasocial relationship aspect of modding. Streaming is still definitely in the works, but a bit low in my priority while juggling my IRL career and modding. As a follow up question, I asked what kind of content I should stream and majority of users said "anything I want". A second majority stated they'd like to see my modding workflow in real time. A third majority said they would like to see gameplay.
Starfield and You.
This question is anticipating for the future. I hope Bethesda is able to nail Starfield. Their success will mostly decide whether or not I will mod for it. The vanilla character editor is my biggest contention right now with the recent Bethesda games. If they can nail it, I'll be more likely to mod for it. The environments as well. If the environment is diverse and alive, I'll be more willing.
The concludes the survey results! I omitted several of the results because I didn't think they were interesting points to talk about. The questions I omitted mostly revolved around feedback for me from users such as asking what I can improve on, what sort of incentives I can provide, etc. I wanted to display questions/results that can have a tangible impact to the community and potentially other authors.
I will again reiterate that my interpretation of these results are not conclusive.
If you made it this far, I would LOVE to hear your opinion on this survey in the comments below. Are my interpretations correct? Do you agree or disagree? What is your forecast for the future of modding?
Thank you guys and happy modding.