Digital tinkerers make games their own. (Media & Technology).

Amid the smell of stale cigarettes, guitars mounted on the wall and computer monitors stacked among a latticework of keyboards and mixing boards, Mario Orsini's dreams appear more suited to a life in the recording industry.

But from his nondescript cave of a Hollywood apartment, Orsini is overseeing development of "Orbit Wars," a video game based on the bones of the popular online game "Unreal Tournament," created by Epic Games Inc.

He and his 15-person crew, Team Orbit, operate outside the clean, corporate environs of a THQ Inc. or Activision Inc., L.A.'s leading game makers. They are modifying--"modding"--a commercially-available video game.

Unlike other digital entertainment, where developers of copyrighted material jealously guard their content, Team Orbit and thousands of other modders operate with the blessing of the video game industry.

Developers build video games in two parts: the engine, the proprietary technology that drives game play; and the aesthetic package, which Orsini calls "eye and ear candy." Modding, which alters the eye and ear candy, is legal and even encouraged by the design studios and publishers who see the practice as encouraging sales.

Frank Rogan, editor-in-chief of online gaming spot Gamespy.com in Irvine, which hosts hundreds of Web sites for modders, said his site has 18 million unique visitors each month. More than 13 million people have downloaded games from www.gamespy.com.

Sean Wargo, senior industry analyst at Consumer Electronics Association in Arlington, Va., says that the legion of modders numbers in the hundreds of thousands worldwide, with roughly 15 million people (38 percent of all video game players) around the world playing the games most ripe for modding.

Mod motives

Why they do it varies. For some, changing the maps, characters and sounds in a store-bought game is little more than a way to pass hours and customize the gaming experience. But many hope that it will translate into something bigger.

"Initially, I did it for the enjoyment of it," Orsini said. "But I stuck with it because of the lucrative nature of this project There aren't that many fish in the pond yet."

They might have a shot at marketing the resulting game, too, according to Jerod Kirby, an agent with Octagon Entertainment Inc. in Chapel Hill, N.C., who acts as a broker between game developers and publishers.

"When I talked with Mario, it was obvious they had some talent," Kirby said. "The next question is, 'Are you content being a mod developer, or do you want to try to get big with it?"' Kirby is not representing "Orbit Wars."

The commitment of Orsini and his team, while modest compared to corporate creators of wholly original content, is not insignificant for a bunch of amateurs.

A former rock musician, animator and sometime event director, Orsini can earn $1,000 a day, when he's working. But much of his time is spent directing the team of 15 video game developers and a dozen or so assorted freelancers from around the world.

Content to fiddle

Orsini's dream of launching a professional design studio is one modder strategy. Others consider the mod a virtual resume.

"I just realized it was time to try to do it full time, rather than working full time and doing a mod at home," said Bryan Dube, now a programmer at Raven Software in Madison, Wis.

Dube said his work on "Urban Terror," a popular mod based on the "Quake III" game engine, "was definitely part of my resume and definitely helped me get a job here. Since Raven was doing two 'Quake III' titles at the time, my 'Quake III' experience was a very nice selling point."

Landing a gig at a game design studio can be lucrative, but only for top industry talent. Rogan said quality assurance jobs, which include testing games for their fun and appeal, start at $30,000, while production and design jobs can fetch $75,000 to $100,000. Senior programmers pull in six figures.

Others, however are content with their day jobs.

"With modding, you've got four or five things happening at one time and you're multitasking," said Stephen Toumi, a supervisor at United Airlines who also worked on the "Urban Terror" mod. "Just like interacting with the different (airline) departments, I have to coordinate the people on mapping teams and coding teams."

That nearly daily interaction, Toumi said, brings a sense of community to distant people who would otherwise be among strangers. "You've never met the person, but you've interacted with them so much you call them friends," he said.

Game makers benefit

In 1994, Id Software Inc., creator of the popular "Quake" line, became the first game publisher to release a set of developer's tools with a game. In providing consumers with the know-how to customize the landscapes, models and characters within games, the release launched the mod movement.

"It keeps people playing the game and, once we've gone on to our next product, they're still creating content," said Marty Stratton, director of business development at Id. "It keeps the game on their computer, and they're more likely to pick up an expansion pack down the line when we release it."

While developers keep proprietary the secrets of the game engine, there are no copyright issues related to changing the bells and whistles as long as mods are freely released. Otherwise, the more people monkeying around with the games the better, Stratton said.

"You could make the argument that you're creating competition for yourself, but people are going to pay for professional content," he said.

That's what Orsini is counting on. Team Orbit has a CPA on board, advising Orsini on the business aspects of the project.

Kirby, the agent, said development deals range from $200,000 to several million dollars. A good deal for a first effort is likely to fetch less than $1 million, still enough to launch a proper company. What comes next would be up to the consumer.

"If your first game is a hit, it's going to open a lot of doors," Kirby said. "if your first opportunity is a dog, other publishers are going to see the reviews and want more assurances (before buying another)."

It has happened, though the move from mod to retail is not common.

"Counter-Strike," a mod of the popular game "Half-Life" was picked up by publisher Sierra Entertainment Inc., the Bellevue, Wash., game company that originally released "Half-Life." The appeal, said Sierra spokeswoman Genevieve Ostergard, was that "Counter-Strike" has translated into the sale of at least 1 million more units of "Half-Life." That meant at least $25 million more in revenues for Sierra.

Orsini fully expects a similar success story for "Orbit Wars."

"It's not a question of whether we can survive in this town," Orsini said. "It's a matter of who do we go with."