Skyrim is the first game I've ever played that let you use mod, if you don't count Diablo 1, way back where you could basically use an overhaul that made things harder and changed the loot things game.

Skyrim is a very good game without mods, but a GREAT game WITH mods !

I don't think I'll ever get into another game, where you can't mod it !! That's how impressed I am with skyrim & modding. Before getting into Skyrim, I was playing Diablo 3, and it really got old waiting a year for an update, which really didn't change much, or 1.5 years for an expansion which you have to buy, if you really still want to play the game, cause the expansion makes the vanilla content obsolete and changes things in vanilla to keep it in line with the expansion. I like having a choice, and mods give you that choice, along with the OPTIONAL DLC method Skyrim uses. Heck DLC from Bethesda are basically just mods made by Bethesda lol.

The main thing about mods that really improve the gameplay is that you don't have to wait 6 months to a year for the game developer to add new content, you literally have thousands of people working on making new content, and new stuff being released daily. Yes, some is bad, but some is incredibly good ! Plus you get to change the things in the game to YOUR preferences! Everyone has different tastes in what they want out of their games. Plus, with the scores of people making mods, you get a lot of the minor nuances in the game fixed by mods, whereas for a big company some things aren't worth changing due to the $$$ issue, and managing how to best utilize their development dollars.

Another great aspect of allowing a game to be modded, it adds ALOT of longevity to a game's lifecycle. A game that can be modded , will likely have a community that is alive and vibrant many many years after the developer has abandoned the game, Whereas the reverse is usually true, after a developer abandons a title, the game's community slowly but surely dwindles down to a ghost town after 3-4 years.

What are your thoughts about modding overall, or games that allow mods?

I wouldn't be here after 12 years if it weren't for mods. I used to say, "I don't play Morrowind, I play mods." I think that holds true for Oblivion and Skyrim as well.