Why do people make fangames?

[Floyd]

Why Do People Make Fangames?

Is it the allure of using characters they love in new and fantastical ways? Is it the seeds of plot lingering after finishing a game, that you felt would work well, taking root? Is it the relieved stress on the writing aspect? Why do people make fangames?


What do you think?

[Myownfriend]

It's completely dependant on the developer. Some people may see openings for another story to branch off from there favorite game and they'll make a fan sequel or prequel out of it. Others might be doing it to relieve the stress of making there own story. It really all depends. I have to say that I do hate when people will look down on a game just because its a fangame. They have just as much of a chance at being good as any other RM game.

I'm making a Final Fantasy fangame but not a sequel or prequel, it's it's own game. Yea it will take place in the same universe with Imps, Chocobo's, Moogles, etc. but I'm not doing it to relieve stress on the writing aspect cuz I'm certainly stressing out. lol I could easily change my game to be a non-FF game but I want it to be an FF game. It's the fan in me. I plan on making films and I credit FF with being the reason I want to write and direct films thus I want to one game I plan on making to be a fan game.

But thats just why I'm making a fangame. As for people who make sequels to FF4-7, I can only assume they're doing it to relieve stress and are most likely making the game on a whim without thinking it through. I don't even like SE doing sequels to FF games lol

I too am interested in hearing why others make fangames.

[The Rooster]

People look down on fangames because the average fangame is a load of shit. Let's go over some of the more prominent gems I've seen:
-Epic Game, a nonsensical crossover in which Homer Simpson is sent by God on a quest to redeem himself. From what little was actually finished in the demo, he meets up with Darth Vader and they rescue Princess Zelda. The characters were all written completely out of their established characters, in terms of both personality and general speech.
-A Zelda/Fire Emblem crossover I forgot the of. My main problems with this are that not only is the Zelda element seemingly abused (the main character's Link. For the entire length of the demo, that is the extent to which it resembles a Zelda game) and that the Fire Emblem element is there for absolutely no reason. In your first battle, for no reason, two Fire Emblem characters are in your party.
-Kingdom Hearts X, oh goody, the big one. This game is the mother of all crossovers, including characters from Megaman, Digimon, FMA, Yu-Gi-Oh, Inuyasha, Pokemon, Mario, Zelda, Sonic, stick figures, DBZ, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Invader Zim, Kirby, Lego, Shaman King, Tales of Symphonia, Naruto, and Samurai Jack. That alone should prove my point.

In general, fangames are the goals of newbies who use it as a crutch. Not all fangames, and there are legitimately good fangames out there, but percentage of shit vs not shit is lower than regular games. A lot of people use them becuase they don't yet think they can pull off an original game, and others decide to make Super Crossover RPG 78 because they think it's a cool idea. It's not. There's too many problems, and people who use it as a story crutch miss the biggest problem; if the characters aren't remotely in character, you've failed. This isn't erotic fanfiction, we have standards.

[Sonata]

I believe people make fan-games because they become so attached to certain characters and plots. I myself have been tempted to start work on a fan project because of great affection I felt towards a story.

[PoisonedV]

because they are horribly uncreative, obsessive clingy losers?

[Floyd]

because they are horribly uncreative, obsessive clingy losers?

qft.

[PoisonedV]

well, that, and...
it's easier to make a game if you don't have to make your own characters. people who wont go through the effort to make their own characters, storylines, character development, relationship webs... well, they usually won't go through the effort to make a good game. So while fangames by default aren't bad, the crowd they attract make bad games.

[Ratty524]

It's both the reasons of laziness as far as creating their own plot/concept/etc. and the fact that they love their series so much that they want base something off of it.

[Chaotech Games]

Most fan games, are completely random, as to be expected, but some aren't.
I ONLY work on fan games, not because I have no additional characters I can use, or laziness (I'll give you a screenshot of Chao Garden. Definately not lazy. Let's see you make Blizz-ABS compatible with H-Mode7, as well as 100% custom Menus, Battle System, HUD, Crafting, and Visual equiptment among others!), but because I liked it, and want to.
I do it, because, as said earlier, I liked the game, but felt that it wasn't enough. Since I can do it, I thought that I'd go ahead and make a similar one with common elements, plus whatever I want.
The problem is, Fan-games are a lot easier to get noteriety on. If you make a completely new game, with never before heard of characters, nobody will know it exists! You can google "Zelda Fangames" with the best of the best, but few will ever find your entirely new game, unless you agressively advertise.
Do you remember, if you do, the rather famous Sonic the Hedgehog, Fan Remix? It was featured in several magazines, including Game Informer. There have been few and far between entirely new games ever given noteriety. I'm not saying that I agree with this, or support it, but I just think that too many people put fan games down.

[NnsNightshade]

How are most fan games random AND most aren't? That doesn't make sense.

I have no problem with fan games and I enjoy playing them, but nobody is ever going to take your game making seriously if you don't delve into your own original projects at some point or another. I started out making fangames and then deviated away from it as my creativity skills grew and I had more of a want/need to tell my own stories~ But you should always ask permission of the copyright holder of the original works to make a large fangame of it, and you should never use rips......... That's just how I see it.

Most people make fangames not because of laziness as was mistakenly stated, but because of the love of the series and the desire to expand on the series. And most people who make fangames are those who are just starting out into the game making experience. Which isn't a bad thing at all. :D