- PC Gamer discussed a Half-Life fan’s job offer after releasing a popular mod. “Transmissions: Element 120 is a “short single-player” Half-life 2 mod that equips players with a new kind of gravity gun that enables them to leap over buildings and fall from great distances without suffering damage. Taking place after the events of Half-Life 2: Episode 2, it challenges players to figure out where they are and why they’ve been sent there. On the technical side, it boasts custom levels, code, models, sounds, and a number of upgrades to the Source Engine, including enhanced dynamic lighting, improved support for complex structures, and better AI. And it was all created by one guy.”
- Los Angeles magazine instead suggested that fan films could be personal vehicles. “Fantasy author and captain’s hat aficionado, George R.R. Martin, famously hates fan-fiction based on his Game of Thrones universe, but it’s an uphill battle for Martin, judging by the popularity of his characters amongst online amateur writers with a penchant for sword fights, dragons, and magic. And it’s not just the literary kind Martin has to worry about. Now, fan made videos that either recreate scenes from certain episodes (“The Red Wedding” is a favorite) or spin-offs that feature new characters and plot lines but are still set in the world of Westeros are popping up on YouTube. Some are predictably terrible and a lot like Jack Black and Mos Def’s attempts at recreating their favorite movies in Be Kind Rewind but others are downright genius.”
- There are certainly more commercial projects that are creating spaces for readers to join in with their own contributions. But publishers are also on the lookout for anything that’s getting popular. Kidscreen reported on HarperCollins offering a contract to a fanfic writer for his Minecraft series “that’s been making the rounds in middle schools across the US. Wolfe wrote at the first part of the trilogy at age 16 and then self-published it on Amazon.com in January, 2014.”
- Meanwhile Supernatural actors Rob Benedict and Richard Speight, Jr. are creating a show based on their convention appearances. The “crowd-funded show called Kings Of Con — a fictional series that follows an exaggerated version of Rob and Richard…will follow their experiences during their 15 annual international cons, in which the fans aren’t the only crazy ones — but the cast is as well.”
Whether projects about fans or projects by fans, is everyone going commercial? Write about those events in Fanlore! Contributions are welcome from all fans.
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