Wiki-tastic

[PHattiE]

I think we need to get our definitions straight.  There are many games that emulate others--but that's because companies wish to cash in on those game's success.  Not because they are "fans" of those games.

Also, by fan-game, I mean a game that is being developed by people who aren't seeking compensation for their time.    For example, I don't consider the dozens of purchaseable starwars spinoffs books you find at the local bookstore to be "fan fic".  Fan-fic is so labled, because it means unauthorized publication based on characters/plot of copyrighted material.

Hero6 does not borrow from copyrighted material anymore, but we started off under that pretense.

Anyway, I think it's a good challenge.  I would be very interested in knowing if anyone can find an adventure game that was started by fans before '98.

With the popularity of AGS and other adventure game engines, I believe adventure game fan creations would have been made with or without hero6's existance.  The point is that when hero6 was first started, the idea that fans could make an adventure game was considered foolish (read: not possible by amatuers).  I think what we succeeded in doing was prove that it was possible; causing many to start their own projects.  Also, our online community allowed people from around the world to contribute.  That was a pretty cool feat too for the time.

[Corsair5]

I have a list of fourty-eight pages of games made without hope of ever getting any kind of compensation for their time and efforts. Through my searching, i've found about 20% of them were made before '98, for example, a Prince of Persia fangame made in '98.

Now, if you want to classify them under games made that are spinoffs, the percentage drops to around 1%.

[The Guy]

  I have a list of fourty-eight pages of games made without hope of ever getting any kind of compensation for their time and efforts.

You weren't reading properly, were you? As PHattiE said and I quote:

Also, by fan-game, I mean a game that is being developed by people who aren't seeking compensation for their time.

Through my searching, i've found about 20% of them were made before '98, for example, a Prince of Persia fangame made in '98.

Okay, so there may have been a few. But as for what you typed in there, seriously, have you been adding correctly??

[Corsair5]

D'oh. I meant '91 for the prince of Persia game. I was rather sleepy at the time.

[JohnWWells]

A strictly Unofficial Answer:

The fangame is an old and honorable undertaking. The earliest fangame I can think of offhand came out in 1996 - a Zork/Enchanter fan text adventure called Spiritwrak. However, there were doubtless earlier ones.

That said, Hero6 was the first massive collaborative graphic adventure fangame I know of. It certainly set the stage for future fan collaborations, whatever its own difficulties. I wouldn't say that the current crop of fangames wouldn't have happened at all if it weren't for Hero6, but there might be fewer. It's really hard to say.