Summary
- Fans' passion led to community-driven game development, like Black Mesa and Counter-Strike, reshaping popular titles.
- Community collaboration resulted in successful games like Dota 2 and StepMania, proving the power of dedicated fans.
- Garry's Mod and Katawa Shoujo showcase the impact of passionate communities in creating legendary titles.
Fans are extremely passionate about the video games they love, to the point where they'll take precious time out of their day to take an active part in this industry. Some games and forums cause like-minded fans to band together so that they can try and make a name for themselves as developers instead of consumers.
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This has led to the creation and release of several quality video games that were formed by a community of passionate fans. Whether it be the actual source code of the game itself or the content present in it, these titles are a great example of how dedicated video game fans can be when they band together and put their minds to something.
8 Black Mesa
A Fan-Made Project That Turned Into A Full-Blown Remake
Black Mesa
- Released
- March 6, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Crowbar Collective
- Publisher(s)
- Crowbar Collective
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter
- Platform(s)
- PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The original Half-Life is one of the most revolutionary PC games of all time and is still infinitely playable to this day. However, that didn't stop a group of fans from making a mod to modernize the experience.
Valve caught whiff of this and was impressed by the work on Black Mesa, giving the developers all the funds they needed to craft a remake of the legendary title. Black Mesa was a resounding hit that expanded the game's legendary levels and is arguably the best way to experience the magic of the original Half-Life in the modern era.
7 Counter-Strike
A Mod Transformed Into One Of The Greatest Tactical Shooters Of All Time
Counter-Strike
- Released
- November 9, 2000
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Valve
- Publisher(s)
- Sierra Studios, Microsoft Game Studios
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter, Tactical
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox (Original)
Half-Life was a malleable game that allowed its passionate community to make the most of the Source engine. Several fan-made mods graced players, including a unique tactical shooter based on a never-ending conflict between terrorists and counter-terrorists.
The end result is Counter-Strike, a game that rose from a humble mod to become one of Valve's most popular IPs. The fact that a passionate community sowed the seeds for this franchise's success is mind-blowing to this day.
6 StepMania
The Community-Made Songs Are Integral To Enjoying The Full Experience
StepMania
- Released
- August 30, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Rhythm
- Platform(s)
- PC
Fans who love Dance Dance Revolution and want to check out more rhythm games in the same vein will love what StepMania has to offer. While it may seem like nothing more than a simple clone, it's the amazing player base of StepMania that has helped it stand out as one of the best community-driven games around.
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Everything from themes to songs can be downloaded to enhance the wealth of content in this game. The sheer amount of stuff made by fans for this title is out of this world and shows just how popular StepMania is.
5 Dota 2
The Defense Of The Ancients Mod Was Acquired By Valve
Dota 2
- Released
- July 9, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
Valve's games are known for attracting passionate communities who love how easy it is to work with the engines of these games. This led to the creation of Defense of the Ancients, a mod for Warcraft 3 that featured the building blocks of the MOBA genre.
The company saw a ton of potential in this mod, turning a community-made game into the catalyst for a genre that continues to grow strong even now. Dota 2 is the polished version of this mod that is enthralling to play — as long as players can digest the sometimes intense nature of its player base.
4 Frets On Fire
Open-Source Guitar Hero That's Brimming With User-Created Content
Frets on Fire
- Released
- August 3, 2006
- Developer(s)
- Unreal Voodoo
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Genre(s)
- Music
Guitar Hero fans can rejoice, since there's an open-source game that pays homage to a legendary series that needs more time to shine. Frets on Fire is an amazing video game that fans love for how welcoming and passionate the community for this game is.
Players can search for pretty much any song that they love, and it's only a matter of time before they find a track that was made by a fan for this game. This endless stream of community-made content means that fans will never get bored of Frets on Fire.
3 The Battle For Wesnoth
A Turn-Based Strategy Game With An Active Community
The Battle for Wesnoth
- Released
- August 14, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
A turn-based strategy game that takes no prisoners, The Battle for Wesnoth is a title brimming with quality content. Players adhere to the lore and rules of this game world as they craft unique campaigns with tough combat scenarios.
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Fans of titles like Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre will love what The Battle for Wesnoth brings to the table. The community loves adding to the wealth of gameplay scenarios for this game, meaning that fans will discover something new whenever they boot up this title.
2 Garry's Mod
The Community Has Created Some Of The Most Popular Multiplayer Games In This Project
Garry's Mod
- Released
- November 29, 2006
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Facepunch Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Valve
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox
- Platform(s)
- PC
Garry's Mod is a legendary title that makes the most of Half-Life 2's Source engine. The sheer number of gameplay modes coded by fans for this game is off the charts, including stuff like Prop Hunt and Trouble in Terrorist Town, which are in a class of their own.
Along with this, stuff like DarkRP lets players live out a virtual life of their own in a world with strict rules that are surprisingly fun to follow. The sheer number of ways players can enjoy their time in Garry's Mod is a testament to Valve's passionate community.
1 Katawa Shoujo
The Development Team Was Gathered From 4chan And Other Such Communities
Katawa Shoujo
- Released
- January 4, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Visual Novel
- Platform(s)
- PC
By all accounts, Katawa Shoujo should've failed. The game was made by a group of fans who congregated on forums like 4chan, which in itself should seem like the biggest red flag. This, coupled with the game's focus on disabilities and trauma, could've spelled disaster for this game.
To streamline the process of developing this VN, each member of the community worked in a silo as they formed the narrative for each dateable girl in the game. This could've been a disaster, but Katawa Shoujo ended up being a surprise hit that tactfully navigated the lives of courageous girls living with disabilities, making it a must-play visual novel for fans of the genre.
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