Fantendo:About

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Fantendo facts, history, and everything about us.

Fantendo in a nutshell[edit source]

Fantendo is a creative-writing site based on making realistic encyclopedic articles for fictional ideas for media. While early articles focused on fanmade ideas for real series, Fantendo has grown to include original works. The gist is that anyone can create entertainment they conceptualize without needing to actually program or produce it.

Though we highly encourage creativity here, we do block anonymous users and enforce article standards to filter out low-quality work.

Frequently Asked Questions[edit source]

What's the point of writing about fake games?

Fantendo is a wiki for creating articles about games and stories that we think of. This lets us share these ideas, without needing the time and skill to follow through on making them real products. It's also legally safer than distributing playable fangames.

We don't do this to trick people; it's mostly a creative exercise and a labor of love to our favorite franchises. If you like coming up with ideas for upcoming games and movies, you already get our appeal!

Just to be clear on the word "fanon"…

Due to the nature of Fantendo, we've attached new meanings to a few words to make it easier to explain our purpose.

In most circles, fanon refers to widely-accepted headcanon about a certain series. Here, fanon just means a fictional or imaginary piece of media.

Likewise, you might think of a fangame as a playable fan-made videogame. On Fantendo, it's slang for an article about a game idea.

What's the history behind Fantendo?

Fantendo was created in April 2007 by the now-inactive Plumber, as a serious take on UnMarioWiki. Though originally only a Nintendo fanon wiki, Fantendo eventually expanded into a general fanon host that allows ideas based on other companies' franchises, as well as completely original content.

Today, Fantendo is one of the biggest creative-writing fanon wikis for original ideas for media, including fanon, fan fiction and games.

Is this game real?

Again, Fantendo is a wiki for imaginary game ideas… mostly. Only a few of our games are real; the remaining 99% were never intended to be. Our encyclopedic style means we write about our ideas as if they exist, regardless of whether they do.

There are a few rare articles that explicitly state they're being made as actual games, but since game development is hard, don't get your hopes up too high! We aren't a modding or programming site, and there's no guarantee that these games will ever see the light of day.

This game is out! How can I download it?

Careful: a release date on an article doesn't mean it will actually be released! Lots of article writers like to add a level of realism to their work by imagining details like release dates and development information. A release date is also no promise that the article will be finished by then.

When will Nintendo make this game?

Again, we don't usually work on games with the end goal of making them "real". This isn't a place to pitch real games, either.

Nintendo doesn't browse this wiki. And in general, companies don't take or look for fan ideas due to intellectual property laws. Developing someone else's game idea would be an infringement on that person's copyright.

In short, don't expect Nintendo to announce anything on this wiki, and don't write for us with the expectation that they will make your work a reality. Any similarity to real games, including having the same name, is purely coincidental.

Can I make games or stories not related to Nintendo?

Sure! Fantendo has evolved to accept various other fanbases. Most original games and stories are more recognized in the community, such as our New Fantendoverse. Try creating a unique story and see if people like it. If they do, you might be motivated to create more original works! And don't be afraid to express your interests in other franchises that don't belong to Nintendo. Who knows? There might be someone here who shares a few of your interests!

How do most people organize their content?

The typical user has a page for their own "company", which serves as a kind of second username in terms of wiki content. The company page is an obvious place to link to your current projects across the wiki. Of course, making a company isn't required, and you can use your userpage for the same purpose.

It's also possible to create a category for your work. Tag your pages with a category name along the lines of "(Your Username) Games", then click the resulting link and add a brief explanation that it is a category for your fangames. It's that simple to set up!

Do my characters have to be related to a game or story?

An original character is just as valid a starting point as a piece of media for a work on Fantendo.

Can I make a comic, choose-your-own adventure, card game, board game…

Yes! We will accept and let thrive any special formats of creativity you may want to make work in!

Do I really own what I post here?

You own the copyright to your work, with a few caveats. Like most other wikis our content is under the CC-BY-SA license. The license means that people can only use your work if they credit you, and that if they reuse your content, they must release it under the same CC-BY-SA license. Plus, Fantendo is not very well-known; aside from potential Google Images hits, it is unlikely that outsiders will come across your content to begin with. For more in-depth information, check the Licensing help page at Community Central.

But can't other people still edit my stuff?

Fantendo operates under a system of intellectual ownership. Users are only allowed to make major content edits to their own articles, and to pages on real ("canon") subjects. To edit and use others' content, the creator's permission is needed. You can create a template to mark your work as your own, though this is not required since it is understood by default.

At the other extreme, if you want people to build on your ideas, you can use the Template:T template to open editing to the community! You can also add Template:T to let others use your character without needing to ask for explicit permission.

What else can I do on Fantendo?

In addition to creating games, companies, characters, stories, movies, and more, users can discuss almost anything in blogs and the forums, converse with other users on the chat, comment on others' work, and play forum games.

Any other required reading?

Be sure to look over the other Help sections for information on our rules and standards. Also, check out the tutorials section to learn how to do something here you may not have known!