Fan gaming

The title screen to the widely-covered Sonic Fan Remix.

For nearly as long as the Sonic the Hedgehog fandom has existed, the Fan Gaming community has flourished right alongside. Traditionally believed to have begun with the simplistic Klik & Play effort Sonic Boom by Martian Braid, over the years the scene has shifted from these early games to more sophisticated efforts. From long-running productions like Sonic Robo Blast 2 to highly anticipated and acclaimed concepts like Sonic Fan Remix, the individuals behind fan gaming have striven to create the best product they could possibly achieve. Perfectly complimenting those who make new Sonic experiences by hacking the original games, a handful of fan game creators have gone beyond the call by creating their own engines, to give them the flexibility that commercial game creators would not otherwise.

With such websites as Sonic Fan Games HQ still kicking around today, not only are there dedicated people looking to catalog these games, but also willing to provide extensive databases filled with resources such as sprites, tiles, layouts, and even tutorials to assist those who have a vision but are as-of-yet unfamiliar with the tools used in the trade. The efforts of the collected fan game community do not go unnoticed, with such events as the Sonic Amateur Games Expo happening each year, set up to not only let creators advertise their wares, but to receive invaluable feedback to help better the final product.