Outstanding piece on the religious impulse in fan culture. The Starfield-to-Star Wars mod comparison really captures how subcreation now operates at industrialscale, where communities step in when official creators move on. I've seen this firsthand with smaller online communities that basically reverse-engineer abandoned games just to keep them playable. The Tolkien framing here isspot-on becuase it acknowledges this isn't just consumption, it's active meaning-making.
This is especially true for science fiction where the line between science (a practical reality) and fiction (a fantasy reality) is as blurry as the human imagination can make it. There are more than a few Gen X today who are mad that the Star Trek prophecies of idyllic global multiculturalism, exciting alien encounters, and other storylines have not come true yet.
About 3 years ago, I started building an unreal engine model of a set piece that spans several of my science fiction stories.
It has now become clear that I will never use it for anything, so I've made a few passes at releasing it into the wild, thinking that hobbyists and enthusiasts might make CGI movies with it.
Reading this essay makes me think I should be more clever about getting the word out.
My younger sister really loves Stranger Things, though she hates the gay storyline they put into the show. She thought that the ending for season 5 wasn't bad. She knew that there would be no episode 9 but at the same time she wanted there to be an episode 9.
I've said it a thousand times to my friends and acquaintances: video games and entertainment in general are the new sacred cows. People had their gods and beliefs taken away from them, so they went looking for something else. Most turned to entertainment; it doesn't matter if it's a movie, TV series, or video game, it's entertainment. That's why, when you question an IP or franchise, they react in the same parody-like way that religious fanatics react, without realizing it or, worse, without wanting to admit it. Others turned to ideologies, and not very good ones, at that. Needless to say, the believers in these ideologies took over the media.
I have created a Christian RPG, that plays better and smoother than D&D and OSRs... Where you play adventures just like others, but with missionary and church planting goals! And I have approached Christians to try it out, and about 99% have rejected it even without looking or playing it. They reject me taking them out of D&D and the Forgotten Realms or Star Wars or whatever. They froth that I dare make them feel guilty for being religiously addicted to paganism. Whatever. I'm loving the Lord over everything else and having fun doing it!
This morning I woke to make a youtube video about it and lo and behold here's someone making an article on it! Providence! Hah!
Outstanding piece on the religious impulse in fan culture. The Starfield-to-Star Wars mod comparison really captures how subcreation now operates at industrialscale, where communities step in when official creators move on. I've seen this firsthand with smaller online communities that basically reverse-engineer abandoned games just to keep them playable. The Tolkien framing here isspot-on becuase it acknowledges this isn't just consumption, it's active meaning-making.
This is especially true for science fiction where the line between science (a practical reality) and fiction (a fantasy reality) is as blurry as the human imagination can make it. There are more than a few Gen X today who are mad that the Star Trek prophecies of idyllic global multiculturalism, exciting alien encounters, and other storylines have not come true yet.
About 3 years ago, I started building an unreal engine model of a set piece that spans several of my science fiction stories.
It has now become clear that I will never use it for anything, so I've made a few passes at releasing it into the wild, thinking that hobbyists and enthusiasts might make CGI movies with it.
Reading this essay makes me think I should be more clever about getting the word out.
http://johndyerwrites.com/2025/10/15/call-for-collaboration-ue5-cinematic-showreel/
My younger sister really loves Stranger Things, though she hates the gay storyline they put into the show. She thought that the ending for season 5 wasn't bad. She knew that there would be no episode 9 but at the same time she wanted there to be an episode 9.
I've said it a thousand times to my friends and acquaintances: video games and entertainment in general are the new sacred cows. People had their gods and beliefs taken away from them, so they went looking for something else. Most turned to entertainment; it doesn't matter if it's a movie, TV series, or video game, it's entertainment. That's why, when you question an IP or franchise, they react in the same parody-like way that religious fanatics react, without realizing it or, worse, without wanting to admit it. Others turned to ideologies, and not very good ones, at that. Needless to say, the believers in these ideologies took over the media.
This was a very insightful piece that challenged me to think about modern entertainment culture differently. Thanks!
I have created a Christian RPG, that plays better and smoother than D&D and OSRs... Where you play adventures just like others, but with missionary and church planting goals! And I have approached Christians to try it out, and about 99% have rejected it even without looking or playing it. They reject me taking them out of D&D and the Forgotten Realms or Star Wars or whatever. They froth that I dare make them feel guilty for being religiously addicted to paganism. Whatever. I'm loving the Lord over everything else and having fun doing it!
This morning I woke to make a youtube video about it and lo and behold here's someone making an article on it! Providence! Hah!