Halo.Bungie.Org
Encyclopedia
Halo.Bungie.Org, often referred to as HBO, is a fansite
created in 1999 by Claude Errera (known online by the pseudonym "Louis Wu
") and two associates as a news site for the Bungie
video game Halo: Combat Evolved
. The site was started in 1999 as Blam.bungie.org based on the project's development name before it was called Halo. The site now covers all of Bungie's Halo properties and posts game news, rumors, and fan art and videos.
Halo.Bungie.Org grew to become the most widely-read Halo fansite, receiving more than a half-million page views a day in 2007. While his cofounders have ceased involvement in the site, Errera continues to update all sections of the site with the occasional assistance of others. Aside from contests, Halo.Bungie.Org also coordinates charitable endeavors and fundraisers.
's other video games, namely Marathon
, in 1998. Before bungie.org, Errera had been involved in other Bungie-related sites. Halo.bungie.org began as "blam.bungie.org" on May 26, 1999 after information about what was to become Halo was leaked soon after the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 1999.
While Errera had used his real name for previous Bungie sites, his cofounder wanted to remain anonymous. At the time, little was known about the new project other than that it was set on a ringworld—a massive ring-shaped habitat. As such, the site founders took aliases from Larry Niven
's novel Ringworld
; Errera assumed the name "Louis Wu", after the novel's protagonist. Though the universe's Halo megastructures
turned out to have more in common with Ian Banks
' Orbitals, the aliases stuck and it was too late to change them. The first Halo trailer was unveiled in July 1999, and the site was renamed. Errera and the other founders searched the web for information and provided a place on Halo.bungie.org for fans to discuss and contribute.
Over time one member of staff dropped out followed by another shortly after Bungie's acquisition by Microsoft, leaving Errera the sole webmaster and the main force on the site. Errera says that the only reason he has become known as the "Godfather" of Halo is due his long-term presence in the community. Halo.Bungie.Org is unusual among large non-commercial sites in having no paid advertisements of any kind on any portion of the pages.
, Halo.bungie.org posted and categorized Halo films that fans submitted.
Each day, Errera reads through the Halo.Bungie.Org forums, looking for interesting items to put on the news page and monitoring comments. He then checks other Halo and gaming-related sites for more news. He also approves fan movies or artwork and updates batches of new submitted content. Errera credits the site's success to its longevity; "When you’re there from the beginning, and you add new content every day, folks tend to come back," he said.
has a strong relationship with Halo.bungie.org and has called the page the ultimate Halo fansite. Halo.bungie.org is listed as a source on Bungie's project pages; Bungie employees frequent the Halo.bungie.org forums, often to point out a new Bungie.net update or answer questions from fans. Halo.bungie.org often receives promotional items from Bungie to give away in various contests. Its administrators and members have been repeatedly quoted in mainstream publications.
Errera has been interviewed numerous times by gaming sites such as Microsoft
's Xbox.com and mainstream media organizations such as CBS and the BBC. The site was nominated for IGN
's "best fansite" award in 2005.
Halo.bungie.org has used its notability to conduct several fundraiser
s for various causes, including raising money for Hurricane Katrina disaster relief
. The site's members took part in a massive effort by the Halo community to raise money, primarily through selling collectible items through eBay auctions. These auctions raised just under $11,000 for the relief effort. Members of the community also chipped in through personal means; one member held a charity Xbox live night and raised $139. In 2003, following news that community member Brian Morden's cancer had returned, the community decided to set up a donation fund to support him. Although Brian died later that year, the fund became the Brian Morden Memorial Fund.
Fansite
A fansite, fan site, or fanpage is a website created and maintained by a fan or devotee interested in a celebrity, thing, or a particular cultural phenomenon...
created in 1999 by Claude Errera (known online by the pseudonym "Louis Wu
Ringworld
Ringworld is a Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning 1970 science fiction novel by Larry Niven, set in his Known Space universe and considered a classic of science fiction literature. It is followed by three sequels, and preceded by four prequels, and ties into numerous other books set in Known Space...
") and two associates as a news site for the Bungie
Bungie
Bungie, Inc is an American video game developer currently located in Bellevue, Washington, USA. The company was established in May 1991 by University of Chicago undergraduate student Alex Seropian, who later brought in programmer Jason Jones after publishing Jones' game Minotaur: The Labyrinths of...
video game Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo: Combat Evolved, frequently referred to as Halo: CE, or Halo 1, is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The first game of the Halo franchise, it was released on November 15, 2001 as a launch title for the Xbox gaming system, and is...
. The site was started in 1999 as Blam.bungie.org based on the project's development name before it was called Halo. The site now covers all of Bungie's Halo properties and posts game news, rumors, and fan art and videos.
Halo.Bungie.Org grew to become the most widely-read Halo fansite, receiving more than a half-million page views a day in 2007. While his cofounders have ceased involvement in the site, Errera continues to update all sections of the site with the occasional assistance of others. Aside from contests, Halo.Bungie.Org also coordinates charitable endeavors and fundraisers.
History
Claude Errera and several friends first created bungie.org for developer BungieBungie
Bungie, Inc is an American video game developer currently located in Bellevue, Washington, USA. The company was established in May 1991 by University of Chicago undergraduate student Alex Seropian, who later brought in programmer Jason Jones after publishing Jones' game Minotaur: The Labyrinths of...
's other video games, namely Marathon
Marathon Trilogy
The Marathon Trilogy is a science fiction series of first-person shooter computer games from Bungie, originally released for the Macintosh. The name Marathon is derived from the giant interstellar colony ship that provides the setting for the first game; the ship is constructed out of what used to...
, in 1998. Before bungie.org, Errera had been involved in other Bungie-related sites. Halo.bungie.org began as "blam.bungie.org" on May 26, 1999 after information about what was to become Halo was leaked soon after the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 1999.
While Errera had used his real name for previous Bungie sites, his cofounder wanted to remain anonymous. At the time, little was known about the new project other than that it was set on a ringworld—a massive ring-shaped habitat. As such, the site founders took aliases from Larry Niven
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
's novel Ringworld
Ringworld
Ringworld is a Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning 1970 science fiction novel by Larry Niven, set in his Known Space universe and considered a classic of science fiction literature. It is followed by three sequels, and preceded by four prequels, and ties into numerous other books set in Known Space...
; Errera assumed the name "Louis Wu", after the novel's protagonist. Though the universe's Halo megastructures
Halo (megastructure)
Halos are fictional megastructures and superweapons in the Halo video game series. They are referred to as "Installations" by their AI monitors, and are collectively referred to as "the Array" by the installations' creators, the Forerunners...
turned out to have more in common with Ian Banks
Iain Banks
Iain Banks is a Scottish writer. He writes mainstream fiction under the name Iain Banks, and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, including the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies...
' Orbitals, the aliases stuck and it was too late to change them. The first Halo trailer was unveiled in July 1999, and the site was renamed. Errera and the other founders searched the web for information and provided a place on Halo.bungie.org for fans to discuss and contribute.
Over time one member of staff dropped out followed by another shortly after Bungie's acquisition by Microsoft, leaving Errera the sole webmaster and the main force on the site. Errera says that the only reason he has become known as the "Godfather" of Halo is due his long-term presence in the community. Halo.Bungie.Org is unusual among large non-commercial sites in having no paid advertisements of any kind on any portion of the pages.
Overview
Halo.Bungie.Org is the most widely-read Halo fansite. In 2007, it received 600,000 page views a day. The site covers game news and rumors, strategy, fan-made machinima, stories and art, contests and forums. In the site's early years, it received only a small amount of fan-submitted material, which has ballooned since and made constant site maintenance a challenge. Errera attributes the site's longevity to the fact that it provided fans with not just Halo news but a place to share their love of the franchise. At a time when there was no easy video sharing via YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, Halo.bungie.org posted and categorized Halo films that fans submitted.
Each day, Errera reads through the Halo.Bungie.Org forums, looking for interesting items to put on the news page and monitoring comments. He then checks other Halo and gaming-related sites for more news. He also approves fan movies or artwork and updates batches of new submitted content. Errera credits the site's success to its longevity; "When you’re there from the beginning, and you add new content every day, folks tend to come back," he said.
Recognition and charity
BungieBungie
Bungie, Inc is an American video game developer currently located in Bellevue, Washington, USA. The company was established in May 1991 by University of Chicago undergraduate student Alex Seropian, who later brought in programmer Jason Jones after publishing Jones' game Minotaur: The Labyrinths of...
has a strong relationship with Halo.bungie.org and has called the page the ultimate Halo fansite. Halo.bungie.org is listed as a source on Bungie's project pages; Bungie employees frequent the Halo.bungie.org forums, often to point out a new Bungie.net update or answer questions from fans. Halo.bungie.org often receives promotional items from Bungie to give away in various contests. Its administrators and members have been repeatedly quoted in mainstream publications.
Errera has been interviewed numerous times by gaming sites such as Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Xbox.com and mainstream media organizations such as CBS and the BBC. The site was nominated for IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's "best fansite" award in 2005.
Halo.bungie.org has used its notability to conduct several fundraiser
Fundraiser
A fundraiser is an event or campaign whose primary purpose is to raise money for a cause. See also: fundraising. A fundraiser can also be an individual or company whose primary job is to raise money for a specific charity or non-profit organization...
s for various causes, including raising money for Hurricane Katrina disaster relief
Hurricane Katrina disaster relief
The disaster recovery response to Hurricane Katrina included federal government agencies suchas the Federal Emergency Management Agency , state and local-level agencies, federal and National Guard soldiers, non-governmental organizations, charities, and private individuals...
. The site's members took part in a massive effort by the Halo community to raise money, primarily through selling collectible items through eBay auctions. These auctions raised just under $11,000 for the relief effort. Members of the community also chipped in through personal means; one member held a charity Xbox live night and raised $139. In 2003, following news that community member Brian Morden's cancer had returned, the community decided to set up a donation fund to support him. Although Brian died later that year, the fund became the Brian Morden Memorial Fund.