Why the Fandom is just as Important as the Canon

On Teen Literature and Fan Fiction

I think I've already stated that I consider myself a well rounded geek. I like to play video games, read comic books, watch a variety of animated television, attend conventions, and so forth.
From the perspective of someone like me, the "canon", or rather what is official in some title of film/game, is very cut and dry. For example,  there is a Batman with defined character qualities who has adventures in ways written out by the creators; that series is the Batman canon. The fan works, however, add a bit more flavor. Because fan fiction enables enthusiasts to essentially create their own world out of premade elements, it breathes life into the title. What if Batman's parents never died? What if Joker was the Batman? How about entirely new villains? The fandom relieves that "what if" itch.
The best examples I can think of about the contributions of the fandom to a title are the Japanese games "Touhou" and "Kantai Collection". Standalone, they are nothing but a "Space Invaders" game on steroids and a pokemon game with battleships personified as cute anime girls respectively. However, the massive following of  those two games have spawned productions of arguably the highest quality; I must restate the fact that Touhou and Kantai Collection are just mere games. What is being sold in conventions, what is being animated- All of these creations were done by the fans.

[The above is an example of a Touhou Fandom Work]

As shown above, the production quality of this video rivals that of some official anime, aesthetically speaking. The voice acting, the animation, the music- Nothing of the sort was funded by the official creator of Touhou. 

[The above is an example of the Kantai Collection Fandom] 

Fans take their work seriously. In the Kantai Collection video shown, the historical context of the game is considered and expressed as tragic story by one of the fans. The attention to the dates and events shows that the fandom takes pride in their work. 

Personally, I too support this fandom movement. Fanfiction is actually my hobby, since I like to write up stories and draw characters in my free time. 

And well, fanfiction helps inspire the creation of original works too. Most famous manga artists in Japan start about by writing fanfiction to build up the confidence and skills needed to start their own independent works.