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What motivates the authors of video game walkthroughs and FAQs?

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Re: What motivates the authors of video game walkthroughs and FAQs?

#21

Post by james-skemp »

BookPage wrote: post #3

I used to LOVE reading GameFAQs walkthroughs for RPGs as a kid. The fact it was just a big text document made it super easy to hide in my "computer typing" classes too. I'm kind of sad that the whole scene has largely slowed down, at least for modern games... Now you can just find video guides on any subsection of a game you're playing; or follow an IGN guide. I have huge respect for authors of the oldschool guides t…

It's slowed down, definitely, but if you tweak what you're looking for you'll still find it, just spread out more.

Being older, I don't have as much time as I used to to play games, so I'll generally look at the various trophy guides for how to go through games that I'll likely only be able to play through once, and get the most out of them.

It reminds me a lot of what I used to see on GameFAQs back in the 90s/00s.

Re: What motivates the authors of video game walkthroughs and FAQs?

#22

Post by james-skemp »

umvi wrote: post #5

Nothing beats a high quality FAQ with ctrl+f searching shortcuts. Loads instantly, can be downloaded offline, etc. Now every game has its own wikia instead and you have to wade through garbage to find the info you are looking for.

Additional benefit: could be printed.

In high school I had to print off pages because we could only use the Internet late at night (dial-up), and definitely couldn't have the computer up and running while we were also playing a game. Pick one.

In college my Freshman computer was extremely under-powered, so it was often easier to print off a few pages of what I needed at the computer lab, and then bring them back to my dorm.

I think I still have FF7 materia print-offs in a box somewhere. :)

Re: What motivates the authors of video game walkthroughs and FAQs?

#23

Post by UI_at_80x24 »

How is this any different then old-school CRPG's and needing to make your own map using graph paper of dungeons?

I remember NEEDING to do this in Pools of Radiance (IIRC), just to get around the dungeon, and make sure I found everything on the level. For those that don't remember the game, you moved one square at a time in a N,E,S,W direction. one move = one square on the graph paper.

No helpful pointer arrows like on Skyrim. You had to take notes, and map out the levels. It was far too easy to spend hours in a dungeon never finding the the door to get to the treasure/clue/quest item.

So some of these guides would be no different then sharing those maps with friends. Of course I had no friends at the time. ;-)

Re: What motivates the authors of video game walkthroughs and FAQs?

#24

Post by dylan604 »

FractalParadigm wrote: post #15
wlesieutre wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or they enjoy dissecting games as they play through, and the author is over here shouting no, you’re enjoying it wrong!

I would argue this the most likely case - I do similar with movies. It's usually not until the 2nd or even 3rd time through a movie I'll really pay attention and 'understand' the plot, I spend a lot of time focused on the background and technical aspects, trying to pick up on Easter eggs for instance, or marvelling at how well something was shot. You can ask me how I liked the movie, but it's highly unlikely I'll hav…

My jaw hit my lap in the theater when I saw that shot. To this day, the DVD for Contact is my favorite with the amount of BTS included. Actually, it was the first DVD I ever purchased just hoping there would be something interesting.

Re: What motivates the authors of video game walkthroughs and FAQs?

#25

Post by causality0 »

It would be an honor to write a gamefaq. I'm not a creative individual. I'm never going to write a novel or a foundational technical work. If there was a game I knew very well that didn't already have a comprehensive guide, though? I could create something that would be referenced for decades.

Re: What motivates the authors of video game walkthroughs and FAQs?

#26

Post by jonchang »

zoomablemind wrote: post #7

[...guide authors approach games with the mindset of a medical examiner. They do not play games so much as dissect them, which erodes enjoyment of the hobby they like best. Rarely can authors “just enjoy the game;” instead they must “stop every 20 seconds to write something.” ...] Is this really the case? I would rather believe that the writers are gamers too. It's quite common for gamers to play a [fun] game through…

This is literally a quote from one of the participant interviews, so yes, it does seem to be the case.

Re: What motivates the authors of video game walkthroughs and FAQs?

#27

Post by earthboundkid »

We’re told that we need capitalism because people are naturally lazy and won’t work unless compelled. But we see counter-evidence: people want glory (even lame nerd glory, like HN karma or writing a FAQ), and they’ll work for that, not just money.

Re: What motivates the authors of video game walkthroughs and FAQs?

#28

Post by 1123581321 »

UI_at_80x24 wrote: post #23

How is this any different then old-school CRPG's and needing to make your own map using graph paper of dungeons? I remember NEEDING to do this in Pools of Radiance (IIRC), just to get around the dungeon, and make sure I found everything on the level. For those that don't remember the game, you moved one square at a time in a N,E,S,W direction. one move = one square on the graph paper. No helpful pointer arrows like o…

It’s not, and I would say that the aggregation of those text guides happened at a special time because it became so much easier to share game knowledge while the guides themselves retained a DIY paper feel.

Re: What motivates the authors of video game walkthroughs and FAQs?

#29

Post by tasogare »

29athrowaway wrote: post #12

Before online walkthroughs you read official guides from Nintendo Power, or you contacted your local game guru via the guy that knew a guy.

And then you spend 10 hours trying to surf on a truck in the hope of getting that #251.

Re: What motivates the authors of video game walkthroughs and FAQs?

#30

Post by fakedang »

vnxli wrote: post #4

The ASCII art that these folks did to set up their chapter headings was beautiful. I remember seeing them making huge block lettering, scenery, and even characters drawn in ASCII art just to give an intro to like a GameBoy game walkthrough. The love and effort poured into these showed

I thought those were auto-generated somehow. Never suspected that people actually put effort into them!
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