Kotaku 
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Denver, 4:51 PM
Tue Dec 1
65 posts in the last 24 hours
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Brian Crecente
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Deputy Editor:
Stephen Totilo
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Senior Editor:
Michael McWhertor
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Senior Contributing Editor, Japan:
Brian Ashcraft
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Contributing Editor, East Coast:
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Contributing Editor, Oceania:
Luke Plunkett
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Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
11/01/09
10/22/09
I remember Dan Simpson's excellent guides for the Baldur's Gate series, which have prevented me from giving up on so many occasions. They also pointed out thousands of cool side-quests, pretty much doubling the value of the game and helping me become further immersed in the world.
By the time I got to the end of Throne of Bhaal, DSimpson may as well have been another character in my party. #walkthroughs
10/22/09
10/22/09
and now, anyone who frequents those boards knows the types of games I play. #walkthroughs
10/22/09
10/21/09
It's always much appreciated when it's recognized somehow - be it a friendly email or gift card. You also gain somewhat of a rep as a "master" of the game, even if you aren't among the best - I know I've had people assume videos of great runs online were done by me, simply because my name is on the guide. Where it's possible, I try to give technique credit where it's due, that makes sure the gamers who discover something always have a little bit of permanent notariety. #walkthroughs
10/21/09
And if you are reading this Owen, it seems that most of the big name contributors aren't as pleased that they weren't interviewed, but that's a story for another day. Some were surprised that you didn't even attempt to interview them, but again, a story for another day.
This year, I've probably made about $330 in terms of bounties and FAQs of the Month from Gamefaqs.com, but compare that to how much I would have made if I decided to get a job, it isn't a lot in actuality.
Donations are far and few between. Not a lot of people donate, even if you are writing for the best and newest games. At best, you will get a thank you email, but that's about the extent of what you will get. That isn't to say that there are no donations, but quite often, as a writer, you are out of pocket in terms of purchasing the game, and all that time you invested into writing that guide.
Finally, let me reiterate that we don't write for money. Hell, we'd be poor if that happens. We do it mainly because we love gaming and we give back to the community which gave us countless hours, and arguably, a lack of a wonderful social life. #walkthroughs
10/21/09
It does take some work, yeah. Tough to balance sometimes between college and a job, etc. It's not meant to be a paid gig, but it's rewarding at least to know readers appreciate the effort and that here in this article, there is some appreciation going around. The bounties and such are nice occasional rewards as well.
10/21/09
Now, though, the main attraction for me to GameFAQs is either in the few fun message board communities I know of there, or the massive scope to its library of games; a more extensive listing than I've seen just about anywhere else. As for FAQs and guides for recent games, however, I've been finding that the dedicated wikis at Wikia.com are not only just as, if not more, extensive than the FAQs, but are also more easily navigable, more organized, and make use of images and video in addition to just text. The Fallout Wikia site, I think, is a great example of this. Trying to cover that game in a single FAQ would be ridiculous, but with hundreds of people helping out and contributing to the wiki pages with experiences, YouTube videos, and in-game images makes it a breeze to find what info you need and move on.
That said, the personal touch and dedication found in basic text FAQs still make them great sources of info, especially for shorter gaming experiences. #walktroughs
10/21/09
10/21/09
As for the faqs cheating thing, I don't consider it cheating, I'm 26, I have a job and I study, I don't have the time to run around like an idiot till I figure out some obscure clue, the smoother my experience with a game is the happier I am. #walktroughs
10/21/09
MAny of them do it, though, just for the love of getting accurate rosters... because it's part of their love of the sport, to sit and analyze a team, and then accurately re-create them in a videogame. Now, one benefit is that EA usually sends them the game a week or two in advance, for free, which is a kind enough gesture to keep many going.
Kotaku ran an article about roster editors a while back, but unfortunately (or fortunately, maybe) didn't get into the drama surrounding the most successful roster editor. The guy who monetized roster editing, and who has done markedly well in selling rosters, is considered a black mark on the roster making community -- he regularly used to steal the work of others and resell it as his own (like every artist, the roster editor has his certain tags that he inserts... ie, a 3rd string QB on a nobody team is given a slightly different first name, or a capitalized letter where there shouldn't be one). He also visciously went around trying to grab the website names from established roster editors, sometimes paying them for the domains, but more often than not, simply buying very similar domains and google bombing them into obscurity.
Kotaku's article mentioned some of the antipathy, but didn't get into the real meat of the debate. But regardless, the honest roster editor often acts similarly to the FAQ writer. There may be some modest pecuniary compensation along the way, but many of them do it for a simple love of the art of conquering something or completing something. It's peculiar, but a great aid to the videogame community, and I applaud both communities for their efforts. #walktroughs
10/21/09
I write FAQs (under the handle of zukalous, and on my website) too but I try and add more to the content so that even someone who feels guilty looking at the answers can get something out of it.
I am trying to get rid of the "FAQs are cheating" stigma. #walktroughs
10/21/09
There are also times when you really do want to cheat. The reason doesn't matter, people can "cheat" themselves only if they choose to. That's their choice, not the FAQs. #walktroughs
10/21/09
I have most frequently used guides to determine the sequence required for some of the more fiddly game achievements or what have you. A good example is the Asari Ally achievement in Mass Effect. It really isn't worth it for me to do an entire playthrough of the game and not get the achievement because I missed a mission or something. I still played through with the Asari and the guide didn't help me defeat all the enemies and quests, but it did ensure that my effort wasn't wasted.
I don't think that is cheating. I think it is hedging my bets. #walktroughs
10/21/09
10/21/09
On the other hand though, I find that I enjoy games much much more without them.
I used to play Fire Emblem, and use only the characters that I liked the most. I loved the series, playing this way. Then I began to look at character guides, assigning numbers and rankings to characters, and organized teams around this. I found myself looking at the games more as a chore at this point, and it was far less enjoyable.
100% completion is a far less satisfying experience than taking things at one's own pace and only doing what you want to do.
They are games after all, not missions. You can't measure recreation in terms of efficiency. #walktroughs
10/21/09
10/21/09
ITT we post images to show our thanks to the awesome people who write these guides.
I share with you Deadpool doing a shoryuken. How much more awesome can you get?
10/21/09
10/21/09
10/21/09