Will Wikis Kill off the FAQ?

Editor's note: I used the Fallout 3 wiki extensively during my time with the game. After that, I've hated dealing with FAQs. Do collaborative gaming wikis spell doom for the traditional FAQ? -Brett

FAQs are so Web 1.0. In a traditional FAQ, the writer is the sole custodian of knowledge and his word is the definitive voice. The way forward is the democratic, collaborative wiki. Wikis allow all of us to contribute, whether we know everything about a game or just a more efficient way to complete a single side-quest.

For a 100-hour game like Persona 4, a walkthrough would be a huge undertaking. Even with help, one person would have to edit and write up the community's contributions. A wiki, on the other hand, splits the job between all of us, with no one person shouldering the burden of responsibility or standing on a pedestal above the rest.

The best wikis even compile histories, dossiers, and information irrelevant to completing a game but interesting to browse. For instance, The Vault, by far the best wiki for the Fallout series, has a timeline of events that spans centuries, and entire pages on factions that don't even appear in any Fallout game, like the European Commonwealth.

Almost every game and series gets its own wiki. Most of those are hosted by Wikia, the company started by Wikipedia Cofounder Jimmy Wales and Board of Trustees member Angela Beesley. Wikia works similarly to Wikipedia but allows gamers (or gardeners, Harry Potter fans, parodists, etc.) to read, edit, and create articles far more specific than anything Wikipedia will allow.

This specificity means it's far easier to find relevant information in a wiki than a FAQ -- just put what you want in the search box. This is especially useful if you want a particular item or are wondering about a particular party member's strengths and weaknesses. Hitting CTRL+F may eventually get you somewhere in a walkthrough, but you'll have to work to find what you're looking for. And manually searching through a book? That's for losers.

Borderlands

The Borderlands wiki can help you find all the ultra-rare pearlescent weapons.

While printed-and-bound strategy guides, written and laid out by professionals with help from a game's developers, have the edge over the Internet presentation-wise, they can't incorporate video -- the easiest way to show anyone how to earn an achievement or find an Easter Egg. For that reason alone, printed strategy guides must be on their way out. Frankly, I'm surprised they've lasted this long, with free information available to everyone on the Web.

As for those old .txt FAQs -- the only thing I'll miss is the ASCII titles.

.  ###        ###
  #####      #####    ___.   .__  __                ___.  
  #####      #####    \_ |__ |__|/  |_  _____   ____\_ |__
  #####      #####     | __ \|  \   __\/     \ /  _ \| __ \
   ###        ###      | \_\ \  ||  | |  Y Y  (  <_> ) \_\ \
 #######    #######    |___  /__||__| |__|_|  /\____/|___  /
#########  #########       \/               \/           \/
#########  #########                                   .com
#########  #########
#########  #########
# ##### #  # ##### #
  ## ##      ## ##  
  ## ##      ## ##  
  ## ##      ## ##  
  ## ##      ## ##

Tags: fallout, Borderlands, Persona 4

Problem? Report this post

David McThistlepants

May 19, 2010

Pokémon's proclivity recently for splitting the guide into two books and charging full price for each doesn't help either. I'd like a written out pokédex, but for $40 of my time I can just go to serebii.net.

I'll have to look into game wiki's. I've found Gamefaq's wall of text file limiting.

Report | Reply

Rob Savillo

I agree -- game wikis are the future. The Demon's Souls and Monster Hunter Tri wikis were much more valuable to me than anything on GameFAQs.

Brenden Kurima

Same as above, I use serebii.net for Pokedex and move info and The Monster Hunter wiki for item combos and armor part requirements. Having color and a easy to use format is worlds apart from switching between black and white faqs and using the search function.

Rakim Reid

Game wikis will own the future. Strategy guides are so 1997. I also used The Vault to complete Fallout 3. It was a far better experience than heading to GameFaqs or another faq site for help. Besides you can see the entire history of the game's universe--and potentially, far, far more. This information is valuable and makes the game more likeable. You care about it more, that is if you like the title in the first place.

Brian Shirey

The only reason why I bought the pokedex thing for the new ones, is because I'll often play the game over at family's in which I don't have access to the internet. I often then write in them little notes and such for the added information that they never put in those dang things. The last 2 pokedex's I didn't even bother purchasing the first one.. since they never have the "complete" information.. withholding stuff for the filler in-depth of the later guide. If you need the help from the "first" guide, you are in trouble.

Alex Martin

May 20, 2010

I wish I had a netbook or a slate PC so I could check wikis while I'm playing, instead of switching the HDMI cable to my PC.

37893_1338936035999_1309080061_30825631_6290042_n

Chase Koeneke

All these commenters speak the truth. Wikis put the information into easily searchable categories, making it much easier to find exactly what you're looking for.

When I consult an FAQ/Walkthrough, I feel like I'm playing someone else's game. But when I use a Wiki, I'm only slightly enhancing my own experience.

I used the Borderlands Wiki a ton. Not to cheat, but to assist me in collecting all the orange and pearlescent weapons: something I wish would've been in the game.

Chris "Cosmo" Ross

"In a traditional FAQ, the writer is the sole custodian of knowledge..."

This always bothered when I went to a FAQ for help. I would check one person's FAQ against another, to make sure I was doing what I needed, and quickly found out that there was more than one way to complete whatever it was I was doing.

I've never used a wiki, but now that I know of them, I won't be going back to FAQ's. Thanks, Alex!

Brandon Guerrie

For better or worse, you're exactly right. It's more organized, planned out faster due to time restrictions, etc. When I write FAQs, I always add a section where reader's put their tips, thoughts, and tactics that they used in the game. I guess that once part section has turned into a wiki-type-guide. It's always cool to get everyone's strategy form on how to beat the game; especially in side quests and items. I miss the days of getting Nintendo Power's Official Player's Guide and Expert Gamer for blown-out maps and all, but times have changed. If it's free, easier, and quicker, people are going to be all over it.