GameFAQs
Type of site | Gaming |
---|---|
Available in | English |
Owner | Fandom, Inc.[1] |
Created by | Jeff "CJayC" Veasey |
URL | gamefaqs |
Commercial | Yes |
Registration | Optional, but is required for contributing content and posting on the message boards |
Launched | November 5, 1995 | (as Video Game FAQ Archive)
Current status | Active |
Written in | PHP |
GameFAQs is a
The site has a database of video game information,
GameFAQs has been positively reviewed by The Guardian,[4][5][6] The Canadian Press,[7] and Entertainment Weekly.[8] In 2009, GameFAQs.com was one of the 300 highest-trafficked English-language websites according to Alexa.[9]
History
This section needs expansion with: Any activity after 2007, any other info in relevant years prior. You can help by adding to it. (July 2012) |
GameFAQs was started as the Video Game FAQ Archive on November 5, 1995,
During the following months, the site grew in content and in design; two different styles were introduced in early 1997 to accommodate the support of
Two key features of the site—the game search engine and the contributor recognition pages—were planned at this time.On February 6, 2018, the site changed its domain from gamefaqs.com to gamefaqs.gamespot.com,[20] due to CNET (owner of GameSpot) acquiring GameFAQs, and integrating GameFAQs into the GameSpot network. The link gamefaqs.com now redirects to gamefaqs.gamespot.com as a result.
IGN affiliation
In 1997, GameFAQs became an independent affiliate of the Imagine Games Network (IGN), leading to the placement of affiliate links on the home page.[21] User contests were introduced during this period; the first monthly contest, which was held in 1998, received 253 entries.[22] GameFAQs went through several design changes, including a pink color scheme,[21] before arriving at the blue-colored layout that was used until 2004.
In November 1999, several changes occurred in rapid succession.
Post-IGN
On January 9, 2001, GameFAQs ended its association with IGN.
On April 1, 2002, Veasey changed GameFAQs to "GameFAX" as an April Fools' joke.[36] The site's colors were changed to green and black to imitate those of the Xbox, with the intention of making users believe that GameFAQs was now dedicated solely to the Xbox, "the only system that matters." After clicking on any link on the main page, users were directed to the real GameFAQs home page. Nevertheless, Veasey reported receiving hate mail from users.[37]
On March 2, 2002, Veasey participated in a radio interview with WXBH AM-1190 on their program called "The Gaming Files." During this interview, Veasey was drilled with questions from current and former users of GameFAQs; he also discussed his time on GameFAQs and how the site came to be.[38]
CNET acquisition
On May 6, 2003,
From 2004 to 2006, GameFAQs witnessed further changes. On April 28, 2004, GameFAQs implemented a large visual redesign,
Veasey's departure
On July 19, 2007, Veasey announced that he would eventually be leaving the site. According to his announcement, Allen Tyner, who had been employed with the site since 2004, would take over as editor and administrator of GameFAQs.[44][45][46]
Red Ventures acquisition
Fandom acquisition
Fandom acquired various properties, including GameFAQs and GameSpot, from Red Ventures in October 2022.[1]
Content
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
All of the guides and walkthroughs on GameFAQs are contributed by volunteers.
When an author submits something to GameFAQs, it is screened by an administrator before being posted on the site.[60] The author retains the copyright on the submitted material,[61] and their name is added to the site's "Contributor Recognition" section. GameFAQs agrees to host the guide only on their servers but does allow other affiliates to link directly to the guides (including GameSpot, Yahoo! Games, AOL, and GameFly).[60]
GameFAQs features several ongoing contributor contests, including FAQ of the Month, Review of the Month, and numerous "FAQ
In 2004, Future Network USA published two commercial strategy guides with material from GameFAQs: The Ultimate Xbox Strategy Guide and The Ultimate PS2 Strategy Guide.[66][67] These guides were composed of FAQs written by contributors on GameFAQs.
Message boards
Every game listed on GameFAQs has its own message board, where both novice and experienced gamers can discuss game strategies and other game-related topics.
GameFAQs has boards made purely for the purpose of socializing, some that cater to special interests (such as
The custom-made GameFAQs Message Boards coded by Veasey began operation on November 7, 1999.[71] Although the original purpose of the board system was to facilitate game discussion, other board categories have been added since the boards opened. Every day, approximately 20,000 topics and 200,000 messages are posted on GameFAQs' 60,000+ individual boards,[72] and on November 7, 2006, there were more than 100,000 accounts actively in use.[73] During October 2009, there was an average of 84,853 unique logins a day.[74]
On March 23, 2012, it was announced the GameFAQs and GameSpot will once again start to separate content. On May 7, 2012, the shared GameFAQs-run message boards went read-only on GameSpot.[75]
Features
Posts made on the message boards are mostly plain text. Some HTML mark-up is used on the boards, including bold and italics tags.[76] The forums use a wordfilter to prevent the use of certain vulgar words, which is intended to keep the forum safe for all readers.[77] On some boards, topics that have no new posts for a period of time are removed permanently or are locked and archived.[78][79]
GameFAQs users gain one "karma" for every day they visit the boards while logged in. As karma increases, new features become available, such as the ability to post more messages per day, edit posts, and send private messages.[76] Users can add favorite boards to a personalized list on the main boards page and can track specific topics (a feature added in 2006).[80][81]
Moderators
The message boards are managed by the site's administrators and
GameFAQs' moderators are volunteer users selected by the administrator and are responsible for keeping order within the message board community. Because of the size of the boards, the moderators do not patrol every board and topic. Instead, messages that break the site's
References
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SPOnG, the Super Players Online Gamesbase, would like to become to games what the Internet Movie Database is to films. Since the IMDb is one of the world's best websites, that would be useful, though GameFAQs might be a better place to start.
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GameFAQs lists game player-created walkthroughs, plus links to cheats, reviews and previews
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{{cite web}}
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