Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2005-07-04/Games on Wikipedia
Squabble over propriety of games on Wikipedia
The proliferation of various games being played on Wikipedia turned the subject from pure fun into a more serious debate last week, as growing uneasiness about game-playing led to calls for them to be removed from the site. Recent attempts to play chess or checkers on Wikipedia have been a particular focus of attention.
Complaints about these practices have come from a number of Wikipedia editors, who have been vocal recently on the wikiEN-l mailing list, citing the principle that Wikipedia exists to create an encyclopedia. Based on this reasoning, they would prefer that games and contests be directed towards writing articles or otherwise improving the content of Wikipedia. Meanwhile, others have defended the games as a lighthearted opportunity for people to interact and foster community spirit.
Most of the games currently listed in the Department of Fun have at least a nominal relationship to Wikipedia as an encyclopedia project. For example, there have been regular trivia contests and scavenger hunts where competitors must track down information in articles as part of the game. However, other games like chess are also included although they have only a tenuous connection to work on Wikipedia.
The chess game has been set up as a subpage in the sandbox, which is designed as a temporary space for people to experiment while learning how to edit Wikipedia. However, a
The creation of a
Besides the question of whether these belong on Wikipedia at all, several other objections were raised. Danny argued that it would distract people from the actual purpose of Wikipedia and potentially "turn it into yet another gaming site." He also pointed out that playing games involving active and rapid edits clutters up the log of recent changes for those patrolling for vandalism.
Ironically,
Various solutions have been proposed.
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