Videogame guide

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Description

Sites like GameFAQs and IGN FAQs feature online strategy guides and FAQs, albeit most of this material is user-generated and not published by the firm. Other websites offer strategy guides and tutorials for a variety of specialty games, such as role playing games and first-person shooters. These sites may appeal to a smaller audience, but they can provide more in-depth material. Video walkthroughs employing applications like Fraps have become popular on video-sharing sites like YouTube, allowing gamers to more readily mimic the methods being discussed. These movies have been re-posted on a variety of websites like Noobs Guides or elite guides.

Wikis for video games are used for both strategy and documentation. Users are the sole creators and editors of content. If a developer releases a new patch for the game, wikis allow for information to be updated. Unofficial video game wikis may be found on wiki farms like Fandom and Gamepedia, while wikis like IGN Wikis can be integrated within the main site. Although most wikis are unauthorized and not sponsored by the creator, certain developers may opt to do so for a variety of reasons.

Unofficial wikis may be used for a variety of reasons, including resolving copyright concerns and real-world commerce. ArenaNet, for example, maintains an official wiki for Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2, claiming that "it's frequently more thorough and informative than ArenaNet's internal documentation." The wiki's content is incorporated within the game, allowing players to access it from within the game. Despite the fact that ArenaNet hosts the wiki, it is administered and regulated by the community, and contributions are distributed under the GNU Free Document License (GDFL), much like Wikipedia.

Although there is still a considerable market for commercial strategy manuals, the increased availability of free internet FAQs and walkthroughs has reduced demand for them. Print instructions sometimes include thorough picture-by-picture walkthroughs, maps, and game graphics, which are not practical to provide in plain-text publications like GameFAQs. Some modern sites allow strategy guides to be uploaded in forms that allow for visuals and videos, thus diminishing the benefits of print strategy guides.