An extremely popular website for video game
FAQs, cheats, game saves, and etc. While mostly a hang-out for gamers, it is also frequently visited by lovers of anime, wrestling, and etc.
Main Interest:
The best part of
GameFAQs (not to mention its
namesake and what makes it popular) is the video game FAQs. Containing thousands of guides on various aspects for various games, GameFAQs is basically a heaven for almost anything related to video games.
However, while the FAQs is considered to be the heart and soul of GameFAQs, what truly makes it an exciting place are the message boards. Like all message boards, it has its share of fools, but
truth is that a great deal of the board consist of intelligent posters too. Hanging around the message boards of GameFAQs is a virtually guarantee that you'll learn everything you need to know about video games.
The Ugly:
While GameFAQs is truly a wonderful place for gamers, it also has its share of negative aspects, which can be summarized into two words:
Moderators and
CNET.
CNET - In May, 2003, GameFAQs was
bought out by CNET. Users of the website were promised by CNET themselves that GameFAQs would not be changed in any way, shape, or form. However, over the following months, many changes occurred but the vast majority were very small.
One year after the purchase, however, GameFAQs underwent a major change. Aside from receiving a new, more flashy interface, it was also merged with
GameSpot's forums (which many original GameFAQs users claimed was the cause of the increase in ignorance among
the boards). Regardless, things remained as such until 2006, in which GameFAQs underwent another visual change.
Moderators - To make a long story short, a
good deal of GameFAQs hate the
moderators, which would explained why (to a new user) so many users doesn't bother to mod topics which violates the
ToS of GameFAQs.
Some users feel that the moderators are "blind" (i.e. they believe this is the reason why the vast majority of extremely
obvious troll topics are never
moderated) while other users become angry with the moderators for what they feel is an unjust mod of their topic or post.
Additionally, some users feel that
the contest system on GameFAQs (provided so that users can contest a moderation) is
skewed against them. This may or may not be true, but it is true that the contest system outright claims that it is extremely unlikely a contest will be accepted. Though it is not necessarily an indication that the system is skewed against users, users nonetheless received the impression from the message (and often, from the moderators' response to their contest) that the system is, indeed, skewed against them.
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Overall, GameFAQs is still a wonderful place to talk about video games or to look up help. There are some jerks, fanboys, and trolls on the boards, but truth is that the same goes for any other website. Additionally, the number of these people are very small. The majority of GameFAQs consist of fun-loving users who love their games and is more than willing to help their fellow gamers (or those who simply has a question or two).
Simply put, don't let
CNET's love for advertisement and the moderators' rather, er,
zealous attitude
bring down your enjoyment of GameFAQs and you'll have a good time there.
A: To me, the
FAQs is the heart of
GameFAQs but the users are the soul. If either one is missing, GameFAQs would lose a big part of itself.
B: A glass of wine, my friends, to the hope that
CNET does not add anymore advertisements to GameFAQs nor any other major overhauls.
C: When posting on GameFAQs, it is better to not respond to any moderators you see. This goes for whether they're modding you or whether you just see them posting in a topic. Trust me, this will save you more than a little bit of trouble.
