Computer Game Guides

Computer game guides have been an integral part of gaming culture for decades, helping players get the most out of their games. This essay will provide a comprehensive overview of game guides – their history and evolution, different types and formats, notable guide creators, ethical considerations around their use, and their continued role in the internet age. Whether preparing for complex RPG adventures, deciphering cryptic puzzles games, seeking competitive advantages in esports titles, or simply reliving nostalgic retro titles, game guides remain a valuable resource for many players.

A Brief History of Game Guides

The earliest video game guides emerged during the golden age of arcade games in the 1980s. With arcades charging per play and home consoles still primitive, printed guide sheets helped players maximize each turn. The spread of Nintendo Entertainment System consoles accelerated guide popularity – monthly magazines like Nintendo Power and GamePro offered tips and maps to conquer increasingly big titles like The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy.

By the 1990s, comprehensive print guides from Prima, BradyGames, and others were standard for every major release. These books provided detailed walkthroughs, maps, character builds, collectible locations, and more. Players turned to thick tombs like the Official Mortal Kombat 3 Fighters Kompanion to master fighting moves frame-by-frame. Even simple platformers like Super Mario World got complete guides.

Guide quality and depth grew exponentially as games got bigger and more complex in the 2000s and 2010s. Publishers now release 300+ page books for each major RPG release, sometimes split into multiple volumes. The internet provides digital versions too. Dedicated Wikis like Wowpedia have millions of words detailing quests, skills, and lore. Gamefaqs hosts thousands of FAQs written by fans themselves. YouTube and Twitch streamers show gameplay in action.

While some old-school players still cherish printed tomes, game guides in the digital era provide an incredible wealth of digital resources.

Different Game Guide Types and Formats

Game guides come in many shapes and sizes depending on the genre and scope:

Walkthroughs – Step-by-step instructions to complete levels, missions or progress through stories from start to finish. Common in adventure and RPG genres.

Strategy Guides – Advanced tips and explanatory guides to multiplayer mechanics, character builds, competitive play and meta game systems. Especially key for online titles.

Collectible Guides – Checklists and locations for hidden collectibles like Mario’s power stars or GTA’s secret packages. Help completionist players.

Brady/Prima Hardcover Books – Professionally edited and published for major titles. Hundreds of pages with extensive details, high production values and photos.

GameFAQs – User submitted plain text FAQs covering anything players want help with. Direct from other gamers.

Wikis – Large informational databases about game mechanics, characters, strategies and more maintained by collaborative communities.

YouTube/Twitch Videos – Streaming visual guides great for seeing techniques in action first-hand. Can range from formal to informal productions.

Each format has pros and cons. Self-published online guides have tons of info but vary in quality. Hardcovers are meticulously edited but can be expensive and not updated. Videos demonstrate visually but lack organization. Using multiple guide types together gives players full coverage.

Notable Guide Creators

Certain individual guide creators and brands have stood out over the years:

• Nintendo Power – Beloved magazine published by Nintendo themselves for over 20 years. Filled with illustrated maps, tips, and comics that set the gold standard.
• GameFaqs – Website with endless user created guides. A resource for all retro and current titles with deep archives.
• Prima Games – Prolific publisher of high quality hardcover guides since the 1990s under various imprints like Versus Books and BradyGames. Known for detailed maps.
• Piggyback – Publisher popular in Europe for their Interative Maps and detailed guides for expansive RPGs.
• Gamepressure.com: Extensive online guide site with professional illustrated content. Great resource for newer AAA games.
• PowerPyx – Prolific YouTuber renowned for “Roadmaps” showing players how to earn every trophy/achievement in a game step-by-step.
• Gamer Guides – YouTube channel by journalist Chris Tapsell offering relaxed, humorous approach to guides and game critiques.
• Fighting Game Primers – Popular streamers like WoolieVersus create tutorial videos teaching fighting game basics for beginners.
These are just a sample of the many talented gamers over the years who have created guides out of passion and filled the internet with quality resources.

The Ethics of Using Game Guides

For some purists, relying on guides too heavily can detract from a game’s intended challenge, undermine rewards of overcoming obstacles, and reduce spontaneity – essentially “cheating.” This raises some ethical questions around their use:

• Should players consult guides as a last resort rather than immediately when stuck? Does heavy reliance on guides remove the satisfaction of figuring things out yourself through trial and error?
• Do certain games intentionally obfuscate mechanics or hide collectibles to extend playtime, making guides necessary rather than optional?
• Can overpowered character builds, optimal strategies and exploits shared in guides remove intended difficulty, reducing games to following “paint by numbers” steps rather than skill?
• Do some intentionally cryptic retro games like old Zelda titles expect players to collaborate and share information in a proto-guide ecosystem?
• Should competitive multiplayer titles get guides showing optimal play, or will this create a barrier where players must study “training bibles” to compete online?
• Could official guides by publishers intentionally omit secrets to encourage community collaboration and further engagement?
Ultimately, most see guides as perfectly legitimate tools to engage with single player games in the ways players want. However, certain genres and scenarios may merit discretion in consulting guides to avoid undermining the intended experience. Moderation may be key.

The Continued Relevance of Game Guides

Even in the age of limitless Youtube tutorials and Wikis, many players maintain game guides fill an important niche:

• Well edited guidebooks provide focused, organized information vetted for quality lacking in crowdsourced wikis.
• Illustrated maps provide better spatial context compared to walls of text for visual learners.
• Guides help document gaming history and experiences with beloved titles that hold nostalgic value.
• Finding hidden collectibles like Mario stars stumps even seasoned players – guides spare endless blind searching.
• Some notoriously difficult retro games are nearly impossible to finish without guides even for veteran gamers.
• Maximizing achievements/trophies often requires combing through every detail – guides make this feasible.
• For competitive multiplayer titles, studying high level strategy gives players an edge.
Far from obsolete, guides remain sought after by many gamers and seem likely to keep this niche role even as artificial intelligence and in-game hint systems improve.

Game guides have evolved from primitive 80s arcade sheets to massive online resources, but they continue empowering all players to engage with games on their own terms. While guide over-reliance can detract from certain experiences, moderation allows players of all skill levels to progress through challenges and unlock games’ secrets. Quality guides distill knowledge so players spend less time stuck, and more time immersed in the adventures. Gaming will keep innovating, but its complex worlds will likely always benefit from maps created by devoted players happy to guide the way. These efforts allow more people to experience titles that could otherwise prove inaccessible without help. For many, consulting a game guide is simply part of the journey.