I buy a game, play it and if I get frustrated I look at a walkthrough. I don't use it all the way through the game.

I come from the other side of the fence; being a guide author and owner of a site that offers guides on some of the more popular games, I think I can add a different perspective on this subject. Like yourself I have been a gamer going back to the old pen & paper D&D days, I have played in UO, Everquest, WOW and even now I am delving into Vanguard. You make some valid points about the fun factor and in truth I believe that the fun factor is being killed more by in-game economy sales (gold, platinum, powerleveling, etc) than from guides. It's true that this new emerging market is rife with hacks, cheats, exploits and content designed specifically for power gamers, but not all guide sites and authors are created equal. All of our authors are gamers as well, they are each driven by what they like the most in each of these games, however virtual guides offer some things you cannot or will not find in an over the counter strategy guide.. Updated content. For every guide you mention that is not updated I can show you a guide that is updated regularly, and contains information beyond a basic farming frenzy. Class guides, trade skill or profession guides, if created properly do not spoil the game, do not contain repetitive tasks with the single goal of making in-game currency. What some guides (when done professionally) can do is give the reader some better information about how to play the game. Arm them with information that has been tested and filtered by actual players and in some cases even enhances the game. The problem with over the counter guides is that the content in online games changes so rapidly that once a guide hits the retail market it is pretty much outdated and the costs to update those guides is huge.

I guess the main question here is “Should Guides have any reason to exist in the gaming arena”? I would argue that Guides when professionally created and managed can actually extend the life of an online world, give it more depth and arm its players with information they might not have found on their own. I agree that it should not become an endless drone of farming and some responsibility should be shown by those who produce guides, The reasons sites like mine exist can vary, but they all share one theme. Market! There is a market for it. Where you find it crazy that a people buy guides I find it crazy that a player pays $1000.00 real dollars to buy an in-game castle.

That being said I love discussions on this subject. It helps me create a better product.



Brian Fisher

Marketing & Media Director

www.GuideBazaar.com