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{{short description|Video game website}}
], ]]]
{{Infobox website
'''GameFAQs''' is a popular ] about ]s that has helped gamers through "]s" and "]s" for games since ] ]. It was started and is maintained by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey. It has the second largest database of video games on the Internet, behind ] (). The systems and games range from the 8-bit ] days to the Next-Gen consoles of today. The site supplies FAQs, guides, images, codes, game saves, reviews, and game data free of charge to anyone who visits the site. Registration allows access to the extremely active ] community (which has posted over 180 million messages in over 17 million topics by over 2 million users) and the ability to contribute.
| name = GameFAQs
| logo = ]
| logocaption =
| screenshot = ]
| collapsible = yes
| caption = Screenshot of the GameFAQs home page, as it appeared on May 20, 2023
| url = {{URL|https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com}}
| commercial = Yes
| type = ]
| registration = Optional, but is required for contributing content and posting on the message boards
| language = English
| num_users = <!-- The number of registered users the website has. -->
| content_license = <!-- The license of the content of the site. Works same as content_licence. -->
| programming_language = ] <!-- Needs a ref -->
| owner = ]<ref name="fandom">{{Cite web |last=Weprin |first=Alex |date=October 3, 2022 |title=TV Guide, Metacritic, GameSpot Acquired by Fandom in $55M Deal with Red Ventures |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/tv-guide-metacritic-gamespot-acquisition-fandom-1235231819/ |access-date=October 3, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-date=December 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207000619/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/tv-guide-metacritic-gamespot-acquisition-fandom-1235231819/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| author = Jeff "CJayC" Veasey
| editor = <!-- The person or entity that edits the website. -->
| launch_date = {{start date and age|1995|11|5}} (as Video Game FAQ Archive)
| revenue = <!-- The approximate revenue of the site. -->
| ip = <!-- ? -->
| current_status = Active
| footnotes = <!-- ? -->
}}


'''GameFAQs''' is a ] ] that hosts guides and other resources, as well as an active ]. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and has been owned by ] since October 2022. Allen "SBAllen" Tyner was lead Admin for twenty years until stepping down on October 18, 2023.<ref name="Stepping down as admin">{{cite web |last1=SBAllen |title=Stepping down as admin |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/80595955 |website=GameFAQS |access-date=8 November 2023}}</ref> The site is currently run by Community Manager "DToast" and Contributor Lead "ZoopSoul".<ref name="gamefaqs.gamespot.com">{{cite web |last1=SBAllen |title=Announcing New Community / Contributor Leads |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/80356040 |website=GameFAQS |access-date=8 November 2023}}</ref>
==GameFAQs history==
<!-- Note: This is NOT a section for history of the boards themselves. This is for an official site history. All others should be linked to below. -->
GameFAQs was started on 5 November ] by Jeff Veasey. At that time it was called the "Video Game FAQs Archive", and was hosted on AOL. It originally served as a clone/spin-off of a popular FTP FAQ Archive.


The site has a database of video game information, ], ], ]s, ]s, ], ], and ]s, almost all of which are submitted by volunteer contributors. It covers game systems made as far back as the 1980s to current day modern ] as well as ] and ]. GameFAQs also hosts an active ] community, which has a separate discussion board for each game in the site's database, along with a variety of other boards. GameFAQs has run daily ] and tournament contests, as well as annual Character Battles, since November 30, 1999.
By December ], the site was still young, which both the appearance and lack of content demonstrated. The site contained less than 1000 FAQs and guides, combined over all systems. The site focused primarily on the 7 popular systems of the time - arcade games, the ], the ], the ], the ], the ], and the ] - although other systems were also listed. The site was very basic to every degree of the word, and was not updated on a regular basis.


GameFAQs has been positively reviewed by '']'',<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schofield |first=Jack |date=2000-05-11 |title=Games Watch |page=11 |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2000/may/11/onlinesupplement11 |access-date=2007-08-06 |issn=0261-3077 |quote=SPOnG, the Super Players Online Gamesbase, would like to become to games what the Internet Movie Database is to films. Since the IMDb is one of the world's best websites, that would be useful, though GameFAQs might be a better place to start. |archive-date=2014-05-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140509075746/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2000/may/11/onlinesupplement11 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Pratchett |first=Rhianna |date=2003-02-06 |title=Web Watch |page=8 |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2003/feb/06/internet.onlinesupplement1 |access-date=2007-08-06 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=2014-09-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910181055/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2003/feb/06/internet.onlinesupplement1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Boseley |first1=Sarah |last2=Michael Cross |last3=Tom Happold |display-authors=etal |date=2004-12-16 |title=Cream of the Crop: 100 Most Useful Websites |page=22 |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2004/dec/16/onlinesupplement.shopping |access-date=2007-08-06 |issn=0261-3077 |quote=GameFAQs lists game player-created walkthroughs, plus links to cheats, reviews and previews |archive-date=2013-06-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630024237/http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2004/dec/16/onlinesupplement.shopping |url-status=live }}</ref> '']'',<ref>{{Cite news |last=Davidson |first=Neil |date=2003-03-11 |title=Online Site Fort Knox of Video-Game Hints |pages=15 |work=] |agency=] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81136152/online-site-fort-knox-of-video-game/ |access-date=2021-07-10 |archive-date=2021-07-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710003557/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81136152/online-site-fort-knox-of-video-game/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and '']''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2000-02-04 |title=Internet Capsule Review |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,275310,00.html |url-status=dead |magazine=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315191740/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,275310,00.html |archive-date=2012-03-15 |access-date=2007-01-24}}</ref> In 2009, GameFAQs.com was one of the 300 highest-] English-language websites according to ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs.com |url=http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/gamefaqs.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529164209/http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/gamefaqs.com |archive-date=2014-05-29 |access-date=2009-10-13 |website=Traffic Details from Alexa |publisher=]}}</ref>
By early ], GameFAQs had a new design. In fact, it had two different designs. One was customized for ]s that supported ], and the other was made specifically for browsers with no support of frames. Despite these changes, the color scheme consisted of only white, black and blue, and looked somewhat amateurish. The content, however, was beginning to grow. By April, the site had 1301 files and codes for over 800 games. New features were introduced by Veasey that would shape GameFAQs' future - such as user requests for information; a search engine; recognition for contributors; and more.


== History ==
By late ], GameFAQs had moved off of the ] servers and was partnered with Imagine Games Network (IGN). During this period of time, Jeff Veasey was working on GameFAQs more than ever before. It is assumed that this is when GameFAQs became his full-time job. Until this time, he had been working in either the radio field (unconfirmed report) or with computer/web programming (evidence taken from a later radio interview). GameFAQs had made it through two years and a new aspect of the site began; user contests. There were only two winners of the GameFAQs Second Birthday Contest out of 1000 entries, but it was a start.
{{expand section|Any activity after 2007, any other info in relevant years prior|date=July 2012}}


GameFAQs was started as the '''Video Game FAQ Archive''' on November 5, 1995,<ref name="about">{{Cite web |title=What Is GameFAQs? |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help/41-what-is-gamefaqs |access-date=2014-05-26 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2022-11-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125044917/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help/41-what-is-gamefaqs |url-status=live }}</ref> by gamer and programmer Jeff Veasey. The site was created to bring numerous online guides and FAQs from across the internet into one centralized location.<ref name="faqwriters">{{Cite web |last=Totilo |first=Stephen |date=2006-01-24 |title=Meet the Man Who'll Make You a Smooth Criminal in San Andreas |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1521550/meet-the-man-wholl-make-you-a-smooth-criminal-in-san-andreas/ |access-date=2014-05-26 |publisher=] |archive-date=2016-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410075553/http://www.mtv.com/news/1521550/meet-the-man-wholl-make-you-a-smooth-criminal-in-san-andreas/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Hosted on ], it originally served as a ] of ]'s ] FAQ archive.<ref>Andy Eddy's archive was formerly located at ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/vi/vidgames/faqs{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref name="qa">{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2005-04-29 |title=The Great GameFAQs Q&A |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/20696917 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210120943/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/20696917 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2005-11-05 |title=10 Years. Wow. |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/24408683 |access-date=2009-12-20 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210120931/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/24408683 |url-status=live }}</ref> The initial version of the site had approximately 10 pages and 100 FAQs.<ref name="radio">{{Cite AV media |url=http://wxbh.net/gaming_files1.htm |title=Interview with Jeff Veasey |date=2002-03-02 |publisher=WXBH AM-1190 |place=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020607073548/http://wxbh.net/gaming_files1.htm |archive-date=2002-06-07 |website=The Gaming Files}}</ref> In 1996, the site moved to gamefaqs.com and changed its name to ''GameFAQs''.<ref name="about" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=VGFA on flex.net |url=http://www.flex.net/~cjayc/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010723115459/http://www.flex.net/~cjayc/ |archive-date=2001-07-23 |access-date=2006-09-21 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> At this time, GameFAQs listed fewer than 1000 FAQs and guides and was updated on an irregular basis.<ref name="about2">{{Cite web |title=Video Game FAQ Archive |url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961223185936/http://www.gamefaqs.com/ |archive-date=1996-12-23 |access-date=2007-04-09 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref>
Throughout ], Veasey continued to work on the site and post new user-submitted FAQs and codes. In late 1998, the site received another design overhaul. Still operating as an affiliate of IGN, GameFAQs added links to other Snowball partners to its menu bar, and had a number of aesthetic changes applied to it. The actual content of the site hadn't changed much, but Veasey always kept the users informed about the latest events and news. There were frequent updates to the site, even if they weren't always contribution-related. This continued for some time.


During the following months, the site grew in content and in design; two different styles were introduced in early 1997 to accommodate the support of ] in ]s (or the lack thereof).<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs (tables) |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970218070909/http://www.gamefaqs.com/home.html |archive-date=1997-02-18 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970218070917/http://www.gamefaqs.com/thome.html |archive-date=1997-02-18 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> Two key features of the site—the game search engine and the contributor recognition pages—were planned at this time.
In late ], GameFAQs had yet another new layout. The sidebar and tables on the homepage which showed the top games were added. The color scheme was also changed, still remaining predominantly blue and white, but these shades weren't exactly the same as before. GameFAQs was still under the flag of IGN.


On February 6, 2018, the site changed its domain from gamefaqs.com to gamefaqs.gamespot.com,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tyner |first=Allen |date=2018-02-06 |title=Domain change complete & login improvements |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/76289961 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206191056/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/76289961 |archive-date=2018-02-06 |access-date=2014-05-26 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> due to CNET (owner of GameSpot) acquiring GameFAQs, and integrating GameFAQs into the GameSpot network. The link gamefaqs.com now redirects to gamefaqs.gamespot.com as a result.
In November 1999, several things happened very quickly. On the fifth, a Quick Search box was added to all pages, at which time the site was also celebrating its fourth birthday. On the seventh, the opened as Beta and a Poll of the Day would be implemented by the end of that week.


=== IGN affiliation ===
Between December 1999 and late ], GameFAQs slowed down in terms of the addition of new features. The GameFAQs chat went ], but did not last long due to administrative issues - it was simply too hard to control.
In 1997, GameFAQs became an independent affiliate of the ] (IGN), leading to the placement of affiliate links on the ].<ref name="pink">{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs home page |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981212025143/http://www.gamefaqs.com/ |archive-date=1998-12-12 |access-date=2006-10-27 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> User contests were introduced during this period; the first monthly contest, which was held in 1998, received 253 entries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=October 1998: Select Fighter |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/features/c9810 |access-date=2006-09-29 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210120955/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/features/c9810 |url-status=live }}</ref> GameFAQs went through several design changes, including a pink color scheme,<ref name="pink" /> before arriving at the blue-colored layout that was used until 2004.


In November 1999, several changes occurred in rapid succession.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs home page |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991128113006/http://gamefaqs.com/index.html |archive-date=1999-11-28 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> A search box was added to every page on November 5, the site’s fourth anniversary. On November 7, the message boards opened in a ] testing mode.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2001-11-07 |title=Second Anniversary Karma Bonus |url=http://chris.insder.com/index.php?pg=426 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041012075244/http://chris.insder.com/index.php?pg=426 |archive-date=2004-10-12 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> The "Poll of the Day" was introduced at the end of the month.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Poll of the Day #1 |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1-what-do-you-think-about-polls-on-web-sites |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180150/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1-what-do-you-think-about-polls-on-web-sites |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Poll of the Day |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll?page=74 |access-date=2009-12-20 |website=GameFAQs |quote=11/30/99 |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121007/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll?page=74 |url-status=live }}</ref> These changes marked Veasey's increased concentration on the site, and it was around this time that GameFAQs became his full-time job.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |year=1999 |title=The Big Announcement |url=http://gamefaqs.com/announce.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991114205707/http://gamefaqs.com/announce.html |archive-date=1999-11-14 |access-date=2007-05-26 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref><ref name="davidson">{{Cite news |last=Davidson |first=Neil |date=2003-03-05 |title=Stumped by a Video Game? Chances Are Jeff Veasey Can Help |publisher=Canadian Press Newswire}}</ref><ref name="cnet">{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2003-06-03 |title=The Future of GameFAQs |url=http://chris.insder.com/index.php?pg=224 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041012074034/http://chris.insder.com/index.php?pg=224 |archive-date=2004-10-12 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> Until this time, he had been working as a ].<ref name="davidson" /> On August 9, 2000, the site received one million hits in a single day for the first time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs home page |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000815053934/http://www.gamefaqs.com/ |archive-date=2000-08-15 |access-date=2007-03-13 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> By 2001, the "GameFAQs Chat" (an ] chat server) had been launched;<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs Community |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/community |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010401131103/http://cgi.gamefaqs.com/ |archive-date=2001-04-01 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> however, it was removed in May 2001 due to administrative issues.<ref name="radio" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs Home Page |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010512232132/http://www.gamefaqs.com/ |archive-date=2001-05-12 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref>
] was the next year of major change for GameFAQs. Firstly, Veasey decided to dissociate the site with IGN. To continue generating revenue, a banner was placed on the top of each page that was sold to non-profit organizations. This changed by May 2001, when ] became an official affiliate of GameFAQs. In this month, the chat feature was completely shut down due to the issues mentioned previously.


=== Post-IGN ===
In September ], another change was made to GameFAQs because of adjustment of advertising policy at CNET. The ad was moved from the top of the page (horizontally) to a vertical position in the sidebar. This also led the way to the navigation of systems at the top of the screen. Changes were consequently made to the links on the side, namely minimizing them and creating subsections in "index" pages. In terms of contributions, GameFAQs continued to grow larger and larger, and Veasey - who was still the sole operator and administrator of the site - dedicated hours upon hours of his time to ensure that GameFAQs remained up-to-date, popular, and above all, successful.
On January 9, 2001, GameFAQs ended its association with IGN.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs home page |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010118211300/http://gamefaqs.com/ |archive-date=2001-01-18 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> To continue generating revenue, an advertising banner sold to non-profit organizations was placed on the top of each page. This lasted until ] became an official affiliate of GameFAQs; CNET ads ran on the top of the page, and links to news articles from ] were shown on the home page.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs home page |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010418154308/http://www.gamefaqs.com/ |archive-date=2001-04-18 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> In September 2002, the ad was moved from the horizontal ] to the vertical ]. This led to changes to the links on the side, as well as the creation of navigational links at the top of the screen.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs home page |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020922025120/http://gamefaqs.com/ |archive-date=2002-09-22 |access-date=2006-09-20 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> Contributions to GameFAQs continued to increase, and Veasey, as sole operator and administrator of the site, dedicated significant portions of his time to ensure that GameFAQs remained updated and successful.


On April 1, 2002, Veasey changed GameFAQs to "GameFAX" as an ] joke.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAX |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206083811/http://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-date=2018-02-06 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061101000124/http://www.ksot.com/GameFAX.htm |date=2006-11-01 }}</ref> The site's colors were changed to green and black to imitate those of the ], with the intention of making users believe that GameFAQs was now dedicated solely to the Xbox, "the only system that matters." After clicking on any link on the main page, users were directed to the real GameFAQs home page. Nevertheless, Veasey reported receiving hate mail from users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2006-04-01 |title=An important notice about the future of GameFAQs |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/27283817 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180127/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/27283817 |url-status=live }}</ref>
On ] ], Veasey announced to general GameFAQs users (moderators of the boards had previously been alerted) that its long-standing affiliate and sponsor, CNET, had acquired the site and all of its assets (minus user-submitted guides/FAQs, due to obvious legal issues). He assured the worried public that GameFAQs would undergo in terms of administration, and that the 'GameFAQs the users saw today would be the one they saw tomorrow'. This seemed true to a certain extent, as the only change viewable by general users was a discreet CNET footer.


On March 2, 2002, Veasey participated in a radio interview with WXBH AM-1190 on their program called "The Gaming Files." During this interview, Veasey was drilled with questions from current and former users of GameFAQs; he also discussed his time on GameFAQs and how the site came to be.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 29, 2002 |title=Veasey Radio Interview with The Gaming Files |url=http://wxbh.net/gaming_files1.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020607073548/http://wxbh.net/gaming_files1.htm |archive-date=2002-06-07}}</ref>
However, in April/May ], GameFAQs underwent its biggest visual and administration change yet. At the demand of CNET(And at the dislike of countless Gamefaqs users), it partially merged its game boards with those of , and radically changed the graphics to those of which we see today. The site's webpages have a table-less layout that is styled by a ]. GameFAQs also converted from Microsoft ] to a ]-powered system. However, its lack of ] compliance and easy editability angers both aspiring web designers and average users alike. On December 1, a site-wide login button was introduced and a system was introduced, which meant that GameFAQs users could also use their usernames on ] or ], which are also owned by CNET.


=== CNET acquisition ===
Today, GameFAQs is fully owned by ]. Jeff "CJayC" Veasey is responsible for working on the main site - e-mails, codes, FAQs, reviews, saves, game data, coding, and updating the homepage. CNET has hired Bethany Massimilla to administrate the GameFAQs message boards and lead the moderators. CNET also supplied new (and somewhat faster) servers for the entire site. Although the changeover between the site being run by one man to the site being owned by a company and split into two sections was rough (technical errors, downtime, lost e-mails, and other problems), GameFAQs appears to have settled into its new status; and with the addition of long-time message board moderator Sailor Bacon to the administration team has regained a level of stability after initial fears, critics and doubts.
] headquarters in San Francisco, California]]


On May 6, 2003, ] (the site's long-standing affiliate and sponsor) ] GameFAQs. The amount paid for GameFAQs and two other unrelated websites was US$2.2 million.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-08-05 |title=CNET Networks SEC Quarterly Report |url=http://ccbn.10kwizard.com/xml/download.php?repo=tenk&ipage=2269604&format=PDF |access-date=2006-09-20 |publisher=CNET Networks |format=PDF}}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> On June 3, 2003, Veasey announced the merger to the users of the site.<ref name="cnet" /> He clarified that the user-submitted content (i.e., FAQs and reviews) remained under the ownership of the authors and was not (nor could be) sold to CNET; however, CNET acquired GameFAQs' rights to host them on the site. He assured users that GameFAQs would undergo no major administrative change and said, "The GameFAQs you see today is the one you'll see tomorrow."<ref name="cnet" /> This was true to a certain extent, as the only visible change over the next few months was the addition of a CNET ] to the bottom of every page. Additional changes included moving the site to ] in California.
==GameFAQs culture==


From 2004 to 2006, GameFAQs witnessed further changes. On April 28, 2004, GameFAQs implemented a large visual redesign,<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Layout/Boards Merger |url=http://chris.insder.com/newlayout/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041009125141/http://chris.insder.com/newlayout/ |archive-date=2004-10-09 |access-date=2006-09-20 |website=GameFAQs Archive}}</ref> and the boards merged with the GameSpot boards to allow both communities to share the same game-specific boards (to the dismay of many GameFAQs users). To facilitate the merger, GameFAQs converted its board code from ] to ], and GameSpot dropped its ] code. On April 11, 2006, a new design was implemented, and the GameSpot logo was added to the GameFAQs logo on the header of every page. This change was initially greeted with general disapproval by users on the message boards.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2006-04-28 |title=Survey says... |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/27814467 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180314/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/27814467 |url-status=live }}</ref> To satisfy those who prefer the earlier layout, the old board pages have been preserved for certain users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2006-08-03 |title=The v9 End of Life Project |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/29712507 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180250/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/29712507 |url-status=live }}</ref> Shortly after the redesign, the site began using the ] ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2006-07-12 |title=The First Major Code Change Is Live... Whew! |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/29230067 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210120953/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/29230067 |url-status=live }}</ref>
GameFAQs is noteworthy for its active ]. Because of the high volume of posts it recieves each day, messages on the boards are purged daily, keeping the total number of posts to a reasonable level.


=== Veasey's departure ===
==GameFAQs spinoff/clone boards== <!-- This title makes more sense to newcomers -->
On July 19, 2007, Veasey announced that he would eventually be leaving the site. According to his announcement, Allen Tyner, who had been employed with the site since 2004, would take over as editor and administrator of GameFAQs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2007-07-19 |title=The Long, Slow Goodbye |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/36893099 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180312/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/36893099 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kuchera |first=Ben |date=2007-07-20 |title=The Founder of GameFAQs to Step Down; It's Time to Show Some Respect |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2007/07/the-founder-of-gamefaqs-to-step-down-its-time-to-show-some-respect.ars |access-date=2009-12-20 |publisher=] |archive-date=2012-08-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827064046/http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2007/07/the-founder-of-gamefaqs-to-step-down-its-time-to-show-some-respect/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-07-20 |title=GameFAQs Founder Announces (Eventual) Retirement from Site |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/75116-GameFAQs-Founder-Announces-Eventual-Retirement-from-Site |access-date=8 October 2014 |website=The Escapist |archive-date=2014-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012144232/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/75116-GameFAQs-Founder-Announces-Eventual-Retirement-from-Site |url-status=dead }}</ref>
<!-- Perhaps have a short introductory paragraph here, and have a dedicated page to spinoffs? -->
Many people have created their own sites based upon the GameFAQs look and feel. Most of these simply copy the GameFAQs boards; these are commonly referred to as GameFAQs spinoffs. Some go further, emulating GameFAQs' contribution systems as well.


=== Red Ventures acquisition ===
The first spinoff was called GameFAQs Hell, created by Chuck "NeoGenesis" Sakoda in ]. His first attempt at cloning the boards was performed in ] and MS Access database services. After giving up on that, he made a new version in ] and ]. He released the source code under the GNU ]. It has been confirmed by CJayC that he had a link to GameFAQs Hell in the board help section for promotion of the source.
] acquired various properties, including GameFAQs and GameSpot, from ] in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |title=ViacomCBS Reaches Deal to Sell CNET for $500 Million to Marketing Firm Red Ventures |url=https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/cnet-viacomcbs-sells-red-ventures-1234768810/ |access-date=November 13, 2020 |website=] |date=14 September 2020 |archive-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201219232151/https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/cnet-viacomcbs-sells-red-ventures-1234768810/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


=== Fandom acquisition ===
Since the GameFAQs Hell time, there have been dozens of other spinoffs opened up, and more sources appeared, including:
] acquired various properties, including GameFAQs and GameSpot, from Red Ventures in October 2022.<ref name="fandom" />


== Content ==
* '''GameFAQs Hell-based'''
{{thumb|caption=Growth of FAQs hosted (1995-2012)<br /><ref name="faqwriters" /><ref name="radio" /><ref name="about2" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=5 July 1997 |title=www.gamefaqs.com |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970705071849/http://www.gamefaqs.com/thome.html |archive-date=5 July 1997 |access-date=30 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=15 August 2000 |title=GameFAQs: Requests |url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/requests/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000818043745/http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/requests/ |archive-date=18 August 2000 |access-date=30 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=21 December 2002 |title=GameFAQs: GameFAQs Site Statistics |url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/stats/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021221081348/http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/stats/ |archive-date=21 December 2002 |access-date=30 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 June 2003 |title=GameFAQs: GameFAQs Site Statistics |url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/stats/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030620173637/http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/stats/ |archive-date=20 June 2003 |access-date=30 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 June 2004 |title=GameFAQs Site Statistics- GameFAQS |url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/stats/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040629204928/http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/stats/ |archive-date=29 June 2004 |access-date=30 December 2016}}</ref><ref name="gfaqsjeff1" /><ref name="ama2012" />
** ''GameFAQs Hell'' - GameFAQs Hell was the first spinoff. Originally it was thought that only 3 or 4 releases of the code still existed; since then many more have surfaced. The boards were originally writen in ASP but were never finished and then were abandoned and rewritten in PHP, and were run on a server owned by the boards' creator, Chuck Sakoda. The server (rhn.skwerl.net) contained several source code downloads up until some time in Spring 2004, but later all of the content was deleted.
|content=
** - GameFAQsInfo is one of the newest GameFAQs spinoffs. The original site was started up in ] ] and hosted by . However, the site's owner, Easter Eggs, declared the Angelfire as a "bad host" and in ] of the same year moved to a .net domain. The site offers information on the happenings at GameFAQs, although most of the users that register there simply use the boards (which are flooded with ] and other offensive material).
{{Graph:Chart
** ''Mediarchive'' - Mediarchive was one of the more feature-full spinoffs. It contained a contribution system similar to GameFAQs'. The source code was leaked toward the end of its days. The creator, Jay, claims that he would have released it two days later if it weren't leaked by Counteray, the guy who paid for and hosted Mediarchive. The leak of Mediarchive led to many more spinoffs popping up and others adding more features and fixes to MA code.
| width = 240
*** - The oldest spinoff remaining in existence, founded in ] ]. It currently uses a heavily modified version of Mediarchive by Jay and Outbreakorn. Over time, it has been the subject of controversy due to staff-encouraged 'invasions' of other spinoffs as well as controversial discussion content.
| height = 200
** - The owner of Special Ops, Anthony "Ant P" Parsons, started hacking at GameFAQs Hell in ] ] to make it more GameFAQs-like and remove severe exploits and bugs in the original GameFAQs Hell. It contains several major new features and is ]-compliant, The site design is noticeably biased against ] users, with its extensive use of modern ] such as ] 2/3 and transparent ] images.
| xAxisTitle = Year
** - Twisted Legacy is the third oldest spin-off still in existence, created in late ] ] as a refuge for GameFAQs "The Couch" members. It has flourished since then, with many source improvements, made formerly by Aquatakat and now by Insder. While the source still has some bugs in it, it has been drastically changed since its Outboards 2 (GFH-Based) beginnings. <!-- (Good Enough also? I honestly couldn't think of anything else, and TL is basically GFH-Based. ~ Insder) -->
| xAxisAngle = -40
** - whiteFyre is the second oldest spinoff in existence, started in ] ] by ultimategamer00. It is the first spinoff to truly have the appearance of the actual GameFAQs boards, as much of the GameFAQs HTML was directly copied. The source code was leaked following a break-in using code exploits on ] ] (a similar attack was made exactly one year later), and ultimateGamer's official release followed six months later in ] ].
| x = 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012
*** - One of the many LUE2 spinoffs that exist. This particular LUE2 appeared in on ] in December 2004.
| yAxisTitle = FAQs
| yAxisFormat = s
| yGrid=
| y = 100, 1000, 1465, 18000, 18991, 22087, 23249, 36000, 49000, 56000
| showSymbols =
}}
}}


All of the guides and walkthroughs on GameFAQs are contributed by volunteers.<ref>Mary-Kate and Ashley: Winner's Circle; '']'' (London); July 1, 2001; Stuart Andrews; p. Doors.2 "Guides to completing thousands of video games, compiled by gamers worldwide"</ref> Most of the FAQs are not actually lists of ]; instead, they cover aspects of gameplay in the same way as ]s, with walkthroughs, item lists, maps, and puzzle solutions. Nearly all of the FAQs hosted on the site are in ],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Composing Your Guide |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=28 |access-date=2006-10-26 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121003/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=28 |url-status=live }}</ref> though GameFAQs does also accept stand-alone images, such as maps, diagrams, and puzzle solutions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Images (Maps and other graphics) |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=11 |access-date=2007-01-01 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180215/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=11 |url-status=live }}</ref> From December 2009, formatted guides which allow authors to use mark-up loosely based on ] in the document were being accepted.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tyner, Allen |date=2009-12-04 |title=Ask GameFAQs: A new approach to FAQs |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/52525167 |access-date=2009-12-19 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180117/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/52525167 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs Help: Formatted FAQs |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=53 |access-date=2010-06-06 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121005/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=53 |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition to FAQs, contributors can also submit reader reviews, cheat codes, developer credits, game release data, game saves, ]s, and images of ]. In 2006, the site hosted over 36,000 guides.<ref name="faqwriters" /> By February 2009, over 49,000 guides were hosted on the site and over 113,194 reviews.<ref name="gfaqsjeff1">{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2009-02-20 |title=Ask GameFAQs: Double Stuf'd |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/48243761 |access-date=2009-12-20 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121008/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/48243761 |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2012, this had increased to over 56,000 guides for 21,639 unique games.<ref name="ama2012">{{Cite web |date=20 June 2012 |title=wetterdew comments on I Am the Administrator of GameFAQs.com, AMA! |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/vc3jz/i_am_the_administrator_of_gamefaqscom_ama/c5370eg?context=5 |access-date=8 October 2014 |website=reddit |archive-date=7 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207164108/http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/vc3jz/i_am_the_administrator_of_gamefaqscom_ama/c5370eg?context=5 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* '''Original Source''' - This is a list of spinoffs not based off of GameFAQs Hell (most are closed-source, thus derivatives of them are few, if any)
** ''Archetype Zero''<!-- link removed; the site is virtually gone. --> - A very feature-rich spinoff that contains several features from Special Ops, whiteFyre, and some unique to Archetype Zero. It was started in January 2004 and became ] in July 2004. The boards closed down at the end of September 2004.
** ''Eugenic GameFAQs Clone'' - Written by the creator of ''Archetype Zero'', this was intended to be as complete a clone of the new PHP GameFAQs as possible, except using valid XHTML and CSS code. The creator had a conversation with CJayC about it and was given the possibility of having it advertised in the help files as GFH was (see above), but since then work has been discontinued. There are available from the author, as well as on a few other sites below.
** - A spinoff that is very user-friendly. It has a lot of options that normal users can do and even more through the shop and higher levels. Flying Turkey is a spinoff with an origin of The Couch made by Magus.
** - The first working spinoff written in ], although not the first attempt (see section intro). GFCX was the closest to a true GameFAQs spinoff there is, until GameFAQs itself changed from ASP to PHP. The original set of boards were hacked because the owner left the database path in the released source code, and the passwords were unencrypted. The source is available for download at various sites.
** - A board with an original ASP source that uses the new GameFAQs layout. Was originally based off ''GameFAQs Clone X''.
** - A private site with boards created by LlamaGuy, strictly for members of the message board ] only. It has since developed into one of the few spinoffs that offer more than simply boards. The interface is similar to that of GameFAQs, but several features are added, most notably the abilities to vote on links and receive tokens for adding good links. There is a running joke among LUELinkers that whenever someone asks for the ] for the board, they all claim that the site does not exist.
** - First GameFAQs spinoff to use the new GameFAQs layout. Originally created by Tsietisin in ] ] on the day of SteriLUEzation (see site history), for three days it was the largest GameFAQs spinoff to ever exist. After Tsietisin resigned, programmer Mark Lin revived and took over the community in ] ]. After two hackings and numerous shutdowns due to ] overconsumption on the outdated and inefficient Mediarchive software, a new and efficient source code was developed by ] ] while the original user and post databases were retained.
** ''Metaboards'' - A source code made by U.X.O (also known as Fish and radfox). The purpose was to create a new and "properly coded" version of GameFAQs Hell. It was very active in development for the first three months, however it hasn't received much attention since ] ], and at version 0.4 has been considered abandoned. All versions of the source have been preserved, some of which still exist on the site's .
** - This is an original spinoff with layout similar to . The source is currently moving from MySQL to SQLite under the name of .
** - This is an original spinoff written by Sasha Slutsker using PHP and MySQL. The code has not been released.
<!-- Someone from AKNet write a section for this. I know you're out there. -->
** ''Slate Boards'' - An original spinoff that uses one PHP file. The source code is stable with no known exploits, but the administration system is lacking compared to others.
** - The first active spin-off to be based on an ] design, ns1987 made it because he was tired of the whiteFyre source. Based on GameFAQs Hell Lite, by Ant P.
** - An almost completely original spinoff still relatively new and the first released spinoff to use SQLite. The owner, lancelott, is more concerned with code perfection than adding more features, so the source is very secure and stable though a bit bare.
** - The owner of Turkeybot, Tonglebeak, wanted to make "the best spinoff there ever was", with more features and better speed than others. It contains customizable CSS themes like most other spinoffs, added account security, many other features, and claims to never have been hacked.


When an author submits something to GameFAQs, it is screened by an administrator before being posted on the site.<ref name="submitted">{{Cite web |title=After You've Submitted |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=31 |access-date=2006-10-26 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121010/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=31 |url-status=live }}</ref> The author retains the ] on the submitted material,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Copyrights, Trademarks, and Plagiarism |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=29 |access-date=2006-10-26 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210120951/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=29 |url-status=live }}</ref> and their name is added to the site's "Contributor Recognition" section. GameFAQs agrees to host the guide only on their servers but does allow other affiliates to link directly to the guides (including ], ], ], and ]).<ref name="submitted" />
Anthony Parsons keeps of free sources for download. A much more complete source collection (though without descriptions) is available at . There is a list of sources and reviews to accompany them at , however this list is censored to show only negative opinions of other spinoffs.<!--Keep your ego to your own site, thanks--> There is also another user-submitted list at . contains an archived spinoff board listing for historic purposes. None of these sites are entirely up-to-date, due to the rate at which new boards appear and others disappear.


GameFAQs features several ongoing contributor contests, including FAQ of the Month, Review of the Month, and numerous "FAQ ]," which reward contributors who submit FAQs for uncovered, high-demand games.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FAQ Bounty |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/contribute/faq_bounty |access-date=2007-03-18 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180310/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/contribute/faq_bounty |url-status=live }}</ref> The FOTM and ROTM contests are generally picked from comprehensive, complete guides or reviews for new games. Winners are sent a ] for an ] or can opt for a mailed ] upon contest entry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FAQ of the Month |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/contribute/fotm |access-date=2007-03-18 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210120957/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/contribute/fotm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Review of the Month |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/contribute/rotm |access-date=2007-03-18 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180218/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/contribute/rotm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="mtvgta">{{Cite web |last=Totilo, Stephen |date=2006-01-24 |title=Meet The Man Who'll Make You A Smooth Criminal In San Andreas |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1521550/20070131/index.jhtml |access-date=2009-12-20 |publisher=MTV.com |archive-date=2012-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622134327/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1521550/lost-san-andreas-heres-man-call.jhtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>
A large former spinoff, Darkside Legion, was a banned word ("darksidelegion") at GameFAQs after receiving a notorious reputation, because its members were said to contact unsuspecting people and persuade them to give his or her password away. Many Mediarchive-based spinoffs have been hacked by spinoff coders. There has been long-standing tension between Outboards and whiteFyre, the two longest-running spinoffs.


In 2004, ] published two commercial strategy guides with material from GameFAQs: ''The Ultimate ] Strategy Guide'' and ''The Ultimate ] Strategy Guide''.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Ultimate Xbox Strategy Guide |publisher=] |year=2004 |editor-last=Cohen, Corey |asin=B000E7URBQ |oclc=60827530}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The Ultimate PS2 Strategy Guide |publisher=] |year=2004 |editor-last=Amrich, Dan |asin=B000E7URPM |oclc=60579744}}</ref> These guides were composed of FAQs written by contributors on GameFAQs.
==GameFAQs spinoff/clone feuds== <!-- You know there is a lot. (and whoever created the first version didn't know about too many of them) -->


=== Message boards ===
There have been many feuds between spinoffs, their owners, and their users. has been victim to two hackings - both on August 8th, and in 2003 and 2004. On the first one, the whiteFyre source code weas leaked. Six months after, ultimategamer00 officially released the source code. When whiteFyre was down in 2004, uG posted Archetype Zero source code because he had a feud with Batteries.
Every game listed on GameFAQs has its own message board, where both novice and experienced gamers can discuss game strategies and other game-related topics.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carless |first=Simon |title=Gaming Hacks |date=October 2004 |publisher=] |isbn=0-596-00714-0 |author-link=Simon Carless}}</ref><ref>{{Cite conference |last=Flor |first=Nick |date=July 2004 |title=The Architecture of the Symbol Engine in a Programmable Autonomous Business |publisher=] |pages=119–126 |doi=10.1109/ICECT.2004.1319725 |isbn=0-7695-2098-7 |book-title=Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on E-Commerce Technology}}</ref> After the redesign of May 2004, the game boards with enforced ] were shared with the GameSpot community (another ] website). Certain popular games may have additional boards for social discussion. Game-specific boards for certain older consoles do not have topicality rules and are often claimed for social discussion—these are referred to as "secret" or "dead" boards. Every system also has a general board for discussing hardware and upcoming games.<ref name="boards">{{Cite web |title=Message Boards |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/ |access-date=2008-08-05 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206190838/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards |url-status=live }}</ref>


GameFAQs has boards made purely for the purpose of socializing, some that cater to special interests (such as ], ], ], and ]), and some purely for users from a particular region (e.g., United Kingdom, Australia/New Zealand). GameFAQs also has boards for official announcements, contributor discussion, contest discussion, suggestions, and site help.<ref name="boards" />
===The LUE2 Fuse===<!--Pretty big-->


The custom-made GameFAQs Message Boards coded by Veasey began operation on November 7, 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs: Message Board Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000510142945/http://cgi.gamefaqs.com/boards/faq.asp |archive-date=2000-05-10 |access-date=2006-12-21}}</ref> Although the original purpose of the board system was to facilitate game discussion, other board categories have been added since the boards opened. Every day, approximately 20,000 topics and 200,000 messages are posted on GameFAQs' 60,000+ individual boards,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tyner, Allen |date=2008-07-04 |title=Ask GameFAQs: We Have Explosive |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/44064783 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210120934/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/44064783 |url-status=live }}</ref> and on November 7, 2006, there were more than 100,000 accounts actively in use.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2006-11-07 |title=Happy Birthday to Us... and to you! |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/31607751 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180141/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/31607751 |url-status=live }}</ref> During October 2009, there was an average of 84,853 unique logins a day.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tyner, Allen |date=2009-10-24 |title=Ask GameFAQs: I like to move it, move it |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/51910546 |access-date=2008-12-22 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180152/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/51910546 |url-status=live }}</ref>
When LUE was Sterlized on November 15, 2003, for invading a Livejournal of a girl who committed suicide, LUEsers panicked. Tsi rose to the occasion and created LUE2 and ran it on an unpatched MA source. Thousands of LUEsers flocked to the boards, spending up Tsi's bandwidth and costing him hundreds of dollars. Other spinoffs, the Outboards in particular, overran LUE2 with numerous flooding attempts, false virus messages (it was the famous "echo j" and "format C" which casues Norton Antivirus to sound a false virus alert), as well as exploiting the message boards' code. It culminated when EvilPrimate sent a letter to LUE2's hosting company and it got shut down. That was the first major confrontation between LUE2 and other spinoffs.


On March 23, 2012, it was announced the GameFAQs and GameSpot will once again start to separate content. On May 7, 2012, the shared GameFAQs-run message boards went read-only on GameSpot.<ref>{{Cite web |last=SBAllen |title=Topics Go Read-Only on GameSpot - SBallin'! Message Board |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-sballin/62745571 |access-date=2012-08-25 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121009/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-sballin/62745571 |url-status=live }}</ref>
The other confrontations involved iGenesis's LUE2. iG created another LUE2 after the shutdown of Tsi's. It was better-managed, having learned lessons from the spectacular rise and crash of Tsi's LUE2, but still fraught with problems. Outboarders found out that Tasdoom and iGenesis were the same person and still continued to attempt to shut it down.


==== Features ====
Another famous (still on-going) feud is deciding the real LUE2. LUE2.com claims it is because it has the users and the domain name. LUE2.info claims it because they have an original source code and was around first, yet LUE2.com argues that LUE2.info was down for a long time.
Posts made on the message boards are mostly ]. Some ] is used on the boards, including bold and italics tags.<ref name="boardhelp">{{Cite web |title=Board Basics |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=18 |access-date=2006-09-20 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180114/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=18 |url-status=live }}</ref> The forums use a ] to prevent the use of certain vulgar words, which is intended to keep the forum safe for all readers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Message Board Terms of Use |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/features/tou |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121004/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/features/tou |url-status=dead }}</ref> On some boards, topics that have no new posts for a period of time are removed permanently or are locked and archived.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rules and Standards |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=19 |access-date=2007-11-08 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180221/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=19 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tyner, Allen |date=2008-02-07 |title=Game Board Archiving Active |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/41276959 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180211/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/41276959 |url-status=live }}</ref>


GameFAQs users gain one "karma" for every day they visit the boards while logged in. As karma increases, new features become available, such as the ability to post more messages per day, edit posts, and send private messages.<ref name="boardhelp" /> Users can add favorite boards to a personalized list on the main boards page and can track specific topics (a feature added in 2006).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Additional Features |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=20 |access-date=2006-09-30 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121006/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=20 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2006-12-06 |title=Topic Tracking |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/32250342 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121000/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/32250342 |url-status=live }}</ref>
===JunkieZnat===
<!--Not sure what this was meant for.
!-->
Junkieznat's boards was also a explosive fuse of spinoff showdowns. It got hacked in May 2003. Junkie got it going soon, but after a month, it got hacked again in July (the story was that Jay sent Junkie an SQL exploit that shut them down). Seizing upon the popularity of LUE2, Junkie started LUE3. Again, it got hacked by spinoff coders. The battle only lasted five months, but it was an ultimatium to other spinoffs - "If you don't know how to code, we will hack your boards."


===Darkside Legion=== ==== Moderators ====
The message boards are managed by the site's administrators and ]. Initially, Veasey was the only administrator and therefore had full control over the boards; however, more administrators have since been appointed. Tyner, who uses the username "SBAllen" (formerly "Sailor Bacon"), was the main administrator on the boards until 2023.<ref name="about" /> On May 7, 2012, Tyner announced long-time moderator Devin Morgan had been hired as another administrator; his primary role was to work on the code of the site.<ref name="morgan">{{Cite web |title=Devin Morgan Named New Administrator |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-message-board-announcements/62746844 |access-date=2023-04-10 |archive-date=2022-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502021304/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-message-board-announcements/62746844 |url-status=live }}</ref> On September 5, 2014, Tyner also announced that long time user Stephanie Barnes (under the username Krystal109) had been hired as the site's Community Manager, which included duties such as running the site's contests and the Facebook/Twitter feeds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs Welcomes Community Manager Stephanie Barnes to the Team! - GameFAQs Announcements Message Board - GameFAQs |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/70012465 |access-date=8 October 2014 |archive-date=10 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180154/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/70012465 |url-status=live }}</ref> As of July 2015, Barnes was no longer part of the team.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 July 2015 |title=Krystal's Gone, and I'm Actually Sad to See Her Go |url=http://gamefaqscensorship.blogspot.com/2015/07/krystals-gone-and-im-actually-sad-to.html |access-date=24 April 2019 |via=] |archive-date=24 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424165241/http://gamefaqscensorship.blogspot.com/2015/07/krystals-gone-and-im-actually-sad-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
<!--I'm not too sure about this one; I wasn't really involved with the DSL situation -->
Allen "SBAllen" Tyner stepped down from his lead admin position in October 18, 2023.<ref name="Stepping down as admin"/> The site is currently run by Community Manager "DToast", who is the lead board admin, and Contributor Lead "ZoopSoul", who moderates data and guide submissions.<ref name="gamefaqs.gamespot.com"/>
Darkside Legion, as mentioned above, was a very infamous spinoff. Users like girlgamer were accused of informing CJayC of plots on DSL to invade or damage GameFAQs. DSL opened in April and shut down shortly afterwards. DSL v2 was opened in July; the owners KOSed everyone that they didn't know so they couldn't squeal on CJayC, until EvilPrimate lifted all of them a couple of months later. The draconian measures that DSL took to protect from both GameFAQS and other spinoffs highlight how secretive and paranoid they were.


GameFAQs' moderators are volunteer users selected by the administrator and are responsible for keeping order within the message board community. Because of the size of the boards, the moderators do not patrol every board and topic. Instead, messages that break the site's ] can be "]" by regular users, which brings them to the attention of the moderators.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rules and Standards |url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/help/?cat=19 |access-date=2006-09-20 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2007-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929125140/http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/help/?cat=19 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Further, there has been discord and disagreement between its owners. Supposedly, rancid milk deleted the DB, the boards were taken down on random times, and other, uncertain events.


==See also== == References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}
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==External links== == External links ==
* {{Official website}}


{{Fandom, Inc.}}
===Official sites===
{{Red Ventures}}
{{Portal bar|Internet|Video games}}


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===Unofficial sites===
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* - KSOT's Secondary Boards FAQ is recognised by many users as a comprehensive guide to the features and works of the GameFAQs message boards, answering questions and giving factual information that cannot be already found in the Help Files.
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*
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* - The GFA is a collection of saved humourous, interesting, and noteworthy topics and messages posted originally on the GameFAQs message boards themselves throughout their illustrious history between the years 1999 and 2004. The Archive was coded and designed by Roaddhogg, originally to serve as a follow-up to ColdFusion's &quot;Nostalgia Project&quot;, which became defunct in late 2002. The GameFAQs Archive currently stores in excess of 1,000 pages and has over . User submissions are encouraged.
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* - A site devoted to covering the GameFAQs contests
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* Made by moderator Crono Lvl 99, this is similar to the photo albums. The site is dead at this stage.

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Latest revision as of 16:20, 2 November 2024

Video game website
GameFAQs
The word "GameFAQs" in white lettering on a blue background
Screenshot GameFAQs home page on September 6, 2014Screenshot of the GameFAQs home page, as it appeared on May 20, 2023
Type of siteGaming
Available inEnglish
OwnerFandom, Inc.
Created byJeff "CJayC" Veasey
URLgamefaqs.gamespot.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional, but is required for contributing content and posting on the message boards
LaunchedNovember 5, 1995; 29 years ago (1995-11-05) (as Video Game FAQ Archive)
Current statusActive
Written inPHP

GameFAQs is a video gaming website that hosts guides and other resources, as well as an active message board forum. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and has been owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022. Allen "SBAllen" Tyner was lead Admin for twenty years until stepping down on October 18, 2023. The site is currently run by Community Manager "DToast" and Contributor Lead "ZoopSoul".

The site has a database of video game information, walkthroughs, FAQs, cheat codes, reviews, game saves, box art images, and screenshots, almost all of which are submitted by volunteer contributors. It covers game systems made as far back as the 1980s to current day modern consoles as well as computer games and mobile games. GameFAQs also hosts an active message board community, which has a separate discussion board for each game in the site's database, along with a variety of other boards. GameFAQs has run daily opinion polls and tournament contests, as well as annual Character Battles, since November 30, 1999.

GameFAQs has been positively reviewed by The Guardian, The Canadian Press, and Entertainment Weekly. In 2009, GameFAQs.com was one of the 300 highest-trafficked English-language websites according to Alexa.

History

This section needs expansion with: Any activity after 2007, any other info in relevant years prior. You can help by adding to it. (July 2012)

GameFAQs was started as the Video Game FAQ Archive on November 5, 1995, by gamer and programmer Jeff Veasey. The site was created to bring numerous online guides and FAQs from across the internet into one centralized location. Hosted on America Online (AOL), it originally served as a mirror of Andy Eddy's FTP FAQ archive. The initial version of the site had approximately 10 pages and 100 FAQs. In 1996, the site moved to gamefaqs.com and changed its name to GameFAQs. At this time, GameFAQs listed fewer than 1000 FAQs and guides and was updated on an irregular basis.

During the following months, the site grew in content and in design; two different styles were introduced in early 1997 to accommodate the support of tables in web browsers (or the lack thereof). Two key features of the site—the game search engine and the contributor recognition pages—were planned at this time.

On February 6, 2018, the site changed its domain from gamefaqs.com to gamefaqs.gamespot.com, due to CNET (owner of GameSpot) acquiring GameFAQs, and integrating GameFAQs into the GameSpot network. The link gamefaqs.com now redirects to gamefaqs.gamespot.com as a result.

IGN affiliation

In 1997, GameFAQs became an independent affiliate of the Imagine Games Network (IGN), leading to the placement of affiliate links on the home page. User contests were introduced during this period; the first monthly contest, which was held in 1998, received 253 entries. GameFAQs went through several design changes, including a pink color scheme, before arriving at the blue-colored layout that was used until 2004.

In November 1999, several changes occurred in rapid succession. A search box was added to every page on November 5, the site’s fourth anniversary. On November 7, the message boards opened in a beta testing mode. The "Poll of the Day" was introduced at the end of the month. These changes marked Veasey's increased concentration on the site, and it was around this time that GameFAQs became his full-time job. Until this time, he had been working as a programmer. On August 9, 2000, the site received one million hits in a single day for the first time. By 2001, the "GameFAQs Chat" (an IRC chat server) had been launched; however, it was removed in May 2001 due to administrative issues.

Post-IGN

On January 9, 2001, GameFAQs ended its association with IGN. To continue generating revenue, an advertising banner sold to non-profit organizations was placed on the top of each page. This lasted until CNET Networks became an official affiliate of GameFAQs; CNET ads ran on the top of the page, and links to news articles from GameSpot were shown on the home page. In September 2002, the ad was moved from the horizontal header to the vertical sidebar. This led to changes to the links on the side, as well as the creation of navigational links at the top of the screen. Contributions to GameFAQs continued to increase, and Veasey, as sole operator and administrator of the site, dedicated significant portions of his time to ensure that GameFAQs remained updated and successful.

On April 1, 2002, Veasey changed GameFAQs to "GameFAX" as an April Fools' joke. The site's colors were changed to green and black to imitate those of the Xbox, with the intention of making users believe that GameFAQs was now dedicated solely to the Xbox, "the only system that matters." After clicking on any link on the main page, users were directed to the real GameFAQs home page. Nevertheless, Veasey reported receiving hate mail from users.

On March 2, 2002, Veasey participated in a radio interview with WXBH AM-1190 on their program called "The Gaming Files." During this interview, Veasey was drilled with questions from current and former users of GameFAQs; he also discussed his time on GameFAQs and how the site came to be.

CNET acquisition

A building with a glass and brick facade. Tall buildings are visible in the background.
CNET Networks headquarters in San Francisco, California

On May 6, 2003, CNET Networks (the site's long-standing affiliate and sponsor) acquired GameFAQs. The amount paid for GameFAQs and two other unrelated websites was US$2.2 million. On June 3, 2003, Veasey announced the merger to the users of the site. He clarified that the user-submitted content (i.e., FAQs and reviews) remained under the ownership of the authors and was not (nor could be) sold to CNET; however, CNET acquired GameFAQs' rights to host them on the site. He assured users that GameFAQs would undergo no major administrative change and said, "The GameFAQs you see today is the one you'll see tomorrow." This was true to a certain extent, as the only visible change over the next few months was the addition of a CNET footer to the bottom of every page. Additional changes included moving the site to servers in California.

From 2004 to 2006, GameFAQs witnessed further changes. On April 28, 2004, GameFAQs implemented a large visual redesign, and the boards merged with the GameSpot boards to allow both communities to share the same game-specific boards (to the dismay of many GameFAQs users). To facilitate the merger, GameFAQs converted its board code from ASP to PHP, and GameSpot dropped its Lithium code. On April 11, 2006, a new design was implemented, and the GameSpot logo was added to the GameFAQs logo on the header of every page. This change was initially greeted with general disapproval by users on the message boards. To satisfy those who prefer the earlier layout, the old board pages have been preserved for certain users. Shortly after the redesign, the site began using the Smarty template engine.

Veasey's departure

On July 19, 2007, Veasey announced that he would eventually be leaving the site. According to his announcement, Allen Tyner, who had been employed with the site since 2004, would take over as editor and administrator of GameFAQs.

Red Ventures acquisition

Red Ventures acquired various properties, including GameFAQs and GameSpot, from ViacomCBS in 2020.

Fandom acquisition

Fandom acquired various properties, including GameFAQs and GameSpot, from Red Ventures in October 2022.

Content

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Growth of FAQs hosted (1995-2012)

All of the guides and walkthroughs on GameFAQs are contributed by volunteers. Most of the FAQs are not actually lists of frequently asked questions; instead, they cover aspects of gameplay in the same way as strategy guides, with walkthroughs, item lists, maps, and puzzle solutions. Nearly all of the FAQs hosted on the site are in plain text, though GameFAQs does also accept stand-alone images, such as maps, diagrams, and puzzle solutions. From December 2009, formatted guides which allow authors to use mark-up loosely based on Wiki markup in the document were being accepted. In addition to FAQs, contributors can also submit reader reviews, cheat codes, developer credits, game release data, game saves, screenshots, and images of game boxes. In 2006, the site hosted over 36,000 guides. By February 2009, over 49,000 guides were hosted on the site and over 113,194 reviews. As of 2012, this had increased to over 56,000 guides for 21,639 unique games.

When an author submits something to GameFAQs, it is screened by an administrator before being posted on the site. The author retains the copyright on the submitted material, and their name is added to the site's "Contributor Recognition" section. GameFAQs agrees to host the guide only on their servers but does allow other affiliates to link directly to the guides (including GameSpot, Yahoo! Games, AOL, and GameFly).

GameFAQs features several ongoing contributor contests, including FAQ of the Month, Review of the Month, and numerous "FAQ Bounties," which reward contributors who submit FAQs for uncovered, high-demand games. The FOTM and ROTM contests are generally picked from comprehensive, complete guides or reviews for new games. Winners are sent a gift certificate for an online retailer or can opt for a mailed gift card upon contest entry.

In 2004, Future Network USA published two commercial strategy guides with material from GameFAQs: The Ultimate Xbox Strategy Guide and The Ultimate PS2 Strategy Guide. These guides were composed of FAQs written by contributors on GameFAQs.

Message boards

Every game listed on GameFAQs has its own message board, where both novice and experienced gamers can discuss game strategies and other game-related topics. After the redesign of May 2004, the game boards with enforced topicality were shared with the GameSpot community (another CBS Interactive website). Certain popular games may have additional boards for social discussion. Game-specific boards for certain older consoles do not have topicality rules and are often claimed for social discussion—these are referred to as "secret" or "dead" boards. Every system also has a general board for discussing hardware and upcoming games.

GameFAQs has boards made purely for the purpose of socializing, some that cater to special interests (such as Anime, TV, Music, and Pro Wrestling), and some purely for users from a particular region (e.g., United Kingdom, Australia/New Zealand). GameFAQs also has boards for official announcements, contributor discussion, contest discussion, suggestions, and site help.

The custom-made GameFAQs Message Boards coded by Veasey began operation on November 7, 1999. Although the original purpose of the board system was to facilitate game discussion, other board categories have been added since the boards opened. Every day, approximately 20,000 topics and 200,000 messages are posted on GameFAQs' 60,000+ individual boards, and on November 7, 2006, there were more than 100,000 accounts actively in use. During October 2009, there was an average of 84,853 unique logins a day.

On March 23, 2012, it was announced the GameFAQs and GameSpot will once again start to separate content. On May 7, 2012, the shared GameFAQs-run message boards went read-only on GameSpot.

Features

Posts made on the message boards are mostly plain text. Some HTML mark-up is used on the boards, including bold and italics tags. The forums use a wordfilter to prevent the use of certain vulgar words, which is intended to keep the forum safe for all readers. On some boards, topics that have no new posts for a period of time are removed permanently or are locked and archived.

GameFAQs users gain one "karma" for every day they visit the boards while logged in. As karma increases, new features become available, such as the ability to post more messages per day, edit posts, and send private messages. Users can add favorite boards to a personalized list on the main boards page and can track specific topics (a feature added in 2006).

Moderators

The message boards are managed by the site's administrators and moderators. Initially, Veasey was the only administrator and therefore had full control over the boards; however, more administrators have since been appointed. Tyner, who uses the username "SBAllen" (formerly "Sailor Bacon"), was the main administrator on the boards until 2023. On May 7, 2012, Tyner announced long-time moderator Devin Morgan had been hired as another administrator; his primary role was to work on the code of the site. On September 5, 2014, Tyner also announced that long time user Stephanie Barnes (under the username Krystal109) had been hired as the site's Community Manager, which included duties such as running the site's contests and the Facebook/Twitter feeds. As of July 2015, Barnes was no longer part of the team. Allen "SBAllen" Tyner stepped down from his lead admin position in October 18, 2023. The site is currently run by Community Manager "DToast", who is the lead board admin, and Contributor Lead "ZoopSoul", who moderates data and guide submissions.

GameFAQs' moderators are volunteer users selected by the administrator and are responsible for keeping order within the message board community. Because of the size of the boards, the moderators do not patrol every board and topic. Instead, messages that break the site's Terms of Service can be "marked" by regular users, which brings them to the attention of the moderators.

References

  1. ^ Weprin, Alex (October 3, 2022). "TV Guide, Metacritic, GameSpot Acquired by Fandom in $55M Deal with Red Ventures". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  2. ^ SBAllen. "Stepping down as admin". GameFAQS. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  3. ^ SBAllen. "Announcing New Community / Contributor Leads". GameFAQS. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  4. Schofield, Jack (2000-05-11). "Games Watch". The Guardian. p. 11. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2014-05-09. Retrieved 2007-08-06. SPOnG, the Super Players Online Gamesbase, would like to become to games what the Internet Movie Database is to films. Since the IMDb is one of the world's best websites, that would be useful, though GameFAQs might be a better place to start.
  5. Pratchett, Rhianna (2003-02-06). "Web Watch". The Guardian. p. 8. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2014-09-10. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
  6. Boseley, Sarah; Michael Cross; Tom Happold; et al. (2004-12-16). "Cream of the Crop: 100 Most Useful Websites". The Guardian. p. 22. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2013-06-30. Retrieved 2007-08-06. GameFAQs lists game player-created walkthroughs, plus links to cheats, reviews and previews
  7. Davidson, Neil (2003-03-11). "Online Site Fort Knox of Video-Game Hints". Windsor Star. The Canadian Press. p. 15. Archived from the original on 2021-07-10. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
  8. "Internet Capsule Review". Entertainment Weekly. 2000-02-04. Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2007-01-24.
  9. "GameFAQs.com". Traffic Details from Alexa. Alexa Internet. Archived from the original on 2014-05-29. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  10. ^ "What Is GameFAQs?". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
  11. ^ Totilo, Stephen (2006-01-24). "Meet the Man Who'll Make You a Smooth Criminal in San Andreas". MTV. Archived from the original on 2016-04-10. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
  12. Andy Eddy's archive was formerly located at ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/vi/vidgames/faqs
  13. Veasey, Jeff (2005-04-29). "The Great GameFAQs Q&A". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on 2018-02-10. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  14. Veasey, Jeff (2005-11-05). "10 Years. Wow". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on 2018-02-10. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  15. ^ Interview with Jeff Veasey. The Gaming Files. Cobleskill, New York: WXBH AM-1190. 2002-03-02. Archived from the original on 2002-06-07.
  16. "VGFA on flex.net". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on 2001-07-23. Retrieved 2006-09-21.
  17. ^ "Video Game FAQ Archive". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on 1996-12-23. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
  18. "GameFAQs (tables)". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on 1997-02-18. Retrieved 2006-09-19.
  19. "GameFAQs". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on 1997-02-18. Retrieved 2006-09-19.
  20. Tyner, Allen (2018-02-06). "Domain change complete & login improvements". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
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