Video game walkthrough

A video game walkthrough is a guide aimed towards improving a player's skill within a particular video game and often designed to assist players in completing either an entire video game or specific elements. Walkthroughs may alternatively be set up as a playthrough, where players record themselves playing through a game and upload or live-stream it to the internet. Walkthroughs may be considered guides on helping to enhance the experience of players, to assist towards unlocking game achievements or simply as a means to socialise with like-minded individuals as a distraction from everyday life.

Walkthroughs originated as text-based descriptive instructions in magazines for playing through a video game. With the growth in popularity of computers and the internet, video game walkthroughs expanded to digital and video formats, with the typical average age of watchers being 23 years old and predominantly male, according to a study undertaken in Finland during 2015. Some individuals and companies have been known to earn lucrative income through the process of recording and offering guides publicly.

History

With the growth in popularity of video gaming in the early 1980s, a new genre of video game guide book emerged that anticipated walkthroughs. Written by and for gamers, books such as The Winners' Book of Video Games (1982){{cite book |title=The Winners' Book of Video Games |date=1982 |last=Kubey |first=Craig |publisher=Warner Books |isbn=0446371157 }} and How To Beat the Video Games (1982){{cite book |title=How To Beat the Video Games |date=1982 |last=Blanchet |first=Michael |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=0671453750 |others= Illustrated by R.B. Backhaus}} focused on revealing underlying gameplay patterns and translating that knowledge into mastering games. The term walk-through was used to describe step-by-step video game solutions as early as 1984 in the game guide compilation Conquering Adventure Games;{{cite book |title=Conquering Adventure Games |date=1984 |last=Townsend |first=Carl |publisher=Dilithium Press |page=116 |isbn=9780880563505}} this usage of the term was established by 1988{{cite journal |title=Keys to Solving Computer Adventure Games |url=https://archive.org/details/ST_Log_Magazine_Issue_19/page/n21/mode/2up |last=Walnum |first=Clayton |page=23 |work=ST-Log |date=May 1988 |issue=19 |publisher=L.F.P., Inc. }}{{Cite OED|term=walkthrough|id=3338019231}} and popularized with the publication of Quest for Clues,{{cite book |title=Quest for Clues |date=1988 |editor-last=Addams |editor-first=Shay |publisher=Origin Systems |isbn=0929373006 }} a collection of guides for adventure games and role-playing video games that referred to its solutions as "walkthroughs".{{cite book |chapter=48 Walkthrough |title=Debugging Game History: A Critical Lexicon |editor-last1=Lowood |editor-first1=Henry |editor-last2=Guins |editor-first2=Raiford |last=Newman |first=James |date=June 2016 |pages=513–514 |publisher=MIT Press |isbn=9780262034197}}

Video game walkthroughs were originally included in video game magazines or on text-bulletin boards,{{Cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/community/2010/05/03/complete-100-guide-to-a-walkthrough/|title=Complete 100% guide to a walkthrough|website=Venture Beat|date=4 May 2010 |language=en-US|access-date=2017-05-04}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.zam.com/article/455/a-walkthrough-the-past-interviews-with-former-writers-on-the-making-of-strategy-guides|title=A Walkthrough the Past: Interviews with Former Writers on the Making of Strategy Guides|website=ZAM|language=en|access-date=2017-05-04|archive-date=2017-04-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424070700/http://www.zam.com/article/455/a-walkthrough-the-past-interviews-with-former-writers-on-the-making-of-strategy-guides|url-status=dead}} and compiled in guide book anthologies.{{cite news |title=Stuck in a game? There's help... |last=Gutman |first=Dan |authorlink=Dan Gutman |work=Miami Herald |date=March 31, 1989 |page= 3C |department=The Electronic Home }} In the late 1980s{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/04/business/nintendo-scores-big.html|title=Nintendo Scores Big|last=Mcgill|first=Douglas C.|date=1988-12-04|work=The New York Times|access-date=2017-07-28|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|url-access=limited}} through to the mid 2000s,{{Cite web|url=http://www.rsvlts.com/2016/11/08/radical-the-nintendo-power-line-is-back-for-one-weekend-only/|title=Radical! The Nintendo Power Line Is Back For One Weekend Only|date=2016-11-08|website=The Roosevelts|access-date=2017-07-28|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729050607/http://www.rsvlts.com/2016/11/08/radical-the-nintendo-power-line-is-back-for-one-weekend-only/|archive-date=2017-07-29}} video game walkthroughs were also available through telephone 'hot-lines' in the United States.{{Cite news|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/what-was-it-be-nintendo-game-play-counselor-224289|title=What was it like to be a Nintendo game play counselor?|date=2015-11-21|access-date=2017-05-09}} In the 1980s, walkthrough anthology books were popular and lucrative alternatives to single-game hint books published by game developers, such as Infocom's InvisiClues series. Despite the rise in popularity of internet-based guides,{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/07/14/internet-killed-the-magazine-star/|title=Internet Killed The Magazine Star {{!}} TechCrunch|last=Biggs|first=John|date=14 July 2013 |access-date=2017-07-28}} text-based walkthroughs are still present today in both print and digital formats.{{Cite news|url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/further-decline-for-print-mags|title=Further decline for print mags|work=GamesIndustry.biz|access-date=2017-07-27|language=en}} Examples of print publications include strategy guides published by Prima Games, whereas text-based digital guides are hosted on gaming websites such as IGN,{{Cite web|url=http://au.ign.com/wikis|title=Game Wiki Guides, Cheats, Walkthroughs, FAQs – IGN|website=IGN|language=en|access-date=2017-05-04}} GamesRadar,{{Cite news|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/|title=GamesRadar+|work=GamesRadar|access-date=2017-05-04|language=en}} and GameFAQs,{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamefaqs.com|title=GameFAQs – Video Game Cheats, Reviews, FAQs, Message Boards, and More|website=GameFAQs|language=en|access-date=2017-05-04}} often in the form of wikis.Gerber, H. R. (2013). Fostering collaboration, cooperation, and independent reading and writing through sports video games. Voice of Youth Advocates, 36, 42–43. Until its closure by parent company Future plc, Computer and Video Games (CVG) also created and hosted digital guides on their now defunct website.

Player created digital walkthroughs are typically designed to assist other players in accomplishing certain feats within video games{{cite journal|last1=Niemeyer|first1=D. J.|last2=Gerber|first2=H. R.|title=Maker culture and Minecraft: implications for the future of learning|journal=Educational Media International|date=2015|volume=52|issue=3|pages=216–226|doi=10.1080/09523987.2015.1075103|s2cid=61572927 }}{{efn|name=note1}} and are similar to text-based or telephony-based walkthroughs, except they can also be solely for entertainment purposes.{{Cite news|url=https://www.wired.com/2016/08/why-i-watch-lets-plays/|title=Why I Watch People Play Videogames on the Internet|last=Muncy|first=Jake|date=August 21, 2016|access-date=2017-02-22|language=en-US|newspaper=WIRED}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/07/living/watching-video-games/index.html|title=Why watching video games is must-see TV|last=Dawson|first=Christopher|website=CNN|date=July 7, 2016|access-date=2017-02-22}} These digital walkthroughs are typically uploaded to video sharing websites such as YouTube or live-streamed playthroughs to media streaming sites such as Twitch. Let's Play videos are a special type of walkthrough generally more focused on entertaining rather than informing the viewer through humorous commentary given by the video's host as they complete the game.{{cite web|url=http://voices.yahoo.com/what-lets-play-4901264.html|title=What is a "Let's Play?"|last=Finniss|first=David|date=2009-11-18|publisher=Yahoo News Network|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729024203/http://voices.yahoo.com/what-lets-play-4901264.html|archive-date=2014-07-29|work=Yahoo Voices|access-date=2013-12-23}}

Format

File:Prima Games Super Mario Sunshine Official Strategy Guide magazine cover.jpg

Given there is no standardized format for the creation of text-based walkthroughs, guides exist that contain extensive examples and step-by-step instructions on how to write text-based walkthrough content.{{Cite news|url=https://levelskip.com/misc/How-to-Write-a-Video-Game-Walkthrough|title=How to Write a Video Game Walkthrough|work=LevelSkip|last=Bird|first=Matt|date=October 22, 2020|access-date=2017-05-04|language=en}} Prima Games and Computer and Video Games have produced walkthroughs. Prima Games produces official, dedicated text-based video game walkthroughs and strategy guides for a variety of video games in both print and digital formats.{{Cite web|url=https://www.primagames.com|title=Prima Games {{!}} Free and premium video game guides|website=Prima Games|language=en|access-date=2017-05-04}} Computer and Video Games (CVG) published both text and video-based walkthroughs of video games on their website and official YouTube channel until their closure by Future in February 2015 in asset consolidation between various Future brands.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27486867|title=Computer and Video Games online magazine facing closure|last=Lee|first=Dave|date=2014-05-21|access-date=2017-02-21|language=en-GB|newspaper=BBC News}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-12-19-cvg-to-close|title=CVG to close|last=Yin-Poole|first=Wesley|date=2014-12-19|website=Eurogamer|language=en-UK|access-date=2017-07-26}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/483033/features/messages-from-the-editors|title=Messages from the editors|last=Robinson|first=Andy|date=2015-01-29|access-date=2017-07-28|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129031012/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/483033/features/messages-from-the-editors|archive-date=2015-01-29}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-12-19-cvg-to-close|title=CVG to close|last=Yin-Poole|first=Wesley|date=2014-12-19|website=Eurogamer|language=en-UK|access-date=2017-08-06}} IGN also creates and publishes video game walkthroughs in both text and video formats.

When it comes to video walkthroughs of games, gameplay may be recorded in multiple ways, such as through the use of screencast software, built-in recording features in some emulators or via a video capture device{{efn|name=note2}} connected to a console or another computer. Some video games also include built-in recording features, such as Grand Theft Auto V (2013),{{Cite news|url=http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/52416/introducing-the-rockstar-editor|title=Introducing the Rockstar Editor|work=Rockstar Games|access-date=2017-07-28|language=en-us}}{{Cite web|url=https://socialclub.rockstargames.com/games/gtav/tutorials/editor|title=Rockstar Games Social Club|website=Rockstar Games|language=en|access-date=2017-07-28}}{{Dead link|date=November 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} which included in-game recording and editing features in its PlayStation 4 and Xbox One re-releases, allowing players to record and edit gameplay to share with others.{{Cite news|url=http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/gaming/604565/GTA-5-Xbox-360-Rockstar-PS3-GTA-Online-PS4-update-Xbox-One|title=GTA 5: Rockstar reveal the bad news for Xbox 360 and PS3 gamers and talk future expansions|last=Jones|first=Gary|date=2015-09-11|work=Express.co.uk|access-date=2017-08-01|language=en}} Video content is typically shared over the internet via streaming, using video sharing and media streaming websites such as YouTube and Twitch, where the content has a potential audience consisting of millions of people.{{Cite news|url=https://qz.com/449161/500-million-people-are-watching-videos-of-video-games/|title=500 million people are watching videos of video games|last=Mirani|first=Leo|work=Quartz|date=July 9, 2015|access-date=2017-05-10|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2014/08/25/what-is-twich/|title=Who Wants to Watch Other People Play Video Games? Millions on Twitch|last=Stark|first=Chelsea|website=Mashable|date=25 August 2014 |access-date=2017-05-10}}

Motivations

In a study on the different motivations of walkthrough viewers conducted by Max Sjöblom and Juho Hamari from the University of Tampere in 2016, numerous viewer motivations were discussed. From the findings, the five most significant motivations were found to be improving player experience, confidence, knowledge about a particular game, socializing and creating an 'escape' or distraction from their everyday life.{{Citation|last1=Sjöblom|first1=Max|last2=Hamari|first2=Juho|date=2016-05-13|title=Why Do People Watch Others Play Video Games? An Empirical Study on the Motivations of Twitch Users|location=Rochester, NY|publisher=SSRN |doi=10.2139/ssrn.2779543 |ssrn=2779543|url=https://www.utupub.fi/handle/10024/171134 }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.sekg.net/new-world-video-games-viewers-audience/|title=A New World of Video Games: Viewers|last=Pang|first=Chirlien|date=October 28, 2016|newspaper=Sekg|access-date=2017-02-22|language=en-US}} Walkthroughs may also guide players throughout an entire game or only certain sections{{cite web|title=Injustice 2: Supergirl Gameplay Walkthrough|work=IGN|url=http://ca.ign.com/videos/2017/01/07/injustice-2-supergirl-gameplay-walkthrough-ign-first-ign-sl|language=en|access-date=2017-02-21}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} and may be guides{{Cite news|url=http://kotaku.com/5927191/the-joy-of-playing-video-games-without-actually-playing-them|title=The Joy Of Playing Video Games Without Actually Playing Them|last=Schreier|first=Jason|date=July 19, 2012|newspaper=Kotaku|access-date=2017-02-22|language=en-US}} on finding rare collectables or unlocking achievements.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ3KzJPBsAHkmIIrAv_sd_UwoA4FhdUCG|title=GTA 5 – Achievements / Trophies and Side Missions – YouTube|website=YouTube|language=en|access-date=2017-02-21}}

According to Barbara Ortutay of the Associated Press, players "not only see the live and recorded video sessions as a way to sharpen their abilities, but also as a way to interact with star players in chatrooms or simply be entertained." According to Business Insider and The Verge, viewers of this genre of video content and live streams use them not only for their entertainment value,{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/8/26/6068993/this-is-why-people-want-to-watch-other-people-play-video-games|title=This is why people want to watch other people play video games|last=McCormick|first=Rich|date=2014-08-26|website=The Verge|access-date=2017-02-22}} but also to assist with a variety of things ranging from purchasing decisions to "get[ting] better at playing games."{{Cite news|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/4-reasons-people-love-watching-video-games-online-2016-6/#1-to-get-better-at-playing-games-1|title=4 reasons people love watching video games online|last=Mulkerin|first=Tim|date=July 20, 2016|access-date=2017-02-22|language=en|newspaper=Business Insider}}*{{Cite web|url=http://houstonianonline.com/2016/11/29/why-we-watch-others-play-video-games/|title=Why We Watch Others Play Video Games|last=Mosqueda|first=Arturo|date=November 29, 2016|access-date=2017-02-22|work=The Houstonian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224132046/http://houstonianonline.com/2016/11/29/why-we-watch-others-play-video-games/|archive-date=February 24, 2017|url-status=dead}}

{{Cite news|url=https://tocaboca.com/magazine/lets-play-videos-kids/|title=Why Your Kid Loves Watching People Play Video Games on YouTube|last=Frisell|first=Carl|date=|access-date=2017-02-22|language=en-US|newspaper=Toca Boca}}

{{Cite news|url=http://www.tweentribune.com/article/tween56/watching-others-play-video-games-next-big-thing/|title=Watching others play video games the next big thing|last=Orutay|first=Barbara|date=August 28, 2014|access-date=2017-02-22|language=en|newspaper=Smithsonian Tween Tribune|via=The Associated Press}} GameRadar+ has called the watching of video game playthroughs the "Netflix of video games"{{Cite news|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/no-commentary-playthroughs-are-the-netflix-of-videogames/|title=No-commentary playthroughs are the Netflix of video games|last=Delahunty-Light|first=Zoe|date=January 20, 2017|newspaper=GamesRadar|access-date=2017-02-22|language=en}} and CNN declared the watching of video games being played by other people via videos and live streams "must-see TV".

Some video game players have been able to make a viable business model out of playing video games as both a guide and for the entertainment of viewers;Costa, D. (2017). Video Gaming for Fun and Profit. PC Magazine, 6–8. internet personalities such as TheRadBrad,{{Cite news|url=http://www.scpr.org/programs/the-frame/2014/08/29/39119/how-gamer-the-rad-brad-makes-a-living-playing-vide/|title=How gamer 'The Rad Brad' makes a living playing video games|last=Lanz|first=Michelle|date=2014-08-29|work=Southern California Public Radio|access-date=2017-07-28|language=en}} DanTDM,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-northamptonshire-26990297/dan-middleton-s-minecraft-videos-a-global-hit|title=Dan Middleton's Minecraft videos a global hit|website=BBC News|date=April 11, 2014|access-date=2017-07-27}} Chuggaaconroy{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2013/07/chuggaaconroy/|access-date=2022-02-02|magazine=Wired|title=For Chuggaaconroy, Playing Old Nintendo Games Is a Full-Time Job|last=Rigney|first=Ryan|date=July 24, 2013}} and Ali-A{{Cite news |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/these-are-the-uks-most-popular-youtube-channels-2015-10/#9-ali-a-12 |title=The 20 biggest British YouTube stars |first=Lara|last=O'Reilly|work=Business Insider |date=October 29, 2015|access-date=2022-02-02 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208030624/http://www.businessinsider.com/these-are-the-uks-most-popular-youtube-channels-2015-10#9-ali-a-12 |archive-date=8 February 2017 |language=en}} have been cited as examples of video game players who have been able to make money from creating video game walkthroughs. As a result of the influx of players uploading or streaming their content, multi-channel networks were formed in order to assist content creators in multiple areas,{{Cite web|url=https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2737059|title=Multi-Channel Network (MCN) overview for YouTube Creators – YouTube Help|website=Google|language=en|access-date=2017-07-27}} in exchange for a percentage of the advertisement revenue generated.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sitepronews.com/2013/03/08/can-a-multi-channel-network-boost-your-youtube-marketing-success/|title=Can a Multi-Channel Network Boost Your YouTube Marketing Success?|last=Davidson|first=Neil|date=2013-03-08|website=SiteProNews|access-date=2017-07-27|archive-date=2017-07-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729050716/http://www.sitepronews.com/2013/03/08/can-a-multi-channel-network-boost-your-youtube-marketing-success/|url-status=dead}}

Demographics

{{align|right|{{Graph:Chart|width=60|height=60|type=pie|legend=Viewership by income (in dollars)|x=Earning <10 000,Earning 10 000 - 29 999,Earning 30 000 - 49 999,Earning 50 000 - 69 999,Earning 70 000 - 89 000,Earning 90 000 up|y1=56.48,21.81,11.41,5.11,2.10,3.10}}}}

In February 2015, a study of video game walkthrough viewers was conducted by the University of Tampere in Finland and recruited respondents through self-selection (over 93% reported to have a Twitch account). From 1091 validated responses, the average age was approximately 23 years old, of which 92.3% were male. The majority of respondents earned less than ten thousand dollars a year with a secondary level of education. The majority of viewers have a secondary level of education (52.19%), with all other education levels tending to watch less.{{efn|name=note3}}

References

Notes

{{notelist|refs=

{{efn|name=note1|Examples of certain feats that this video content may help players accomplish are completing everything there is to do within a video game (usually involving collecting all 'achievements', also referred to as '100% game completion' in most video games), gaining specific achievements within a particular video game, demonstrating glitches within a video game and telling players how to reproduce such glitches.}}

{{efn|name=note2|Examples of video capture devices could be the line of Elgato Game Capture recording products or the Roxio Game Capture}}

{{efn|name=note3|0.18% no education, 8.67% primary level, and 38.96% upper level education}}

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