I love Wiki pages for video games, but is it cheating to use them?

[Beach_Sided]

When I play video game RPGs I find myself referring to the Wiki pages for those games quite a lot. So much so that I do wonder how I ever finished games in the past without them.

It started around 2 years or so ago with Fallout 3, and having only just bought 'Oblivion' (yes, I know, "late") I am currently basically playing the game on my 360 with my laptop next to me on the Wiki page.

These pages mean I find things I would never find otherwise, solve quests I would probably never solve otherwise, and basically help me through games I may potentially never finish otherwise.

But is this cheating?

 

[Xpwn3ntial]

It is not cheating, it is using resources.

Will you be looked down upon? Probably.
Are you violating rules of the game? No.

 

[Carlston]

Not cheatings, nor would I look down on ya. As I see the Prima guides now a extra 30 dollar leech to every game.

Can't beat our amazingly short game? Buy the 30 dollar guide. That way you'll be done in a week and buy another new game from us!

Bah.

 

[Phlakes]

I use the Pokemon wiki all the damn time when I'm playing it. I like to look up stats for moves and things, and when I'll learn certain moves, just so I don't screw up too badly.

 

[KefkaCultist]

Whether its cheating or not all depends on your view of it since it isn't harming anyone else.

I personally don't consider it cheating if it isn't constantly used. For example: I used the mass effect wiki for Mass Effect 1's planet maps and certain missions, but didn't use it for every little thing in the game.

If someone is following a wiki or strategy guide step by step so that its essentially someone playing the game for you then I consider it cheating in a way because you cheat yourself from the experience.

But as I said, its all how you view it.

 

[gigastar]

No a wiki is pretty much a resource.

I never would have figured out what half the orange guns in Borderlands do if it wasnt for the Borderlands Wiki.

Also i tend to miss things alot. Wiki's help to point those out.

 

[Goofguy]

I think it's a good resource to use concurrently to playing a game. I, myself, draw the line on plot spoilers and the like with most of my Wiki usage being involved in researching weapons and items in RPGs. However, during those parts where you have to make a pivotal choice, I like to read the Wiki AFTER I've played that segment to see what the alternatives to my choice would have produced.

 

[Risingblade]

Nope using guides isn't cheating, it does cheapen the experience in some cases though

 

[Weaver]

In RPGs like you mentioned I'll sometimes look up options for dialogues with many branching paths and conclusions. For instance in New Vegas there is a power plant and you have 5 options of what you want to do with it. Instead of saving and trying all 5 out I'll just look up what they do so I can get a better understanding of the repercussions.

Is it cheap? I guess so, but often in games like this what can seem like an innocent choice (especially in dialogue) can have entirely undesired effects. As such I sometimes feel unfair things can happen. Like you spend an hour or two doing a quest only to find out it drops the respect of some unrelated faction for some entirely unknown reason.

 

[Xrysthos]

In my opinion it's not cheating, nor should it be looked down upon, seeing as it'll help you enjoy the game more, and might point out interesting details that you would otherwise have missed. Try making sense of Minecraft without watching tutorials or without reading the Wiki

 

[Logic 0]

It's not cheating since your not actually breaking any of the game's rules.

 

[mjc0961]

Nah. First off, you're playing alone, so your actions aren't harming other players anyway. And second, cheating would be more along the lines of opening the console and maxing out your stats at the start of the game and giving yourself infinite money along with the best weapons. Using a wiki is just basically using a walkthrough: some people will look down on you for doing it, but if you feel you're enjoying the game more by using it so you don't miss anything in such a massive game, then go for it. Again, it's single player, so you aren't hurting anyone else, so even if someone does raise a stink about your actions, juts ignore them.

 

[ZeLunarian]

I'm gonna say outright that I think because of abuse of these guides my experience of Oblivion (I was pretty late playing it too tbh) was severely cheapened. In retrospect I can imagine getting faaar more immersed in that game.

Started after a couple of playthroughs on Fallout3. Then I was hooked; like crack. And basically had the wikia tell me how to do everything instead of leaving me figure it out and be surprised with the results.

For NewVegas I refer to it for help getting over bugs. Especially when Dead Money first came out... ... ...

I'd recommend going at games blind for first plays. Improves immersion by leaving mystery.

I'm gonna go at Pokemon B/W as blind as possible with only knowledge from previous games to help me through. Looking forward to not having a clue what's going on I am.
Also waiting till April 20th for added effect on my poor brain.

 

[Zakarath]

Honestly, all that matters is if it improves the experience for you. I tend not to, as I prefer to play the game and see and find things for myself, at least on my first playthrough. I used to rely heavily on guides, but I stopped using them when I found that I had more fun without the training wheels, as it were.

 

[Wayneguard]

hell no. UESPwiki is how you REALLY play elder scrolls games.

 

[SloshedUberman]

In my opinion, the first playthrough should be done without the wiki. Then, on later playthroughs, the wiki helps you find all the cool side quests and awesome bits of equipment you wouldn't normally find.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

When I play video game RPGs I find myself referring to the Wiki pages for those games quite a lot. So much so that I do wonder how I ever finished games in the past without them.

It started around 2 years or so ago with Fallout 3, and having only just bought 'Oblivion' (yes, I know, "late") I am currently basically playing the game on my 360 with my laptop next to me on the Wiki page.

These pages mean I find things I would never find otherwise, solve quests I would probably never solve otherwise, and basically help me through games I may potentially never finish otherwise.

But is this cheating?

Guide action here and there isn't bad. Not like you are inserting cheats that directly alter gameplay.

 

[DustyDrB]

I don't use them for spoilers. I use them like spreadsheets. For RPGs, it's nice to have all the information there to compare for armor and weapon stats.