1476: Go There, Do That

One thing I’ve discovered that I quite enjoy doing with regard to writing about games is writing walkthroughs, guides and that sort of thing.

Admitting this is the sort of thing that gets me some funny looks, since writing guides and walkthroughs is often regarded as one of the lowliest jobs in the business. But I still like it — and in order to do it effectively, it does require a distinct combination of skills: the ability to write and explain things clearly being the main one.

I’m currently assembling a bunch of guides for Final Fantasy XIV with a mind to publishing them around the time of the PlayStation 4 version’s release, which is when the game is likely to see a bunch of new players trying it for the first time. I’m finding it enjoyable to write the guides for several reasons: firstly, it’s another means of writing about a game I like a whole lot, and secondly, it’s an opportunity to demonstrate my knowledge and pass on the things I’ve learned to other people. (Thirdly, it’s an opportunity for me to remind myself — or learn for the first time, in some cases — the exact details of how everything in the game works.)

Perhaps the reason I think so fondly on writing guides is the fact that it’s how I got my real start in writing for publications. (Okay, that’s not quite true — I had a couple of reviews published in an Atari enthusiast magazine when I was quite a bit younger, but that didn’t have nearly the same reach of the games press I’ve written for since.) After doing some work experience on the magazine my brother was in charge of at the time — the now sadly defunct PC Zone — I published a number of guides and walkthroughs for sprawling games such as Lands of Lore II, Final Fantasy VII and Discworld II. They were hard work to assemble and the remuneration I received for each piece probably wasn’t what it could have been, but I have fond memories of putting them together.

It also led to one of the things I’m most strangely proud of in my career: the fact I wrote a tips book for the notorious crash-and-smash game Carmageddon, which was cover-mounted on PC Zone one month and was subsequently included as a pack-in extra with Virgin Megastores’ special edition bundle pack of the game one Christmas. After that, some years after I thought I’d ever see a copy of it ever again, popular digital distribution storefront GOG.com saw fit to include a PDF version of my tips book in with their newly modernized version of this classic game. Digital immortality — and not a royalty cheque in sight, but I’m not really bitter about that.

I wonder if my enjoyment of writing tips and walkthroughs stems from the fact that when it didn’t make me want to kill myself, I actually enjoyed teaching? It’s a similar sort of skill, after all — taking a potentially complex concept and introducing it to people who may not be familiar with it at all — and thus I feel that’s a plausible explanation. If that’s the case, though, it’s perhaps a shame it’s a form of writing that’s not taken particularly seriously — although I feel the enthusiasts doing it for free over on GameFAQs are something to do with that.

Anyway. That’s my revelation for the day. I like writing walkthroughs. So there. And here’s my walkthrough for EA’s Dungeon Keeper on iPhone: 1. Press and hold the icon on your home screen. 2. Tap the “X” that appears in the corner. 3. Tap the “Delete” button.

Sorry, couldn’t resist.