History Main / Walkthrough

A walkthrough is a document or other work that shows how to play through a game and win. Thanks to the internet, websites such as the popular Website/GameFAQs will provide walkthroughs of all stripes for players to peruse, from just collectibles all the way to full 100% walkthroughs that cover everything. Many gaming news sites such as [=IGN=] and Polygon also have dedicated walkthrough sections of their own, often supplemented with images and even videos. With the rise of Website/YouTube, video-only walkthroughs can be done by using a capture card (or even the console's internal capture software) to record the gameplay as a video file.

While the general consensus is that you should not ''constantly'' use a walkthrough while playing a game, there are no doubt numerous examples of games, especially of the classic adventure genre, that had maybe less than 1% of their players never once resorting to a walkthrough in order to beat them. It doesn't help that quite a few developers, most notably {{Creator/Sierra}}, actually ''encouraged'' gamers to buy official guide books to their [[MoonLogicPuzzle their insanely difficult games]], making even some hardcore anti-walkthrough fans question whether using a walkthrough can even be considered cheating in these circumstances.

A walkthrough is a document or other work that shows how to play through a game and win. Thanks to the internet, websites such as the popular Website/GameFAQs will provide walkthroughs of all stripes for players to peruse, from just collectibles all the way to full 100% walkthroughs that cover everything. Many gaming news sites such as {{IGN}} and Polygon also have dedicated walkthrough sections of their own, often supplemented with images and even videos. With the rise of Website/YouTube, video-only walkthroughs can be done by using a capture card (or even the console's internal capture software) to record the gameplay as a video file.

A walkthrough is a document that shows how to play through a game and win. With the rise of Website/YouTube, walkthroughs can be done by showing the actual gameplay by using a screen cam to capture the video sent to the screen as a film.

As opposed to a StrategyGuide, a walkthrough is generally more frank in terms of letting you know what you should do and where you should go. While walkthroughs can get very lengthy, their biggest advantage is they can be collaborated on, continually updated, and are absolutely free.

The use of walkthroughs is a controversial topic among gamers. Some gamers equate them to using cheat codes and believe they essentially mar the experience, while others have no qualms about using them quite liberally, having the guide sitting right next to them, reading it as they play. Most gamers fall into some sort of middle ground. Many only resort to walkthroughs when they are ''really'' stuck, or when completing {{sidequest}}s, simply because in many games, they can be obtuse or well-hidden enough to all but [[GuideDangIt require the use of a guide]].

Those concerned about spoilers can sometimes find walkthroughs that are vague in a quirky way and provide the most basic information, often dubbed "spoiler-free walkthroughs." Expect turns of phrase like "a scene will occur". The [[http://www.uhs-hints.com UHS website]] provides a useful middle ground, allowing the reader to progressively expose more and more detail.

One very popular source for walkthroughs is Website/GameFAQs.

Compare LetsPlay for a game run with additional commentary and to playthrough which is a casual strolling through the game.

The use of walkthroughs is a controversial topic among gamers. Some gamers equate them to using cheat codes and believe they essentially mar the experience, while others have no qualms about using them quite liberally, having the guide sitting right next to them, reading it as they play. Most gamers fall into some sort of middle ground. Many only resort to walkthroughs when they are really, ''really'' stuck, or when completing {{sidequest}}s, simply because in many games, they can be obtuse or well-hidden enough to all but [[GuideDangIt require the use of a guide.]]

The use of walkthroughs is a controversial topic among gamers. Some gamers equate them to using cheat codes and believe they essentially mar the experience, while others have no qualms about using them quite liberally, having the guide sitting right next to them, reading it as they play. Most gamers fall into some sort of middle ground. Many only resort to walkthroughs when they are really, ''really'' stuck, or when completing {{sidequest}}s, simply because in most games, they make you go "GuideDangIt!" While the general consensus is that you should not ''constantly'' use a walkthrough while playing a game, there are no doubt numerous examples of games, especially of the classic adventure genre, that had maybe less than 1% of their players never once resorting to a walkthrough in order to beat them. It doesn't help that quite a few developers, most notably {{Creator/Sierra}}, actually ''encouraged'' gamers to buy official guide books to their [[MoonLogicPuzzle their insanely difficult games]], making even some hardcore anti-walkthrough fans question whether using a walkthrough can even be considered cheating in these circumstances.

Those concerned with spoilers can sometimes find walkthroughs that are vague in a quirky way and provide the most basic information, often dubbed "spoiler-free walkthroughs." Expect turns of phrase like "a scene will occur". The [[http://www.uhs-hints.com UHS website]] provides a useful middle ground, allowing the reader to progressively expose more and more detail.

The use of walkthroughs is a controversial topic among gamers. Some gamers equate them to using cheat codes and believe they essentially mar the experience, while others have no qualms about using them quite liberally, having the guide sitting right next to them, reading it as they play. Most gamers fall into some sort of middle ground. Many only resort to walkthroughs when they are really, ''really'' stuck, or when completing {{sidequest}}s, simply because in most games, they make you go "GuideDangIt!" While it is general consensus that you should not ''constantly'' use a walkthrough while playing a game, there are no doubt numerous examples of games, especially of the classic adventure genre, that had maybe less than 1% of their players never once resorting to a walkthrough in order to beat them. It doesn't help that quite a few developers, most notably {{Creator/Sierra}}, actually ''encouraged'' gamers to buy official guide books to their [[MoonLogicPuzzle their insanely difficult games]], making even some hardcore anti-walkthrough fans question whether using a walkthrough can even be considered cheating in these circumstances.

As opposed to a StrategyGuide, a walkthrough is generally more frank about letting you know which items you should use or which direction you should go in and in what order regardless of the plot. While walkthroughs can get very lengthy, their biggest advantage is they can be collaborated on, continually updated, and are absolutely free.

As opposed to a StrategyGuide, a walkthrough is generally more frank about letting you know which items or directions you should go in and in what order regardless of the plot. When all text, walkthroughs can also get very lengthy and boring, but their biggest advantage is they can be collaborated on, continually updated, and are absolutely free.

The use of walkthroughs is a controversial topic among gamers. Some gamers equate them to using cheat codes and believe they essentially mar the experience, while others have no qualms about using them quite liberally, having the guide sitting right next to them, reading it as they play. Most gamers fall into some sort of middle ground. Many only resort to walkthroughs when they are really, ''really'' stuck, or when completing {{sidequest}}s, simply because in most games, they make you go "GuideDangIt!" While it is general consensus that you should not ''constantly'' use a walkthrough while playing a game, there are no doubt numerous examples of games, especially of the classic adventure genre, that had maybe less than 1% of their players never once resorting to a walkthrough in order to beat them. It doesn't help that quite a few developers, most notably {{Creator/Sierra}}, actually ''encouraged'' gamers to buy official guide books to their [[MoonLogicPuzzle insanely difficult]] products, making even some hardcore anti-walkthrough fans question whether using a walkthrough can even be considered cheating in these circumstances.

Those concerned with spoilers can sometimes find walkthroughs that are vague in a quirky way and provide the most basic information, often dubbed "spoiler-free walkthroughs." Expect turns of phrase like "a scene will occur". The [[http://www.uhs-hints.com UHS web site]] provides a useful middle ground, allowing the reader to progressively expose more and more detail.

One very popular source for walkthroughs is Website/GameFAQs web site.

Compare LetsPlay for a video game run with additional commentary and to Playthrough which is a casual strolling through the game.

Compare LetsPlay for a videogame run with additional commentary and to Playthrough which is a casual strolling through the game.

One very popular source for walkthroughs is {{GameFAQs}} web site.

Essentially, a walkthrough is a document that shows how to play through a game and win. With the rise of Website/YouTube, walkthroughs can be done by showing the actual gameplay by using a screen cam to capture the video sent to the screen as a film.

The use of walkthroughs is a controversial topic among gamers. Some gamers equate them to using cheat codes and believe they essentially mar the experience, while others have no qualms about using them quite liberally, having the guide sitting right next to them, reading it as they play. Most gamers fall into some sort of middle ground. Many only resort to walkthroughs when they are really, ''really'' stuck, or when completing {{sidequest}}s, simply because in most games, they make you go "GuideDangIt!"