PCGamingWiki

Last updated

PCGamingWiki
PCGamingWiki logo.svg
Screenshot
PCGamingWiki screenshot.png
Screenshot of the PCGamingWiki main page on 19 April 2022
Type of business Private limited Company [1]
Type of site
Internet encyclopedia
Available in British English
Headquarters London, England, UK
OwnerPCGamingWiki Ltd [1]
Founder(s) Andrew Tsai [2]
IndustryPC games
URL www.pcgamingwiki.com
RegistrationOptional
Users 300+ active users [3]
35,000+ registered users
Launched9 February 2012;12 years ago (2012-02-09) [2]
Current statusActive
Content licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

The PCGamingWiki is a British-based [1] collaboratively edited free wiki internet encyclopaedia focused on collecting video game behaviour data (such as save locations and startup parameters), to optimising gameplay, and fixing issues found in PC games. Intended fixes and optimisations range from simple cut-scene removals, to modifications that allow for wide-screen resolutions, and more. The wiki site runs on MediaWiki software, and was created by Andrew Tsai, [2] [4] a British businessman from London, England. [1] The site was founded on 9 February 2012;12 years ago. [2] As of October 2022, the PCGamingWiki has more than 30,000 registered users, and 48,000 content pages. [3] Since its inception, the PCGamingWiki has been featured on numerous gaming focused websites, including Kotaku, Destructoid, and Rock Paper Shotgun. [4] [5] [6] It regularly receives more than 10,000 unique page views a day.

Contents

History

The PCGamingWiki was founded on 9 February 2012;12 years ago, by Andrew Tsai, [2] who is also known under the username 'Andytizer'. Tsai was motivated to create the wiki based on his experiences with the games LA Noire and Titan Quest . [2] The wiki was mostly barren until Andrew enlisted the help of users on the website Reddit. [2]

On 11 April 2012, Tsai attempted to Kickstart the PCGamingWiki with a goal of $60,000. The project ended on 12 May 2012, failing to complete its goal and only earning $2,736. [7] On 19 December 2012 the project was put on Kickstarter again, this time with a goal of £500. This was much more successful, ending on 20 January 2013 with more than 400% funding. [8]

On 24 December 2012, the PCGamingWiki forums were created with help from user JRWR. [9] The forums are used to discuss articles, improvements, fix problems, and report bugs. As of March 2014, there have been 3374 posts to the forums.

On 26 March 2013, Andrew Tsai announced a new section of the PCGamingWiki network entitled The Port Report. [10] The Port Report would function in a similar way to the, then recently defunct, Port Authority section of GameSpy. The Port Report would focus on video games ported from video game console to PC, and judge them based on their technical prowess, rather than story or gameplay. Based on similar concepts from the wiki, The Port Report allows anyone to submit articles for publishing.

On 29 November 2014, a Patreon funding campaign with the goal of supporting the website was launched. [11]

In April 2020, the wiki launched new categories to track a game's monetisation model, including the types of microtransactions present. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steam (service)</span> Video game digital distribution service

Steam is a video game digital distribution service and storefront managed by Valve. It was launched as a software client in September 2003 to provide game updates automatically for Valve's games and expanded to distributing third-party titles in late 2005. Steam offers various features, like game server matchmaking with Valve Anti-Cheat measures, social networking, and game streaming services. Steam client's functionality include game update automation, cloud storage for game progress, and community features such as direct messaging, in-game overlay and a virtual collectable marketplace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adventure Game Studio</span>

Adventure Game Studio (AGS) is an open source development tool primarily used to create graphic adventure games. It is aimed at intermediate-level game designers, and combines an integrated development environment (IDE) with a scripting language based on the C programming language to process game logic.

EA, also known as EA Desktop and formerly known as Origin, is a digital distribution platform for Microsoft Windows and macOS, developed by Electronic Arts for purchasing and playing video games. In October 2022, Origin for Windows was discontinued, directing players to the EA App, with the macOS version remaining as the primary method for users to download and play EA games on that platform.

Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain additional revenue from a title after it has been purchased, often using some type of microtransaction system.

<i>Garrys Mod</i> 2006 video game

Garry's Mod is a 2006 sandbox game developed by Facepunch Studios and published by Valve. The base game mode of Garry's Mod has no set objectives and provides the player with a world in which to freely manipulate objects. Other game modes, notably Trouble in Terrorist Town and Prop Hunt, are created by other developers as mods and are installed separately, by means such as the Steam Workshop. Garry's Mod was created by Garry Newman as a mod for Valve's Source game engine and released in December 2004, before being expanded into a standalone release that was published by Valve in November 2006. Ports of the original Windows version for Mac OS X and Linux followed in September 2010 and June 2013, respectively. As of September 2021, Garry's Mod has sold more than 20 million copies. A successor, Sandbox, has been in development since 2015.

GamersGate AB is a Sweden-based online video game store offering electronic strategy guides and games for Windows, macOS, and Linux via direct download. It is a competitor to online video game services such as Steam, GOG.com, and Direct2Drive.

An unofficial patch, sometimes alternatively called community patch, is a patch for a piece of software, created by a third party such as a user community without the involvement of the original developer. Similar to an ordinary patch, it alleviates bugs or shortcomings. Unofficial patches do not usually change the intended usage of the software, in contrast to other third-party software adaptions such as mods or cracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ubisoft Connect</span> Video game service by Ubisoft

Ubisoft Connect is a digital distribution, digital rights management, multiplayer and communications service developed by Massive Entertainment to provide an experience similar to the achievements/trophies offered by various other game companies. The service is provided across various platforms. Ubisoft Connect is used exclusively by first-party Ubisoft Entertainment games, and although some third-party ones are sold through the Ubisoft store, they do not use the Ubisoft Connect platform.

<i>Ace of Spades</i> (video game) 2012 video game

Ace of Spades was a 2012 first-person shooter and voxel-based sandbox video game developed and published by Jagex. Originally created by Ben Aksoy and released as a prototype in April 2011, the game was acquired by Jagex in 2012 and fully released in December that year. Following poor reception and several minor downloadable content package releases, the game was shut down in March 2019.

<i>Terraria</i> 2011 video game

Terraria is a 2011 action-adventure sandbox game developed by Re-Logic. The game was first released for Windows and has since been ported to other PC and console platforms. The game features exploration, crafting, building, painting, and combat with a variety of creatures in a procedurally generated 2D world. Terraria is one of the best-selling video games of all time, selling 58.7 million copies as of 2024.

<i>Crusader Kings II</i> 2012 video game

Crusader Kings II is a grand strategy game developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive. Set in the Middle Ages, the game was released on February 14, 2012, as a sequel to 2004's Crusader Kings. On October 18, 2019, the video game became free to play. A sequel, Crusader Kings III, was released on September 1, 2020. Crusader Kings II stood out from earlier Paradox games in that it attracted a more widespread audience, contributing to the growth of the company.

<i>Europa Universalis IV</i> 2013 video game

Europa Universalis IV is a 2013 grand strategy video game in the Europa Universalis series, developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive as a sequel to Europa Universalis III (2007). The game was released on 13 August 2013 for Windows, OS X, and Linux. It is a strategy game where players can control a nation leading up to and during the early modern period - from the Late Middle Ages following the Battle of Varna (1444), the final crusade, to the Napoleonic era with the timeline finishing on 2 January 1821 to coincide with the death of Napoleon on 5 May 1821. Players navigate their nations with conducting trade, administration, diplomacy, colonization, and warfare.

Infestation: Survivor Stories was an open world zombie video game developed by Hammerpoint Interactive and published by OP Productions. Infestation: Survivor Stories features both first-person and third-person shooting perspectives. The game offers players the option of killing zombies or playing against other users (PvP).

The Dark Mod is a free and open-source software first-person stealth video game, inspired by the Thief series by Looking Glass Studios. The game provides the basic framework and tools for more than 170 fan-made missions, including several multi-mission campaigns. The Dark Mod was first released in 2009 as a total conversion mod for Doom 3. Version 2.0 was released in October 2013 as a standalone game using the open-source id Tech 4 game engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nexus Mods</span> Website for sharing computer game modifications

Nexus Mods is a website that hosts computer game mods and other user-created content related to video game modding. It is one of the largest gaming mod sites on the web, with 30 million registered members and 3146 supported games as of October 2024, with a single forum and a wiki for site- and mod-related topics.

<i>Stellaris</i> (video game) 2016 video game

Stellaris is a 4X grand strategy video game developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive. The game is highly inspired by the works of Stanisław Lem and contains numerous references to his works.

<i>Drawception</i> Web-based game

Drawception is a multiplayer web-based drawing and guessing game. Considered similar to the telephone game, it was created by Jeremiah Freyholtz and released as an early beta on March 24, 2012, or March 26, 2012. The game is currently owned by Blue Flame Labs, which also owns MobyGames.

Ooblets is a life simulation video game by Glumberland. It was released via early access on July 15, 2020, for Windows and Xbox One. The game launched on September 1, 2022, for Nintendo Switch, Windows, and Xbox One.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puppet Combo</span> American video game developer

Puppet Combo is an American independent video game development studio founded by Benedetto "Ben" Cocuzza in 2012 as Pig Farmer Games and based in Brooklyn. Puppet Combo's games, such as Nun Massacre (2018) and the critically acclaimed Murder House (2020), are mostly survival horror games developed solely by Cocuzza and modeled after early PlayStation games and VHS. They are also frequently inspired by 1980s horror films, specifically exploitation and slasher films. Puppet Combo primarily releases their games through Patreon and Itch.io. Cocuzza launched Torture Star Video, a video game publisher for lo-fi horror games, in 2021.

Emulators of the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo's current eighth-generation video game console, have been in development since 2017, less than a year after the console's release. Multiple emulators have been in development, the most well-known being Yuzu and Ryujinx, both now defunct. Switch emulators have been widely noted by video games journalists for the swift and significant progress of their abilities to accurately emulate the console, as they are already able to run existing and new titles for the console in a playable state, sometimes within days of their release, as well as able to run on a variety of devices, including PCs running Windows and Linux, and the Steam Deck.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "PCGamingWiki, company number 13969298". GOV.UK . England, United Kingdom: Companies House . Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ames, Adam (26 March 2012). "PCGamingWiki interview with Andrew Tsai". True PC Gaming. Archived from the original on 24 April 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Statistics - PCGamingWiki". PCGamingWiki.com. PCGamingWiki. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 Fahey, Mike (29 February 2012). "PCGamingWiki wants to solve the biggest problems with PC gaming: intimidation and confusion". Kotaku.com. Kotaku, G/O Media Inc. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  5. Duncan, Alasdair (29 April 2013). "Founder Andrew Tsai on the future of PCGamingWiki". Destructoid.com. Destructoid . Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  6. Rossignol, Jim (4 March 2012). "The Sunday Papers". www.RockPaperShotgun.com. Brighton, England: Rock Paper Shotgun, Gamer Network Limited. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  7. Tsai, Andrew (11 April 2012). "PCGamingWiki - an encyclopedia of PC game fixes" . Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  8. Tsai, Andrew (19 December 2012). "PCGamingWiki - a new game fixes project" . Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  9. Tsai, Andrew (24 December 2012). "New forums". forums.PCGamingWiki.com. PCGamingWiki. Archived from the original on 24 April 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  10. Tsai, Andrew (24 March 2013). "The Port Report - new PCGamingWiki blog". forums.PCGamingWiki.com. PCGamingWiki. Archived from the original on 3 June 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  11. "Patreon and PCGamingWiki - announcements - articles - PCGamingWiki community". 29 November 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  12. Bolding, Jonathan (20 April 2020). "A new project is tracking predatory microtransactions in games". PC Gamer. Retrieved 20 April 2022.