Walkthrough

The gaming community is a big and harsh group. There are so many clashes you can have against one group but be united on one issue then disagree on another. This can range from which console brand you back, or what is considered a good game. One of the things that really gets people's backup is using a guide or walkthrough.

I don't know why this get so many people so upset or look down on people who use them. It’s an interesting issue. I understand games are meant to be challenging, so you must use your mind to figure out where you're meant to go. Sometimes that can be a real challenge for some people. It could because they missed something, a glitch or something might be missing if a game is second hand. Sometimes people need a little help on where they need to go. 

Some see this as cheating, as you are getting help and getting handheld towards the end goal. I've seen arguments of ‘if you're not smart enough to figure out what you should be playing the game.’ I don't know if I agree with this, as sometimes you can get past one thing, then just hit a wall, because one part might have a major difficulty spike. While sometimes I do think, therefore I don't play certain games. 

When I think about games in the late nighties, there are a handful of games I've seen people play and never been aware of how I would go about figuring them out. Games like Metal Gear Solid, and Tomb Raider. As good as these games are, I never played a lot of them as they seemed way too complex for me back then. Even now as an adult I think a lot of these games I would need help every now and then because it is a real challenge. 

This is what has led me to challenge myself more recently. I have thought about some of those games which I found challenging to see if I could complete them using my current intellect. I did revisit Tomb Raider 2 recently and I was able to do a lot of it by myself. However, a lot of the reason why I did go far is I had seen people do it before, so I am aware of what is being asked of me. 

Like everyone in the late nighties I was a big Pokémon fan, and to this day I am yet to complete a game. I have learned long ago that RPG's aren’t my thing, I respect them, but I can't play them. That's why when a few years ago I got Let's Go Pikachu I knew I would need help to get through the game. Which is why I hunted down the official guide to help me through it. I did it not because I did want to try at all. I need it so if I had an issue it would be right in front of my face and I could have it open and know all the secrets I might miss. My main reason why I did it is, the game is based on the original game, and I remember that being a struggle at parts. However, back then I didn’t really complete the game, as large parts of the game were done for me, since I got lost so often.

I see using a guide sometimes as cheating, which is messed up. Sometimes even when I'm playing and I get stuck for a long while, I must fight the urge to look up how to do it. What's even worse is sometimes I hate the idea that I'm doing it. Even though I only know what I've done. When I heavily rely on a guide it cheapens the victory unless it's a game I'm really not enjoying. I don't know where this psychology comes from, but I think it comes more from the community.

It's strange we have come to the point in time where using a guide is seen as being bad. When Nintendo used to have a hotline to call when you were stuck. Gaming magazines used to sell because they contained a full walkthrough at the fraction of the price of the original guide. Thanks to the internet it has become easier to find help with a text-based guide, video walkthroughs and high-resolution pictures. Yet with all these tools are at our fingertips, yet some still see it as something vile. It shocks me when I watch YouTube videos and people have say ‘don't @ me’ when they mention a guide they used. 

Going forward I’m going to try my best to not use a guide, but if I do get stuck, I will use the guide to help me get through. This does mean I suck at video games; it just means I need help. Just like asking a friend how to do something, it should be accepted, and something we should be ashamed or embarrassed about.