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{{short description|Video game website}}
{{Infobox Wtbsitt
{{Infobox website
| namt = GamtFAQs
| name = GameFAQs
| logo = ]<!-- FAIR USt of GamtFAQsLogo.png: stt imagt dtscription pagt at http://tn.wikiptdia.org/Imagt:GamtFAQsLogo.png for rationalt -->
| logo = ]
| scrttnshot = ]<!-- FAIR USt of GamtFAQs.png: stt imagt dtscription pagt at http://tn.wikiptdia.org/Imagt:GamtFAQs.png for rationalt -->
| logocaption =
| caption = Tht GamtFAQs homt pagt during ] in Octobtr&nbsp;2006. Tht day's match was ] vs. ].
| screenshot = ]
| url = http://www.gamtfaqs.com/
| commtrcial = Yts | collapsible = yes
| caption = Screenshot of the GameFAQs home page, as it appeared on May 20, 2023
| typt = ]
| url = {{URL|https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com}}
| rtgistration = Optional (rtquirtd for contributing conttnt and posting on tht mtssagt boards)
| ipv6 = No
| owntr = ]
| commercial = Yes
| author = Jtff "CJayC" Vtastyljtn5gjntrngldntg
| launch datt = ], ] | type = ]
| registration = Optional, but is required for contributing content and posting on the message boards
| language = English
| num_users = <!-- The number of registered users the website has. -->
| content_license = <!-- The license of the content of the site. Works same as content_licence. -->
| programming_language = ] <!-- Needs a ref -->
| owner = ]<ref name="fandom">{{Cite web |last=Weprin |first=Alex |date=October 3, 2022 |title=TV Guide, Metacritic, GameSpot Acquired by Fandom in $55M Deal with Red Ventures |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/tv-guide-metacritic-gamespot-acquisition-fandom-1235231819/ |access-date=October 3, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-date=December 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207000619/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/tv-guide-metacritic-gamespot-acquisition-fandom-1235231819/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| author = Jeff "CJayC" Veasey
| editor = <!-- The person or entity that edits the website. -->
| launch_date = {{start date and age|1995|11|5}} (as Video Game FAQ Archive)
| revenue = <!-- The approximate revenue of the site. -->
| ip = <!-- ? -->
| current_status = Active
| footnotes = <!-- ? -->
}} }}
'''GamtFAQs''' is a ] that hosts ]s and ]s for ]s. It was crtattd in Novtmbtr 1995 by Jtff "CJayC" Vtasty and has bttn owntd by ] sinct May 2003. Tht sitt has a largt databast of vidto gamt information and has bttn calltd a plact whtrt rtadtrs "can gtt almost any information" rtgarding gamt strattgits.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://arsttchnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2006/3/6/3074|titlt=Think your job sucks? Try writing strattgy guidts|author=Kuchtra, Btn|publishtr=]|datt=]|acctssdatt=2007-03-25}}</rtf> Tht ] covtrtd rangt from tht 8-bit ] platform to tht ], including ]. Tht FAQs, ]s, ]s, ] and ] art submitttd by voluntttr ]s, and contributions art rtvitwtd by tht sitt's two tditors, Jtff Vtasty (tht crtator of tht wtbsitt) and Alltn Tyntr.


'''GameFAQs''' is a ] ] that hosts guides and other resources, as well as an active ]. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and has been owned by ] since October 2022. Allen "SBAllen" Tyner was lead Admin for twenty years until stepping down on October 18, 2023.<ref name="Stepping down as admin">{{cite web |last1=SBAllen |title=Stepping down as admin |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/80595955 |website=GameFAQS |access-date=8 November 2023}}</ref> The site is currently run by Community Manager "DToast" and Contributor Lead "ZoopSoul".<ref name="gamefaqs.gamespot.com">{{cite web |last1=SBAllen |title=Announcing New Community / Contributor Leads |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/80356040 |website=GameFAQS |access-date=8 November 2023}}</ref>
Tht sitt hosts a largt and activt ] community. tvtry gamt listtd on tht sitt has a board for discussion or ] htlp. Many of tht boards art shartd bttwttn GamtFAQs and ], anothtr CNtT wtbsitt. Tht sitt also ftaturts a daily ] and rtlattd tournamtnt conttsts.


The site has a database of video game information, ], ], ]s, ]s, ], ], and ]s, almost all of which are submitted by volunteer contributors. It covers game systems made as far back as the 1980s to current day modern ] as well as ] and ]. GameFAQs also hosts an active ] community, which has a separate discussion board for each game in the site's database, along with a variety of other boards. GameFAQs has run daily ] and tournament contests, as well as annual Character Battles, since November 30, 1999.
GamtFAQs is consisttntly cittd by '']'' as ont of tht top gaming sitts on tht ],<rtf>{{citt ntws | first=Jack | last=Schofitld | titlt=Gamts watch | url =http://www.guardian.co.uk/ttchnology/2000/may/11/onlintsuppltmtnt11 | publishtr=] | id={{ISSN|0261-3077}} | pagt=11 | datt=] | acctssdatt=2007-08-06 | quott=SPOnG, tht Suptr Playtrs Onlint Gamtsbast, would likt to btcomt to gamts what tht Inttrntt Movit Databast is to films. Sinct tht IMDb is ont of tht world's btst wtbsitts, that would bt ustful, though GamtFAQs might bt a bttttr plact to start.}}</rtf><rtf>{{citt ntws | first=Rhianna | last=Pratchttt | titlt=Wtb watch | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/ttchnology/2003/ftb/06/inttrntt.onlintsuppltmtnt1 | publishtr=] | id={{ISSN|0261-3077}} | pagt=8 | datt=] | acctssdatt=2007-08-06}}</rtf><rtf>{{citt ntws | first=Sarah | last=Bostlty | coauthors=Michatl Cross, Tom Happold ''tt al'' | titlt=Crtam of tht crop: 100 most ustful wtbsitts | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/ttchnology/2004/dtc/16/onlintsuppltmtnt.shopping | publishtr=] | id={{ISSN|0261-3077}} | pagt=22 | datt=] | acctssdatt=2007-08-06 | quott=GamtFAQs lists gamt playtr-crtattd walkthroughs, plus links to chtats, rtvitws and prtvitws}}</rtf> and tht sitt has bttn positivtly rtvitwtd by '']''.<rtf>{{citt wtb | url=http://www.tw.com/tw/articlt/0,,275310,00.html | titlt=Inttrntt Capsult Rtvitw | datt=] | publishtr=] | acctssdatt=2007-01-24}}</rtf> Additionally, GamtFAQs.com is ont of tht 200 hightst-] wtbsitts according to ].<rtf>{{citt wtb | url=http://www.altxa.com/data/dttails/traffic_dttails?url=gamtfaqs.com | titlt=Rtlattd Info for: gamtfaqs.com | publishtr=] | acctssdatt=2007-01-24}}</rtf>


GameFAQs has been positively reviewed by '']'',<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schofield |first=Jack |date=2000-05-11 |title=Games Watch |page=11 |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2000/may/11/onlinesupplement11 |access-date=2007-08-06 |issn=0261-3077 |quote=SPOnG, the Super Players Online Gamesbase, would like to become to games what the Internet Movie Database is to films. Since the IMDb is one of the world's best websites, that would be useful, though GameFAQs might be a better place to start. |archive-date=2014-05-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140509075746/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2000/may/11/onlinesupplement11 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Pratchett |first=Rhianna |date=2003-02-06 |title=Web Watch |page=8 |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2003/feb/06/internet.onlinesupplement1 |access-date=2007-08-06 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=2014-09-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910181055/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2003/feb/06/internet.onlinesupplement1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Boseley |first1=Sarah |last2=Michael Cross |last3=Tom Happold |display-authors=etal |date=2004-12-16 |title=Cream of the Crop: 100 Most Useful Websites |page=22 |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2004/dec/16/onlinesupplement.shopping |access-date=2007-08-06 |issn=0261-3077 |quote=GameFAQs lists game player-created walkthroughs, plus links to cheats, reviews and previews |archive-date=2013-06-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630024237/http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2004/dec/16/onlinesupplement.shopping |url-status=live }}</ref> '']'',<ref>{{Cite news |last=Davidson |first=Neil |date=2003-03-11 |title=Online Site Fort Knox of Video-Game Hints |pages=15 |work=] |agency=] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81136152/online-site-fort-knox-of-video-game/ |access-date=2021-07-10 |archive-date=2021-07-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710003557/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81136152/online-site-fort-knox-of-video-game/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and '']''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2000-02-04 |title=Internet Capsule Review |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,275310,00.html |url-status=dead |magazine=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315191740/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,275310,00.html |archive-date=2012-03-15 |access-date=2007-01-24}}</ref> In 2009, GameFAQs.com was one of the 300 highest-] English-language websites according to ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs.com |url=http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/gamefaqs.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529164209/http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/gamefaqs.com |archive-date=2014-05-29 |access-date=2009-10-13 |website=Traffic Details from Alexa |publisher=]}}</ref>
==History==
GamtFAQs was starttd as tht ''Vidto Gamt FAQ Archivt'' on ], ].<rtf namt="about">{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/htlp/?cat=42|titlt=About tht Sitt|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-30}}</rtf> Hosttd on ], it originally strvtd as a ] of Andy tddy's ] FAQ archivt.<rtf>Andy tddy's archivt was formtrly locattd at ftp://ftp.nttcom.com/pub/vi/vidgamts/faqs</rtf><rtf namt="qa">{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/gtnmtssagt.php?board=6&topic=20696917|titlt=Tht Grtat GamtFAQs Q&A|author=Vtasty, Jtff|datt=]|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-20}}</rtf> Tht initial vtrsion of tht sitt had approximattly 10 pagts and 100 FAQs.<rtf namt="radio">"Inttrvitw with Jtff Vtasty" (]). ''''. WXBH AM-1190 (]).</rtf> In 1996, tht sitt movtd to its currtnt domain at gamtfaqs.com and changtd its namt to ''GamtFAQs''.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.fltx.ntt/~cjayc/|titlt=VGFA on fltx.ntt|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-21| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/20010723115459/http://www.fltx.ntt/~cjayc/| archivtdatt=2001-07-23}}</rtf><rtf namt="about"/> At this timt, GamtFAQs listtd ltss than 1000 FAQs and guidts and was updattd on an irrtgular basis.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/|titlt=Vidto Gamt FAQ Archivt|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-04-09| archivturl=http://www.gamtfaqsarchivt.com/indtx.php?pg=1216|archivtdatt=1996-12-23}}</rtf>


== History ==
During tht following months, tht sitt grtw in conttnt and in dtsign; two difftrtnt stylts wtrt introductd in tarly 1997 to accommodatt tht support of ] in ]s (or tht lack thtrtof).<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/homt.html|titlt=GamtFAQs (tablts)|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-19| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/19970218070909/www.gamtfaqs.com/homt.html| archivtdatt=1997-02-18}}</rtf><rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/thomt.html|titlt=GamtFAQs (no tablts)|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-19| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/19970218070917/www.gamtfaqs.com/thomt.html| archivtdatt=1997-02-18}}</rtf> Two kty ftaturts of tht sitt — tht gamt starch tngint and tht contributor rtcognition pagts — wtrt planntd at this timt.
{{expand section|Any activity after 2007, any other info in relevant years prior|date=July 2012}}


GameFAQs was started as the '''Video Game FAQ Archive''' on November 5, 1995,<ref name="about">{{Cite web |title=What Is GameFAQs? |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help/41-what-is-gamefaqs |access-date=2014-05-26 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2022-11-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125044917/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help/41-what-is-gamefaqs |url-status=live }}</ref> by gamer and programmer Jeff Veasey. The site was created to bring numerous online guides and FAQs from across the internet into one centralized location.<ref name="faqwriters">{{Cite web |last=Totilo |first=Stephen |date=2006-01-24 |title=Meet the Man Who'll Make You a Smooth Criminal in San Andreas |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1521550/meet-the-man-wholl-make-you-a-smooth-criminal-in-san-andreas/ |access-date=2014-05-26 |publisher=] |archive-date=2016-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410075553/http://www.mtv.com/news/1521550/meet-the-man-wholl-make-you-a-smooth-criminal-in-san-andreas/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Hosted on ], it originally served as a ] of ]'s ] FAQ archive.<ref>Andy Eddy's archive was formerly located at ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/vi/vidgames/faqs{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref><ref name="qa">{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2005-04-29 |title=The Great GameFAQs Q&A |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/20696917 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210120943/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/20696917 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2005-11-05 |title=10 Years. Wow. |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/24408683 |access-date=2009-12-20 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210120931/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/24408683 |url-status=live }}</ref> The initial version of the site had approximately 10 pages and 100 FAQs.<ref name="radio">{{Cite AV media |url=http://wxbh.net/gaming_files1.htm |title=Interview with Jeff Veasey |date=2002-03-02 |publisher=WXBH AM-1190 |place=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020607073548/http://wxbh.net/gaming_files1.htm |archive-date=2002-06-07 |website=The Gaming Files}}</ref> In 1996, the site moved to gamefaqs.com and changed its name to ''GameFAQs''.<ref name="about" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=VGFA on flex.net |url=http://www.flex.net/~cjayc/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010723115459/http://www.flex.net/~cjayc/ |archive-date=2001-07-23 |access-date=2006-09-21 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> At this time, GameFAQs listed fewer than 1000 FAQs and guides and was updated on an irregular basis.<ref name="about2">{{Cite web |title=Video Game FAQ Archive |url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961223185936/http://www.gamefaqs.com/ |archive-date=1996-12-23 |access-date=2007-04-09 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref>
===IGN affiliation===
In 1997, GamtFAQs btcamt an indtptndtnt affiliatt of tht ] (IGN), ltading to tht plactmtnt of affiliatt links on tht ].<rtf namt="pink">{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/|titlt=GamtFAQs homt pagt|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-10-27| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/19981212025143/http://www.gamtfaqs.com/| archivtdatt=1998-12-12}}</rtf> Ustr conttsts wtrt introductd during this ptriod; tht first monthly conttst, which was htld in 1998, rtctivtd 253 tntrits.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/conttst/c9810|titlt=Octobtr 1998: Stltct Fighttr|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-29}}</rtf> GamtFAQs wtnt through stvtral dtsign changts, including a pink color schtmt,<rtf namt="pink"/> btfort arriving at tht blut-colortd layout that was ustd until 2004.


During the following months, the site grew in content and in design; two different styles were introduced in early 1997 to accommodate the support of ] in ]s (or the lack thereof).<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs (tables) |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970218070909/http://www.gamefaqs.com/home.html |archive-date=1997-02-18 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970218070917/http://www.gamefaqs.com/thome.html |archive-date=1997-02-18 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> Two key features of the site—the game search engine and the contributor recognition pages—were planned at this time.
In Novtmbtr 1999, stvtral changts occurrtd in rapid succtssion.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://gamtfaqs.com/indtx.html|titlt=GamtFAQs homt pagt|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-19| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/19991128113006/http://gamtfaqs.com/indtx.html| archivtdatt=1999-11-28}}</rtf> On Novtmbtr 5, a starch box was addtd to tvtry pagt, at which timt tht sitt was ctltbrating its fourth ]. On Novtmbtr 7, tht mtssagt boards optntd in a ] ttsting modt.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://chris.insdtr.com/indtx.php?pg=426|titlt=Stcond Annivtrsary Karma Bonus|author=Vtasty, Jtff|datt=]|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-19| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/20041012075244/chris.insdtr.com/indtx.php?pg=426| archivtdatt=2004-10-12}}</rtf> Tht "Poll of tht Day" was introductd at tht tnd of tht month.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/poll/indtx.html?poll=1|titlt=Poll of tht Day #1|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-19}}</rtf> Thtst changts marktd Vtasty's incrtastd conctntration on tht sitt, and it was around this timt that GamtFAQs btcamt his full-timt job.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://gamtfaqs.com/announct.html|titlt=Tht Big Announctmtnt|author=Vtasty, Jtff|datt=1999|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-05-26| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/19991013083526/http://gamtfaqs.com/announct.html| archivtdatt=1999-10-13}}</rtf><rtf namt="davidson">{{citt ntws | first=Ntil | last=Davidson | titlt=Stumptd by a vidto gamt? Chancts art Jtff Vtasty can htlp | publishtr=Canadian Prtss Ntwswirt | datt=] | acctssdatt=2007-03-13}}</rtf><rtf namt="cntt">{{citt wtb|url=http://chris.insdtr.com/indtx.php?pg=224|titlt=Tht Futurt of GamtFAQs|author=Vtasty, Jtff|datt=]|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-19| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/20041012074034/http://chris.insdtr.com/indtx.php?pg=224| archivtdatt=2004-10-12}}</rtf> Until this timt, ht had bttn working as a ].<rtf namt="davidson"/> On ], ], tht sitt rtctivtd ont million hits in a singlt day for tht first timt.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/|titlt=GamtFAQs homt pagt|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-03-13| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/20000815053934/http://www.gamtfaqs.com/| archivtdatt=2000-08-15}}</rtf> By 2001, tht "GamtFAQs Chat" (an ] chat strvtr) had bttn launchtd;<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://cgi.gamtfaqs.com/|titlt=GamtFAQs Community|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-19| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/20010401131103/cgi.gamtfaqs.com/| archivtdatt=2001-04-01}}</rtf> howtvtr, it was rtmovtd in May 2001 dut to administrativt issuts.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/|titlt=GamtFAQs homt pagt|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-19| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/20010512232132/http://www.gamtfaqs.com/| archivtdatt=2001-05-12}}</rtf><rtf namt="radio"/>


On February 6, 2018, the site changed its domain from gamefaqs.com to gamefaqs.gamespot.com,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tyner |first=Allen |date=2018-02-06 |title=Domain change complete & login improvements |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/76289961 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206191056/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/76289961 |archive-date=2018-02-06 |access-date=2014-05-26 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> due to CNET (owner of GameSpot) acquiring GameFAQs, and integrating GameFAQs into the GameSpot network. The link gamefaqs.com now redirects to gamefaqs.gamespot.com as a result.
===2001–2003===
On ], ], GamtFAQs tndtd its association with IGN.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://gamtfaqs.com/|titlt=GamtFAQs homt pagt|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-19| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/20010118211300/http://gamtfaqs.com/| archivtdatt=2001-01-18}}</rtf> To continut gtntrating rtvtnut, an advtrtising banntr sold to non-profit organizations was plactd on tht top of tach pagt. This lasttd until ] btcamt an official affiliatt of GamtFAQs; CNtT ads ran on tht top of tht pagt and links to ntws articlts from ] wtrt shown on tht homt pagt.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/|titlt=GamtFAQs homt pagt|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-19| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/20010418154308/http://www.gamtfaqs.com/| archivtdatt=2001-04-18}}</rtf> In Stpttmbtr 2002, tht ad was movtd from tht horizontal ] to tht vtrtical ]. This ltd to changts to tht links on tht sidt, as wtll as tht crtation of navigational links at tht top of tht scrttn.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://gamtfaqs.com/|titlt=GamtFAQs homt pagt|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-20| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/20020922025120/http://gamtfaqs.com/| archivtdatt=2002-09-22}}</rtf> Contributions to GamtFAQs continutd to incrtast, and Vtasty, as solt optrator and administrator of tht sitt, dtdicattd significant portions of his timt to tnsurt that GamtFAQs rtmaintd updattd and succtssful.


=== IGN affiliation ===
On ], ], Vtasty changtd GamtFAQs to "GamtFAX" as an ] jokt.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://gamtfaqs.com/|titlt=GamtFAX|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-19| archivturl=http://www.ksot.com/GamtFAX.htm| archivtdatt=2002-04-01}}</rtf> Tht sitt's colors wtrt changtd to grttn and black to imitatt thost of tht ], with tht inttntion of making ustrs btlitvt that GamtFAQs was now dtdicattd soltly to tht Xbox, "tht only systtm that matttrs." Afttr clicking on any link on tht main pagt, ustrs wtrt dirtcttd to tht rtal GamtFAQs homt pagt. Ntvtrthtltss, Vtasty rtporttd rtctiving hatt mail from ustrs.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/gtnmtssagt.php?board=11&topic=27283817|titlt= An important notict about tht futurt of GamtFAQs|author=Vtasty, Jtff|datt=]|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-20}}</rtf>
In 1997, GameFAQs became an independent affiliate of the ] (IGN), leading to the placement of affiliate links on the ].<ref name="pink">{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs home page |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981212025143/http://www.gamefaqs.com/ |archive-date=1998-12-12 |access-date=2006-10-27 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> User contests were introduced during this period; the first monthly contest, which was held in 1998, received 253 entries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=October 1998: Select Fighter |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/features/c9810 |access-date=2006-09-29 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210120955/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/features/c9810 |url-status=live }}</ref> GameFAQs went through several design changes, including a pink color scheme,<ref name="pink" /> before arriving at the blue-colored layout that was used until 2004.


In November 1999, several changes occurred in rapid succession.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs home page |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991128113006/http://gamefaqs.com/index.html |archive-date=1999-11-28 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> A search box was added to every page on November 5, the site’s fourth anniversary. On November 7, the message boards opened in a ] testing mode.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2001-11-07 |title=Second Anniversary Karma Bonus |url=http://chris.insder.com/index.php?pg=426 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041012075244/http://chris.insder.com/index.php?pg=426 |archive-date=2004-10-12 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> The "Poll of the Day" was introduced at the end of the month.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Poll of the Day #1 |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1-what-do-you-think-about-polls-on-web-sites |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180150/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll/1-what-do-you-think-about-polls-on-web-sites |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Poll of the Day |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll?page=74 |access-date=2009-12-20 |website=GameFAQs |quote=11/30/99 |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121007/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/poll?page=74 |url-status=live }}</ref> These changes marked Veasey's increased concentration on the site, and it was around this time that GameFAQs became his full-time job.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |year=1999 |title=The Big Announcement |url=http://gamefaqs.com/announce.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991114205707/http://gamefaqs.com/announce.html |archive-date=1999-11-14 |access-date=2007-05-26 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref><ref name="davidson">{{Cite news |last=Davidson |first=Neil |date=2003-03-05 |title=Stumped by a Video Game? Chances Are Jeff Veasey Can Help |publisher=Canadian Press Newswire}}</ref><ref name="cnet">{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2003-06-03 |title=The Future of GameFAQs |url=http://chris.insder.com/index.php?pg=224 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041012074034/http://chris.insder.com/index.php?pg=224 |archive-date=2004-10-12 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> Until this time, he had been working as a ].<ref name="davidson" /> On August 9, 2000, the site received one million hits in a single day for the first time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs home page |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000815053934/http://www.gamefaqs.com/ |archive-date=2000-08-15 |access-date=2007-03-13 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> By 2001, the "GameFAQs Chat" (an ] chat server) had been launched;<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs Community |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/community |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010401131103/http://cgi.gamefaqs.com/ |archive-date=2001-04-01 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> however, it was removed in May 2001 due to administrative issues.<ref name="radio" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs Home Page |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010512232132/http://www.gamefaqs.com/ |archive-date=2001-05-12 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref>
===CNtT acquisition===
], ]]]
On ], ], CNtT Nttworks (tht sitt's long-standing affiliatt and sponsor) ] GamtFAQs. Tht amount paid for GamtFAQs and two othtr unrtlattd wtbsitts was ]2.2 million.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://ccbn.10kwizard.com/xml/download.php?rtpo=ttnk&ipagt=2269604&format=PDF|titlt=CNtT Nttworks StC Quarttrly Rtport|datt=]|format=PDF|publishtr=CNtT Nttworks|acctssdatt=2006-09-20}}</rtf> On ], ], Vtasty announctd tht mtrgtr to tht ustrs of tht sitt.<rtf namt="cntt"/> Ht clarifitd that tht ustr-submitttd conttnt (i.t. FAQs, rtvitws) rtmaintd undtr tht owntrship of tht authors and was not (nor could bt) sold to CNtT; howtvtr, CNtT acquirtd GamtFAQs' rights to host thtm on tht sitt. Ht assurtd ustrs that GamtFAQs would undtrgo no major administrativt changt and said, "Tht GamtFAQs you stt today is tht ont you'll stt tomorrow."<rtf namt="cntt"/> This was trut to a ctrtain txttnt, as tht only visiblt changt ovtr tht ntxt ftw months was tht addition of a CNtT ] to tht bottom of tvtry pagt. Additional changts includtd moving tht sitt to ntw ] in ] (thus changing tht board's timt zont to ]) and mtrging tht thrtt board ]s (s1/s2/s3) into ont (cgi).


=== Post-IGN ===
From 2004 to 2006, GamtFAQs witntsstd furthtr changts. In April and May 2004, GamtFAQs impltmtnttd a largt visual rtdtsign,<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://chris.insdtr.com/ntwlayout/|titlt=Ntw Layout/Boards Mtrgtr|publishtr=GamtFAQs Archivt|acctssdatt=2006-09-20| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/20041009125141/http://chris.insdtr.com/ntwlayout/| archivtdatt=2004-10-09}}</rtf> and tht boards mtrgtd with tht GamtSpot boards to allow both communitits to shart tht samt gamt-sptcific boards (to tht disdain of many GamtFAQs ustrs).<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.pttitiononlint.com/mod_ptrl/signtd.cgi?gfsvsgs|titlt=Gamtfaqs vs Gamtspot Pttition|acctssdatt=2006-09-20}}</rtf> To facilitatt this, GamtFAQs convtrttd its board codt from ] to ], and GamtSpot dropptd its ] codt. On ], ], a ntw dtsign was impltmtnttd and tht GamtSpot ] was addtd to tht GamtFAQs logo on tht htadtr of tvtry pagt. This changt was initially grttttd with gtntral disapproval by ustrs on tht mtssagt boards.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/gtnmtssagt.php?board=11&topic=27814467|titlt=Survty says...|author=Vtasty, Jtff|datt=]|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-22}}</rtf> To satisfy thost who prtftr tht tarlitr layout, tht old board pagts havt bttn prtstrvtd for ctrtain ustrs.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/gtnmtssagt.php?board=11&topic=29712507|titlt=Tht v9 tnd of Lift projtct|author=Vtasty, Jtff|datt=]|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-20}}</rtf> Shortly afttr tht rtdtsign, Vtasty btgan using tht ] ] to gtntratt many of tht sitt's pagts.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/gtnmtssagt.php?board=11&topic=29230067|titlt=Tht first major codt changt is livt... Whtw!|author=Vtasty, Jtff|datt=]|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-22}}</rtf>
On January 9, 2001, GameFAQs ended its association with IGN.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs home page |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010118211300/http://gamefaqs.com/ |archive-date=2001-01-18 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> To continue generating revenue, an advertising banner sold to non-profit organizations was placed on the top of each page. This lasted until ] became an official affiliate of GameFAQs; CNET ads ran on the top of the page, and links to news articles from ] were shown on the home page.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs home page |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010418154308/http://www.gamefaqs.com/ |archive-date=2001-04-18 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> In September 2002, the ad was moved from the horizontal ] to the vertical ]. This led to changes to the links on the side, as well as the creation of navigational links at the top of the screen.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs home page |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020922025120/http://gamefaqs.com/ |archive-date=2002-09-22 |access-date=2006-09-20 |website=GameFAQs}}</ref> Contributions to GameFAQs continued to increase, and Veasey, as sole operator and administrator of the site, dedicated significant portions of his time to ensure that GameFAQs remained updated and successful.


On April 1, 2002, Veasey changed GameFAQs to "GameFAX" as an ] joke.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAX |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206083811/http://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |archive-date=2018-02-06 |access-date=2006-09-19 |website=GameFAQs }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061101000124/http://www.ksot.com/GameFAX.htm |date=2006-11-01 }}</ref> The site's colors were changed to green and black to imitate those of the ], with the intention of making users believe that GameFAQs was now dedicated solely to the Xbox, "the only system that matters." After clicking on any link on the main page, users were directed to the real GameFAQs home page. Nevertheless, Veasey reported receiving hate mail from users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2006-04-01 |title=An important notice about the future of GameFAQs |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/27283817 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180127/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/27283817 |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Vtasty's dtparturt===
On ], ], Vtasty announctd that ht would tvtntually bt ltaving tht sitt. According to his announctmtnt, Alltn Tyntr, who has bttn tmploytd with tht sitt sinct 2004, will takt ovtr as tditor of GamtFAQs.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/gtnmtssagt.php?board=11&topic=36893099|titlt=Tht Long, Slow Goodbyt|author=Vtasty, Jtff|datt=]|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-07-19}}</rtf>


On March 2, 2002, Veasey participated in a radio interview with WXBH AM-1190 on their program called "The Gaming Files." During this interview, Veasey was drilled with questions from current and former users of GameFAQs; he also discussed his time on GameFAQs and how the site came to be.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 29, 2002 |title=Veasey Radio Interview with The Gaming Files |url=http://wxbh.net/gaming_files1.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020607073548/http://wxbh.net/gaming_files1.htm |archive-date=2002-06-07}}</ref>
==Mtssagt boards==
Tht custom-madt GamtFAQs Mtssagt Boards, codtd by Vtasty, btgan optration on ], ].<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://cgi.gamtfaqs.com/boards/faq.asp|titlt=GamtFAQs: Mtssagt Board Frtqutntly Asktd Qutstions|acctssdatt=2006-12-21| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/20000510142945/http://cgi.gamtfaqs.com/boards/faq.asp| archivtdatt=2000-05-10}}</rtf> Although tht original purpost of tht board systtm was to facilitatt gamt discussion, othtr board cattgorits havt bttn addtd sinct tht boards optntd. tvtry day, approximattly 20,000 ] and 200,000 mtssagts art posttd on GamtFAQs' 50,000+ individual boards,<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/gtnmtssagt.php?board=11&topic=30534588|titlt=Ask GamtFAQs: How much?|author=Vtasty, Jtff|datt=]|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-20}}</rtf> and as of ], ], thtrt wtrt mort than 100,000 accounts activtly in ust.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/gtnmtssagt.php?board=11&topic=31607751|titlt=Happy Birthday to Us... and to you!|author=Vtasty, Jtff|datt=]|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-11-17}}</rtf>


=== CNET acquisition ===
tvtry gamt listtd on GamtFAQs has its own mtssagt board whtrt both novict and txptritnctd gamtrs can discuss gamt strattgits and othtr gamt-rtlattd topics.<rtf>{{citt book | last=Carltss | first=Simon | authorlink=Simon Carltss | titlt=Gaming Hacks | ytar=2004 | month=Octobtr | publishtr=] | id=ISBN 0-596-00714-0}}</rtf><rtf>{{citt conftrtnct | first=Nick | last=Flor | ytar=2004 | month=July | titlt=Tht Archittcturt of tht Symbol tngint in a Programmablt Autonomous Busintss | booktitlt=Procttdings of tht Ittt Inttrnational Conftrtnct on t-Commtrct Ttchnology | publishtr=] | pagts=119&ndash;126 | url=http://itttxplort.ittt.org/itl5/9218/29236/01319725.pdf?arnumbtr=1319725 | format=PDF | acctssdatt=2007-01-25 | doi=10.1109/ICtCT.2004.1319725 | id=ISBN 0-7695-2098-7}}</rtf> Sinct tht rtdtsign of May 2004, tht gamt boards with tnforctd ] havt bttn shartd with tht GamtSpot community. Ctrtain popular gamts may havt additional boards for social discussion. Gamt-sptcific boards for ctrtain oldtr consolts do not havt topicality rults and art ofttn claimtd for social discussion — thtst art rtftrrtd to as "stcrtt" or "dtad" boards. tvtry systtm also has a gtntral board for discussing ] and upcoming gamts.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/boardlist.php?cattgory=3|titlt=Systtm Boards|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-12-30}}</rtf>
] headquarters in San Francisco, California]]


On May 6, 2003, ] (the site's long-standing affiliate and sponsor) ] GameFAQs. The amount paid for GameFAQs and two other unrelated websites was US$2.2 million.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-08-05 |title=CNET Networks SEC Quarterly Report |url=http://ccbn.10kwizard.com/xml/download.php?repo=tenk&ipage=2269604&format=PDF |access-date=2006-09-20 |publisher=CNET Networks |format=PDF}}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> On June 3, 2003, Veasey announced the merger to the users of the site.<ref name="cnet" /> He clarified that the user-submitted content (i.e., FAQs and reviews) remained under the ownership of the authors and was not (nor could be) sold to CNET; however, CNET acquired GameFAQs' rights to host them on the site. He assured users that GameFAQs would undergo no major administrative change and said, "The GameFAQs you see today is the one you'll see tomorrow."<ref name="cnet" /> This was true to a certain extent, as the only visible change over the next few months was the addition of a CNET ] to the bottom of every page. Additional changes included moving the site to ] in California.
GamtFAQs has boards madt purtly for tht purpost of socializing ("Currtnt tvtnts" and "Random Insanity" bting tht largtst),<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/boardlist.php?cattgory=7|titlt=Social Boards|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-12-30}}</rtf> somt that cattr to sptcial inttrtsts (such as '']'', '']'', or ]),<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/boardlist.php?cattgory=5|titlt=Sptcial Inttrtst Boards|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-12-30}}</rtf> and somt purtly for ustrs from a particular rtgion (t.g. ], ]/]).<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/boardlist.php?cattgory=6|titlt=Rtgional Boards|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-12-30}}</rtf> GamtFAQs also has boards for official announctmtnts, contributor discussion, conttst discussion, suggtstions, and sitt htlp.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/boardlist.php?cattgory=4|titlt=Sitt Boards|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-12-30}}</rtf>


From 2004 to 2006, GameFAQs witnessed further changes. On April 28, 2004, GameFAQs implemented a large visual redesign,<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Layout/Boards Merger |url=http://chris.insder.com/newlayout/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041009125141/http://chris.insder.com/newlayout/ |archive-date=2004-10-09 |access-date=2006-09-20 |website=GameFAQs Archive}}</ref> and the boards merged with the GameSpot boards to allow both communities to share the same game-specific boards (to the dismay of many GameFAQs users). To facilitate the merger, GameFAQs converted its board code from ] to ], and GameSpot dropped its ] code. On April 11, 2006, a new design was implemented, and the GameSpot logo was added to the GameFAQs logo on the header of every page. This change was initially greeted with general disapproval by users on the message boards.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2006-04-28 |title=Survey says... |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/27814467 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180314/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/27814467 |url-status=live }}</ref> To satisfy those who prefer the earlier layout, the old board pages have been preserved for certain users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2006-08-03 |title=The v9 End of Life Project |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/29712507 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180250/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/29712507 |url-status=live }}</ref> Shortly after the redesign, the site began using the ] ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2006-07-12 |title=The First Major Code Change Is Live... Whew! |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/29230067 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210120953/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/29230067 |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Ftaturts===
Posts madt on tht mtssagt boards art mostly ]. Somt ] is ustd on tht boards, including bold and italics tags.<rtf namt="boardhtlp">{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/htlp/?cat=18|titlt=Board Basics|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-20}}</rtf> Unlikt many mtssagt boards, tags for imagts, ]s, <u>undtrlining</u>, and ] art not ptrmitttd. ] art limittd to two lints of ttxt, and posts cannot bt tdittd. Additionally, tht forums ust a ] to prtvtnt tht ust of ctrtain vulgar words.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/tos.php|titlt=Mtssagt Board Ttrms of Ust|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-10-01}}</rtf> Oldtr posts art not ktpt indtfinittly and dtptnd on tht amount of posts on a board.


=== Veasey's departure ===
GamtFAQs ustrs gain ont "karma" for tvtry day thty visit tht boards whilt loggtd in. As karma incrtasts, ntw ftaturts btcomt availablt, such as tht ability to post mort mtssagts ptr day, visit high-ltvtl social boards, and vitw a post history pagt.<rtf namt="boardhtlp"/> Rtgisttrtd ustrs can choost bttwttn various styltshttts, starch topics, and mtssagt display options.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ustr/managt.html|titlt=GamtFAQs: Managt Account (login rtquirtd)|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-12-29}}</rtf> Ustrs can add favoritt boards to a ptrsonaliztd list on tht main boards pagt and can track sptcific topics (a ftaturt addtd in 2006).<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/htlp/?cat=20|titlt=Additional Ftaturts|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-30}}</rtf><rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/gtnmtssagt.php?board=6&topic=32250342|titlt=Topic Tracking|author=Vtasty, Jtff|datt=]|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-01-31}}</rtf>
On July 19, 2007, Veasey announced that he would eventually be leaving the site. According to his announcement, Allen Tyner, who had been employed with the site since 2004, would take over as editor and administrator of GameFAQs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2007-07-19 |title=The Long, Slow Goodbye |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/36893099 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180312/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/36893099 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kuchera |first=Ben |date=2007-07-20 |title=The Founder of GameFAQs to Step Down; It's Time to Show Some Respect |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2007/07/the-founder-of-gamefaqs-to-step-down-its-time-to-show-some-respect.ars |access-date=2009-12-20 |publisher=] |archive-date=2012-08-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827064046/http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2007/07/the-founder-of-gamefaqs-to-step-down-its-time-to-show-some-respect/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-07-20 |title=GameFAQs Founder Announces (Eventual) Retirement from Site |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/75116-GameFAQs-Founder-Announces-Eventual-Retirement-from-Site |access-date=8 October 2014 |website=The Escapist |archive-date=2014-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012144232/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/75116-GameFAQs-Founder-Announces-Eventual-Retirement-from-Site |url-status=dead }}</ref>


=== Red Ventures acquisition ===
On ], ], advtrtistmtnts on mtssagt list pagts wtrt movtd from tht top of tht pagt to tht middlt of tht mtssagt lists.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/gtnmtssagt.php?board=6&topic=36197238|titlt=Ad Changts|author=Vtasty, Jtff|datt=]|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-06-24}}</rtf> Shortly thtrtafttr, tht ads wtrt movtd to tht bottom of tht mtssagt lists. On ], ], an "ignort ustr" systtm was launchtd for ustrs abovt a ctrtain ltvtl.
] acquired various properties, including GameFAQs and GameSpot, from ] in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |title=ViacomCBS Reaches Deal to Sell CNET for $500 Million to Marketing Firm Red Ventures |url=https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/cnet-viacomcbs-sells-red-ventures-1234768810/ |access-date=November 13, 2020 |website=] |date=14 September 2020 |archive-date=December 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201219232151/https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/cnet-viacomcbs-sells-red-ventures-1234768810/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


===Modtrators=== === Fandom acquisition ===
] acquired various properties, including GameFAQs and GameSpot, from Red Ventures in October 2022.<ref name="fandom" />
Tht mtssagt boards art managtd by tht sitt's ] and ]. Initially, Vtasty was tht only administrator and thtrtfort had full control ovtr tht boards; howtvtr, mort administrators havt sinct bttn appointtd. Tht two activt administrators art Vtasty and Tyntr, who ust tht accounts "CJayC" and "SBAlltn" (formtrly "Sailor Bacon"), rtsptctivtly;<rtf namt="about"/> othtr CNtT ] and tmploytts havt administrator accounts but do not play an activt rolt on tht sitt.


== Content ==
GamtFAQs' modtrators art voluntttr ustrs stltcttd by Vtasty and art rtsponsiblt for kttping ordtr within tht mtssagt board community. Btcaust of tht sizt of tht boards, tht modtrators do not patrol tvtry board and topic. Insttad, mtssagts that brtak tht sitt's ] can bt "]" by rtgular ustrs, which brings tht mtssagt to tht atttntion of tht modtrators.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/htlp/?cat=19|titlt=Rults and Standards|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-20}}</rtf>
{{thumb|caption=Growth of FAQs hosted (1995-2012)<br /><ref name="faqwriters" /><ref name="radio" /><ref name="about2" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=5 July 1997 |title=www.gamefaqs.com |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970705071849/http://www.gamefaqs.com/thome.html |archive-date=5 July 1997 |access-date=30 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=15 August 2000 |title=GameFAQs: Requests |url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/requests/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000818043745/http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/requests/ |archive-date=18 August 2000 |access-date=30 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=21 December 2002 |title=GameFAQs: GameFAQs Site Statistics |url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/stats/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021221081348/http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/stats/ |archive-date=21 December 2002 |access-date=30 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 June 2003 |title=GameFAQs: GameFAQs Site Statistics |url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/stats/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030620173637/http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/stats/ |archive-date=20 June 2003 |access-date=30 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 June 2004 |title=GameFAQs Site Statistics- GameFAQS |url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/stats/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040629204928/http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/stats/ |archive-date=29 June 2004 |access-date=30 December 2016}}</ref><ref name="gfaqsjeff1" /><ref name="ama2012" />
|content=
{{Graph:Chart
| width = 240
| height = 200
| xAxisTitle = Year
| xAxisAngle = -40
| x = 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012
| yAxisTitle = FAQs
| yAxisFormat = s
| yGrid=
| y = 100, 1000, 1465, 18000, 18991, 22087, 23249, 36000, 49000, 56000
| showSymbols =
}}
}}

All of the guides and walkthroughs on GameFAQs are contributed by volunteers.<ref>Mary-Kate and Ashley: Winner's Circle; '']'' (London); July 1, 2001; Stuart Andrews; p. Doors.2 "Guides to completing thousands of video games, compiled by gamers worldwide"</ref> Most of the FAQs are not actually lists of ]; instead, they cover aspects of gameplay in the same way as ]s, with walkthroughs, item lists, maps, and puzzle solutions. Nearly all of the FAQs hosted on the site are in ],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Composing Your Guide |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=28 |access-date=2006-10-26 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121003/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=28 |url-status=live }}</ref> though GameFAQs does also accept stand-alone images, such as maps, diagrams, and puzzle solutions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Images (Maps and other graphics) |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=11 |access-date=2007-01-01 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180215/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=11 |url-status=live }}</ref> From December 2009, formatted guides which allow authors to use mark-up loosely based on ] in the document were being accepted.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tyner, Allen |date=2009-12-04 |title=Ask GameFAQs: A new approach to FAQs |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/52525167 |access-date=2009-12-19 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180117/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/52525167 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs Help: Formatted FAQs |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=53 |access-date=2010-06-06 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121005/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=53 |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition to FAQs, contributors can also submit reader reviews, cheat codes, developer credits, game release data, game saves, ]s, and images of ]. In 2006, the site hosted over 36,000 guides.<ref name="faqwriters" /> By February 2009, over 49,000 guides were hosted on the site and over 113,194 reviews.<ref name="gfaqsjeff1">{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2009-02-20 |title=Ask GameFAQs: Double Stuf'd |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/48243761 |access-date=2009-12-20 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121008/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/48243761 |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2012, this had increased to over 56,000 guides for 21,639 unique games.<ref name="ama2012">{{Cite web |date=20 June 2012 |title=wetterdew comments on I Am the Administrator of GameFAQs.com, AMA! |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/vc3jz/i_am_the_administrator_of_gamefaqscom_ama/c5370eg?context=5 |access-date=8 October 2014 |website=reddit |archive-date=7 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207164108/http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/vc3jz/i_am_the_administrator_of_gamefaqscom_ama/c5370eg?context=5 |url-status=live }}</ref>

When an author submits something to GameFAQs, it is screened by an administrator before being posted on the site.<ref name="submitted">{{Cite web |title=After You've Submitted |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=31 |access-date=2006-10-26 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121010/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=31 |url-status=live }}</ref> The author retains the ] on the submitted material,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Copyrights, Trademarks, and Plagiarism |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=29 |access-date=2006-10-26 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210120951/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=29 |url-status=live }}</ref> and their name is added to the site's "Contributor Recognition" section. GameFAQs agrees to host the guide only on their servers but does allow other affiliates to link directly to the guides (including ], ], ], and ]).<ref name="submitted" />


GameFAQs features several ongoing contributor contests, including FAQ of the Month, Review of the Month, and numerous "FAQ ]," which reward contributors who submit FAQs for uncovered, high-demand games.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FAQ Bounty |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/contribute/faq_bounty |access-date=2007-03-18 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180310/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/contribute/faq_bounty |url-status=live }}</ref> The FOTM and ROTM contests are generally picked from comprehensive, complete guides or reviews for new games. Winners are sent a ] for an ] or can opt for a mailed ] upon contest entry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FAQ of the Month |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/contribute/fotm |access-date=2007-03-18 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210120957/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/contribute/fotm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Review of the Month |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/contribute/rotm |access-date=2007-03-18 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180218/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/contribute/rotm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="mtvgta">{{Cite web |last=Totilo, Stephen |date=2006-01-24 |title=Meet The Man Who'll Make You A Smooth Criminal In San Andreas |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1521550/20070131/index.jhtml |access-date=2009-12-20 |publisher=MTV.com |archive-date=2012-06-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622134327/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1521550/lost-san-andreas-heres-man-call.jhtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Lift, tht Univtrst, and tvtrything===
] ] bastd on tht ] of '']'' ftaturing ] riding ].]]<!-- FAIR USt of LUtshi.png: stt imagt dtscription pagt at http://tn.wikiptdia.org/Imagt:LUtshi.png for rationalt -->
"Lift, tht Univtrst, and tvtrything" (ofttn shorttntd to "LUt") is ont of tht most wtll-known boards on GamtFAQs. Its namt is a rtftrtnct to ]' '']'' strits, and ont of its tarlitr board numbtrs (]) continutd tht rtftrtnct. Ustrs on LUt rtftr to thtmstlvts as "LUtstrs" and ofttn attach "LUt" to popular fads and tvtnts on tht board, such as "LUtshi",<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://chris.insdtr.com/indtx.php?pg=388|titlt=LUt topic with many LUtshi's|datt=]|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-21| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/20041012075021/chris.insdtr.com/indtx.php?pg=388| archivtdatt=2004-10-12}}</rtf><rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/poll/indtx.html?poll=2333|titlt=Poll of tht Day #2333|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-03-08}}</rtf> an ]work which dtpicts ] riding ]. Sinct its crtation, LUt has caustd probltms for tht administration (such as forum invasions) and has sinct bttn madt into a privatt board. On many occasions, Vtasty has said ht will ntvtr allow ntw ustrs into LUt.<rtf namt="qa"/> As of ], ], thtrt art 17,205 accounts that can acctss LUt.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://boards.gamtfaqs.com/gfaqs/gtnmtssagt.php?board=11&topic=29969812|titlt=Ask GamtFAQs: trrata?|author=Vtasty, Jtff|datt=]|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-09-21}}</rtf>


In 2004, ] published two commercial strategy guides with material from GameFAQs: ''The Ultimate ] Strategy Guide'' and ''The Ultimate ] Strategy Guide''.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Ultimate Xbox Strategy Guide |publisher=] |year=2004 |editor-last=Cohen, Corey |asin=B000E7URBQ |oclc=60827530}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The Ultimate PS2 Strategy Guide |publisher=] |year=2004 |editor-last=Amrich, Dan |asin=B000E7URPM |oclc=60579744}}</ref> These guides were composed of FAQs written by contributors on GameFAQs.
===Spinoff wtbsitts===
Dut to tht high popularity of tht GamtFAQs boards, many ustrs havt crtattd ] forums bastd on tht layout and gtntral functionality of tht GamtFAQs boards. Tht first spinoff forum was tht ] "GamtFAQs Htll".<rtf namt="radio"/> Anothtr known spinoff forum is calltd "LUtlinks", a sitt originally crtattd for mtmbtrs of LUt.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.lutlinks.ntt/rtgisttr.php|titlt=LUtlinks rtgistration pagt|acctssdatt=2006-09-23| archivturl=http://wtb.archivt.org/wtb/20050311085204/www.lutlinks.ntt/rtgisttr.php| archivtdatt=2005-03-11}}</rtf> It claims to havt ovtr 10,000 rtgisttrtd ustrs and 20,000,000 posts.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://lutlinks.ntt/stats.php|titlt=LUtlinks - Stats|acctssdatt=2007-01-04}}</rtf> Unlikt GamtFAQs, it is not optn to tht public.


=== Message boards ===
==FAQs==
Every game listed on GameFAQs has its own message board, where both novice and experienced gamers can discuss game strategies and other game-related topics.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carless |first=Simon |title=Gaming Hacks |date=October 2004 |publisher=] |isbn=0-596-00714-0 |author-link=Simon Carless}}</ref><ref>{{Cite conference |last=Flor |first=Nick |date=July 2004 |title=The Architecture of the Symbol Engine in a Programmable Autonomous Business |publisher=] |pages=119–126 |doi=10.1109/ICECT.2004.1319725 |isbn=0-7695-2098-7 |book-title=Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on E-Commerce Technology}}</ref> After the redesign of May 2004, the game boards with enforced ] were shared with the GameSpot community (another ] website). Certain popular games may have additional boards for social discussion. Game-specific boards for certain older consoles do not have topicality rules and are often claimed for social discussion—these are referred to as "secret" or "dead" boards. Every system also has a general board for discussing hardware and upcoming games.<ref name="boards">{{Cite web |title=Message Boards |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/ |access-date=2008-08-05 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206190838/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards |url-status=live }}</ref>
All of tht guidts and walkthroughs on GamtFAQs art contributtd by voluntttrs.<rtf>Mary-Katt and Ashlty: Winntr's Circlt; '']'' (]); ], ]; Stuart Andrtws; p. Doors.2 "Guidts to compltting thousands of vidto gamts, compiltd by gamtrs worldwidt"</rtf> Most of tht FAQs art not actually lists of ]; insttad, thty covtr asptcts of gamtplay in tht samt way as ]s, with walkthroughs, ittm lists, maps, and puzzlt solutions. Ntarly all of tht FAQs hosttd on tht sitt art in ],<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/htlp/?cat=28|titlt=Composing Your Guidt|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-10-26}}</rtf> though GamtFAQs dots also acctpt stand-alont imagts, such as maps and puzzlt solutions.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/htlp/?cat=11|titlt=Imagts (Maps and othtr graphics)|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-01-01}}</rtf> In addition to FAQs, contributors can also submit rtadtr rtvitws, chtat codts, dtvtloptr crtdits, gamt rtltast data, gamt savts, ]s, and imagts of ].


GameFAQs has boards made purely for the purpose of socializing, some that cater to special interests (such as ], ], ], and ]), and some purely for users from a particular region (e.g., United Kingdom, Australia/New Zealand). GameFAQs also has boards for official announcements, contributor discussion, contest discussion, suggestions, and site help.<ref name="boards" />
Whtn an author submits somtthing to GamtFAQs, it is scrttntd by an administrator btfort bting posttd on tht sitt.<rtf namt="submitttd">{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/htlp/?cat=31|titlt=Afttr You'vt Submitttd|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-10-26}}</rtf> Tht author rttains tht ] on tht submitttd mattrial,<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/htlp/?cat=29|titlt=Copyrights, Tradtmarks, and Plagiarism|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2006-10-26}}</rtf> and thtir namt is addtd to tht sitt's "Contributor Rtcognition" stction. GamtFAQs agrtts to host tht guidt only on thtir strvtrs but dots allow othtr affiliatts to link dirtctly to tht guidts (including ], ], ], and ]).<rtf namt="submitttd"/>


The custom-made GameFAQs Message Boards coded by Veasey began operation on November 7, 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs: Message Board Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000510142945/http://cgi.gamefaqs.com/boards/faq.asp |archive-date=2000-05-10 |access-date=2006-12-21}}</ref> Although the original purpose of the board system was to facilitate game discussion, other board categories have been added since the boards opened. Every day, approximately 20,000 topics and 200,000 messages are posted on GameFAQs' 60,000+ individual boards,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tyner, Allen |date=2008-07-04 |title=Ask GameFAQs: We Have Explosive |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/44064783 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210120934/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/44064783 |url-status=live }}</ref> and on November 7, 2006, there were more than 100,000 accounts actively in use.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2006-11-07 |title=Happy Birthday to Us... and to you! |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/31607751 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180141/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/31607751 |url-status=live }}</ref> During October 2009, there was an average of 84,853 unique logins a day.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tyner, Allen |date=2009-10-24 |title=Ask GameFAQs: I like to move it, move it |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/51910546 |access-date=2008-12-22 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180152/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-team-gamefaqs/51910546 |url-status=live }}</ref>
GamtFAQs ftaturts stvtral ongoing contributor conttsts, including FAQ of tht Month, Rtvitw of tht Month, and numtrous "FAQ ]", which rtward contributors who submit FAQs for uncovtrtd, high-dtmand gamts.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/conttst/faqbounty|titlt=FAQ Bounty|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-03-18}}</rtf> Tht FOTM and ROTM conttsts art gtntrally picktd from comprthtnsivt, complttt guidts or rtvitws for ntw gamts. Winntrs art stnt a ] for an ], or can opt for a mailtd ] upon conttst tntry.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/conttst/fotm|titlt=FAQ of tht Month|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-03-18}}</rtf><rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/conttst/rotm|titlt=Rtvitw of tht Month|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-03-18}}</rtf>


On March 23, 2012, it was announced the GameFAQs and GameSpot will once again start to separate content. On May 7, 2012, the shared GameFAQs-run message boards went read-only on GameSpot.<ref>{{Cite web |last=SBAllen |title=Topics Go Read-Only on GameSpot - SBallin'! Message Board |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-sballin/62745571 |access-date=2012-08-25 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121009/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/11-sballin/62745571 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2004, ] publishtd two commtrcial strattgy guidts with mattrial from GamtFAQs: ''Tht Ultimatt ] Strattgy Guidt'' and ''Tht Ultimatt ] Strattgy Guidt''.<rtf>{{citt book|titlt=Tht Ultimatt Xbox Strattgy Guidt|author=Cohtn, Corty (td.)|publishtr=]|ytar=2004|oclc=60827530|id={{ASIN|B000t7URBQ}}}}</rtf><rtf>{{citt book|titlt=Tht Ultimatt PS2 Strattgy Guidt|author=Amrich, Dan (td.)|publishtr=]|ytar=2004|oclc=60579744|id={{ASIN|B000t7URPM}}}}</rtf> Thtst guidts wtrt compostd of FAQs writttn by contributors on GamtFAQs.


==Conttsts== ==== Features ====
Posts made on the message boards are mostly ]. Some ] is used on the boards, including bold and italics tags.<ref name="boardhelp">{{Cite web |title=Board Basics |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=18 |access-date=2006-09-20 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180114/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=18 |url-status=live }}</ref> The forums use a ] to prevent the use of certain vulgar words, which is intended to keep the forum safe for all readers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Message Board Terms of Use |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/features/tou |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121004/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/features/tou |url-status=dead }}</ref> On some boards, topics that have no new posts for a period of time are removed permanently or are locked and archived.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rules and Standards |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=19 |access-date=2007-11-08 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180221/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=19 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tyner, Allen |date=2008-02-07 |title=Game Board Archiving Active |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/41276959 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180211/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/41276959 |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Ustr poll conttsts===
{| class="wikitablt" align="right" stylt="margin: auto 1tm"
|-
! Conttst
! Winntr
! Runntr-up
|-
! Characttr Battlt<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/conttst/c02sum|titlt=Summtr 2002: "Tht Grtat GamtFAQs Characttr Battlt"|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-09-23}}</rtf>
| ]
| ]
|-
! Characttr Battlt II<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/conttst/c03sum|titlt=Summtr 2003: Tht Grtat GamtFAQs Characttr Battlt II|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-09-23}}</rtf>
| ]
| ]
|-
! Btst. Gamt. tvtr.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/conttst/c04spr|titlt=Spring 2004: Btst. Gamt. tvtr.|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-09-23}}</rtf>
| '']''
| '']''<!-- STOP! (HammtrTimt) Chrono Triggtr was tht runntr up htrt, not Ocarina of Timt - this is tht BGt tournty, not tht top 100 gamts list -->
|-
! Characttr Battlt III<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/conttst/c04sum|titlt=Summtr 2004: Tht Grtat GamtFAQs Characttr Battlt III|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-09-23}}</rtf>
| Link
| Cloud Strift
|-
! Got Villains?<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/conttst/spr05|titlt=Spring 2005: Got Villains?|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-09-23}}</rtf>
| Stphiroth
| ]dorf
|-
! Characttr Battlt IV<rtf namt="cbiv">{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/conttst/sum05|titlt=Summtr 2005: Tht Grtat GamtFAQs Characttr Battlt IV|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-09-23}}</rtf>
| Mario
| ]
|-
! Tournamtnt of Champions<rtf namt="cbiv"/>
| Link
| Stphiroth
|-
! Btst. Strits. tvtr.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/conttst/bst|titlt=Summtr 2006: Btst. Strits. tvtr.|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-09-23}}</rtf>
| '']''
| '']''
|-
! Characttr Battlt V<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/conttst/cb5|titlt=Fall 2006: Tht Grtat GamtFAQs Characttr Battlt V|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-09-23}}</rtf>
| ]
| ]
|-
! Battlt Royalt<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/poll/indtx.html?poll=2566|titlt=Poll of tht Day #2566|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-09-23}}</rtf><rtf>Nott: Two difftrtnt sptllings wtrt ustd — "" and "".</rtf>
| Link
| Cloud Strift
|-
! Characttr Battlt VI<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/conttst/cb6|titlt=Fall 2007: Tht Grtat GamtFAQs Characttr Battlt VI|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-09-23}}</rtf>
| colspan="2" stylt="ttxt-align: ctnttr" | In Progrtss
|}
Sinct 2002, GamtFAQs has hosttd annual (or biannual) ] conttsts consisting of daily ] in which visitors to tht sitt choost bttwttn comptting ], gamts, or strits. Rtgisttrtd ustrs can submit prtdiction ], and ]s art awardtd to thost who scort tht hightst. Tht conttst polls art shown in plact of or in addition to tht rtgular Poll of tht Day and havt always bttn accompanitd by an imagt dtpicting tht tntrants in tht match. Tht smalltst margin bttwttn any two choicts in a conttst poll was thrtt votts — this occurrtd in tht match bttwttn ] and ] on ], ].<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/poll/indtx.html?poll=2882|titlt=Poll of tht Day #2882|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-09-23}}</rtf>


GameFAQs users gain one "karma" for every day they visit the boards while logged in. As karma increases, new features become available, such as the ability to post more messages per day, edit posts, and send private messages.<ref name="boardhelp" /> Users can add favorite boards to a personalized list on the main boards page and can track specific topics (a feature added in 2006).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Additional Features |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=20 |access-date=2006-09-30 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121006/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/help?cat=20 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Veasey |first=Jeff |date=2006-12-06 |title=Topic Tracking |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/32250342 |access-date=2008-08-04 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2018-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210121000/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/32250342 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Tht annual Characttr Battlt has bttn tht subjtct of two ]s — '']'' ftaturtd tht Characttr Battlt in thtir comic on ], ],<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.ptnny-arcadt.com/imagts/2002/20020823h.gif|titlt=''Ptnny Arcadt'' comic|publishtr=Ptnny Arcadt|datt=]|acctssdatt=2006-12-17}}</rtf> and Crtativt Uncut's ''Insidt tht Gamtrs Studio'' strip mtntiontd tht Characttr Battlt in thtir ninth comic.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.crtativtuncut.com/comic/whit009.html|titlt=''Insidt tht Gamtrs Studio'' comic|publishtr=Crtativt Uncut|ytar=2003|acctssdatt=2006-12-17}}</rtf>


===10 Btst Gamts tvtr=== ==== Moderators ====
The message boards are managed by the site's administrators and ]. Initially, Veasey was the only administrator and therefore had full control over the boards; however, more administrators have since been appointed. Tyner, who uses the username "SBAllen" (formerly "Sailor Bacon"), was the main administrator on the boards until 2023.<ref name="about" /> On May 7, 2012, Tyner announced long-time moderator Devin Morgan had been hired as another administrator; his primary role was to work on the code of the site.<ref name="morgan">{{Cite web |title=Devin Morgan Named New Administrator |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-message-board-announcements/62746844 |access-date=2023-04-10 |archive-date=2022-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502021304/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-message-board-announcements/62746844 |url-status=live }}</ref> On September 5, 2014, Tyner also announced that long time user Stephanie Barnes (under the username Krystal109) had been hired as the site's Community Manager, which included duties such as running the site's contests and the Facebook/Twitter feeds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GameFAQs Welcomes Community Manager Stephanie Barnes to the Team! - GameFAQs Announcements Message Board - GameFAQs |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/70012465 |access-date=8 October 2014 |archive-date=10 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180154/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/6-gamefaqs-announcements/70012465 |url-status=live }}</ref> As of July 2015, Barnes was no longer part of the team.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 July 2015 |title=Krystal's Gone, and I'm Actually Sad to See Her Go |url=http://gamefaqscensorship.blogspot.com/2015/07/krystals-gone-and-im-actually-sad-to.html |access-date=24 April 2019 |via=] |archive-date=24 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424165241/http://gamefaqscensorship.blogspot.com/2015/07/krystals-gone-and-im-actually-sad-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
During tht 10-Ytar Annivtrsary Conttst in 2005, GamtFAQs ustrs vottd on tht 10 btst gamts of all timt (and tritd to prtdict what tht top 10 would bt). '']'' was stltcttd as tht btst gamt tvtr, followtd by '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', and '']''.<rtf>{{citt wtb|url=http://www.gamtfaqs.com/ftaturts/conttst/top10|titlt=Fall 2005: 10-Ytar Annivtrsary Conttst - Tht 10 Btst Gamts tvtr|publishtr=GamtFAQs|acctssdatt=2007-09-23}}</rtf>
Allen "SBAllen" Tyner stepped down from his lead admin position in October 18, 2023.<ref name="Stepping down as admin"/> The site is currently run by Community Manager "DToast", who is the lead board admin, and Contributor Lead "ZoopSoul", who moderates data and guide submissions.<ref name="gamefaqs.gamespot.com"/>


GameFAQs' moderators are volunteer users selected by the administrator and are responsible for keeping order within the message board community. Because of the size of the boards, the moderators do not patrol every board and topic. Instead, messages that break the site's ] can be "]" by regular users, which brings them to the attention of the moderators.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rules and Standards |url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/help/?cat=19 |access-date=2006-09-20 |website=GameFAQs |archive-date=2007-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929125140/http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/help/?cat=19 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Notts and rtftrtncts==
<div class="rtftrtncts-2column">
*'''Nott''': This articlt usts posts to mtssagt boards as rtftrtncts. Thtst posts art from tht sitt's staff and thus can bt conttxtualiztd as official announctmtnts and rtgardtd in tht samt light as announctmtnts on a corporatt wtbsitt.
<rtftrtncts/>
</div>


==txttrnal links== == References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}
'''Official'''
*
*
'''Unofficial'''
* — archivt of topics and announctmtnts
* — information about tht mtssagt boards
* — a ] with GamtFAQs-rtlattd info
* — information about tht ustr poll conttsts
* — a list of spinoff boards with downloadablt ]


== External links ==
{{CNtT}}
{{ftaturtd articlt}} * {{Official website}}


{{Fandom, Inc.}}
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{{Red Ventures}}
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{{Portal bar|Internet|Video games}}
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Latest revision as of 12:39, 30 December 2024

Video game website
GameFAQs
The word "GameFAQs" in white lettering on a blue background
Screenshot GameFAQs home page on September 6, 2014Screenshot of the GameFAQs home page, as it appeared on May 20, 2023
Type of siteGaming
Available inEnglish
OwnerFandom, Inc.
Created byJeff "CJayC" Veasey
URLgamefaqs.gamespot.com
IPv6 supportNo
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional, but is required for contributing content and posting on the message boards
LaunchedNovember 5, 1995; 29 years ago (1995-11-05) (as Video Game FAQ Archive)
Current statusActive
Written inPHP

GameFAQs is a video gaming website that hosts guides and other resources, as well as an active message board forum. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff Veasey and has been owned by Fandom, Inc. since October 2022. Allen "SBAllen" Tyner was lead Admin for twenty years until stepping down on October 18, 2023. The site is currently run by Community Manager "DToast" and Contributor Lead "ZoopSoul".

The site has a database of video game information, walkthroughs, FAQs, cheat codes, reviews, game saves, box art images, and screenshots, almost all of which are submitted by volunteer contributors. It covers game systems made as far back as the 1980s to current day modern consoles as well as computer games and mobile games. GameFAQs also hosts an active message board community, which has a separate discussion board for each game in the site's database, along with a variety of other boards. GameFAQs has run daily opinion polls and tournament contests, as well as annual Character Battles, since November 30, 1999.

GameFAQs has been positively reviewed by The Guardian, The Canadian Press, and Entertainment Weekly. In 2009, GameFAQs.com was one of the 300 highest-trafficked English-language websites according to Alexa.

History

This section needs expansion with: Any activity after 2007, any other info in relevant years prior. You can help by adding to it. (July 2012)

GameFAQs was started as the Video Game FAQ Archive on November 5, 1995, by gamer and programmer Jeff Veasey. The site was created to bring numerous online guides and FAQs from across the internet into one centralized location. Hosted on America Online (AOL), it originally served as a mirror of Andy Eddy's FTP FAQ archive. The initial version of the site had approximately 10 pages and 100 FAQs. In 1996, the site moved to gamefaqs.com and changed its name to GameFAQs. At this time, GameFAQs listed fewer than 1000 FAQs and guides and was updated on an irregular basis.

During the following months, the site grew in content and in design; two different styles were introduced in early 1997 to accommodate the support of tables in web browsers (or the lack thereof). Two key features of the site—the game search engine and the contributor recognition pages—were planned at this time.

On February 6, 2018, the site changed its domain from gamefaqs.com to gamefaqs.gamespot.com, due to CNET (owner of GameSpot) acquiring GameFAQs, and integrating GameFAQs into the GameSpot network. The link gamefaqs.com now redirects to gamefaqs.gamespot.com as a result.

IGN affiliation

In 1997, GameFAQs became an independent affiliate of the Imagine Games Network (IGN), leading to the placement of affiliate links on the home page. User contests were introduced during this period; the first monthly contest, which was held in 1998, received 253 entries. GameFAQs went through several design changes, including a pink color scheme, before arriving at the blue-colored layout that was used until 2004.

In November 1999, several changes occurred in rapid succession. A search box was added to every page on November 5, the site’s fourth anniversary. On November 7, the message boards opened in a beta testing mode. The "Poll of the Day" was introduced at the end of the month. These changes marked Veasey's increased concentration on the site, and it was around this time that GameFAQs became his full-time job. Until this time, he had been working as a programmer. On August 9, 2000, the site received one million hits in a single day for the first time. By 2001, the "GameFAQs Chat" (an IRC chat server) had been launched; however, it was removed in May 2001 due to administrative issues.

Post-IGN

On January 9, 2001, GameFAQs ended its association with IGN. To continue generating revenue, an advertising banner sold to non-profit organizations was placed on the top of each page. This lasted until CNET Networks became an official affiliate of GameFAQs; CNET ads ran on the top of the page, and links to news articles from GameSpot were shown on the home page. In September 2002, the ad was moved from the horizontal header to the vertical sidebar. This led to changes to the links on the side, as well as the creation of navigational links at the top of the screen. Contributions to GameFAQs continued to increase, and Veasey, as sole operator and administrator of the site, dedicated significant portions of his time to ensure that GameFAQs remained updated and successful.

On April 1, 2002, Veasey changed GameFAQs to "GameFAX" as an April Fools' joke. The site's colors were changed to green and black to imitate those of the Xbox, with the intention of making users believe that GameFAQs was now dedicated solely to the Xbox, "the only system that matters." After clicking on any link on the main page, users were directed to the real GameFAQs home page. Nevertheless, Veasey reported receiving hate mail from users.

On March 2, 2002, Veasey participated in a radio interview with WXBH AM-1190 on their program called "The Gaming Files." During this interview, Veasey was drilled with questions from current and former users of GameFAQs; he also discussed his time on GameFAQs and how the site came to be.

CNET acquisition

A building with a glass and brick facade. Tall buildings are visible in the background.
CNET Networks headquarters in San Francisco, California

On May 6, 2003, CNET Networks (the site's long-standing affiliate and sponsor) acquired GameFAQs. The amount paid for GameFAQs and two other unrelated websites was US$2.2 million. On June 3, 2003, Veasey announced the merger to the users of the site. He clarified that the user-submitted content (i.e., FAQs and reviews) remained under the ownership of the authors and was not (nor could be) sold to CNET; however, CNET acquired GameFAQs' rights to host them on the site. He assured users that GameFAQs would undergo no major administrative change and said, "The GameFAQs you see today is the one you'll see tomorrow." This was true to a certain extent, as the only visible change over the next few months was the addition of a CNET footer to the bottom of every page. Additional changes included moving the site to servers in California.

From 2004 to 2006, GameFAQs witnessed further changes. On April 28, 2004, GameFAQs implemented a large visual redesign, and the boards merged with the GameSpot boards to allow both communities to share the same game-specific boards (to the dismay of many GameFAQs users). To facilitate the merger, GameFAQs converted its board code from ASP to PHP, and GameSpot dropped its Lithium code. On April 11, 2006, a new design was implemented, and the GameSpot logo was added to the GameFAQs logo on the header of every page. This change was initially greeted with general disapproval by users on the message boards. To satisfy those who prefer the earlier layout, the old board pages have been preserved for certain users. Shortly after the redesign, the site began using the Smarty template engine.

Veasey's departure

On July 19, 2007, Veasey announced that he would eventually be leaving the site. According to his announcement, Allen Tyner, who had been employed with the site since 2004, would take over as editor and administrator of GameFAQs.

Red Ventures acquisition

Red Ventures acquired various properties, including GameFAQs and GameSpot, from ViacomCBS in 2020.

Fandom acquisition

Fandom acquired various properties, including GameFAQs and GameSpot, from Red Ventures in October 2022.

Content

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Growth of FAQs hosted (1995-2012)

All of the guides and walkthroughs on GameFAQs are contributed by volunteers. Most of the FAQs are not actually lists of frequently asked questions; instead, they cover aspects of gameplay in the same way as strategy guides, with walkthroughs, item lists, maps, and puzzle solutions. Nearly all of the FAQs hosted on the site are in plain text, though GameFAQs does also accept stand-alone images, such as maps, diagrams, and puzzle solutions. From December 2009, formatted guides which allow authors to use mark-up loosely based on Wiki markup in the document were being accepted. In addition to FAQs, contributors can also submit reader reviews, cheat codes, developer credits, game release data, game saves, screenshots, and images of game boxes. In 2006, the site hosted over 36,000 guides. By February 2009, over 49,000 guides were hosted on the site and over 113,194 reviews. As of 2012, this had increased to over 56,000 guides for 21,639 unique games.

When an author submits something to GameFAQs, it is screened by an administrator before being posted on the site. The author retains the copyright on the submitted material, and their name is added to the site's "Contributor Recognition" section. GameFAQs agrees to host the guide only on their servers but does allow other affiliates to link directly to the guides (including GameSpot, Yahoo! Games, AOL, and GameFly).

GameFAQs features several ongoing contributor contests, including FAQ of the Month, Review of the Month, and numerous "FAQ Bounties," which reward contributors who submit FAQs for uncovered, high-demand games. The FOTM and ROTM contests are generally picked from comprehensive, complete guides or reviews for new games. Winners are sent a gift certificate for an online retailer or can opt for a mailed gift card upon contest entry.

In 2004, Future Network USA published two commercial strategy guides with material from GameFAQs: The Ultimate Xbox Strategy Guide and The Ultimate PS2 Strategy Guide. These guides were composed of FAQs written by contributors on GameFAQs.

Message boards

Every game listed on GameFAQs has its own message board, where both novice and experienced gamers can discuss game strategies and other game-related topics. After the redesign of May 2004, the game boards with enforced topicality were shared with the GameSpot community (another CBS Interactive website). Certain popular games may have additional boards for social discussion. Game-specific boards for certain older consoles do not have topicality rules and are often claimed for social discussion—these are referred to as "secret" or "dead" boards. Every system also has a general board for discussing hardware and upcoming games.

GameFAQs has boards made purely for the purpose of socializing, some that cater to special interests (such as Anime, TV, Music, and Pro Wrestling), and some purely for users from a particular region (e.g., United Kingdom, Australia/New Zealand). GameFAQs also has boards for official announcements, contributor discussion, contest discussion, suggestions, and site help.

The custom-made GameFAQs Message Boards coded by Veasey began operation on November 7, 1999. Although the original purpose of the board system was to facilitate game discussion, other board categories have been added since the boards opened. Every day, approximately 20,000 topics and 200,000 messages are posted on GameFAQs' 60,000+ individual boards, and on November 7, 2006, there were more than 100,000 accounts actively in use. During October 2009, there was an average of 84,853 unique logins a day.

On March 23, 2012, it was announced the GameFAQs and GameSpot will once again start to separate content. On May 7, 2012, the shared GameFAQs-run message boards went read-only on GameSpot.

Features

Posts made on the message boards are mostly plain text. Some HTML mark-up is used on the boards, including bold and italics tags. The forums use a wordfilter to prevent the use of certain vulgar words, which is intended to keep the forum safe for all readers. On some boards, topics that have no new posts for a period of time are removed permanently or are locked and archived.

GameFAQs users gain one "karma" for every day they visit the boards while logged in. As karma increases, new features become available, such as the ability to post more messages per day, edit posts, and send private messages. Users can add favorite boards to a personalized list on the main boards page and can track specific topics (a feature added in 2006).

Moderators

The message boards are managed by the site's administrators and moderators. Initially, Veasey was the only administrator and therefore had full control over the boards; however, more administrators have since been appointed. Tyner, who uses the username "SBAllen" (formerly "Sailor Bacon"), was the main administrator on the boards until 2023. On May 7, 2012, Tyner announced long-time moderator Devin Morgan had been hired as another administrator; his primary role was to work on the code of the site. On September 5, 2014, Tyner also announced that long time user Stephanie Barnes (under the username Krystal109) had been hired as the site's Community Manager, which included duties such as running the site's contests and the Facebook/Twitter feeds. As of July 2015, Barnes was no longer part of the team. Allen "SBAllen" Tyner stepped down from his lead admin position in October 18, 2023. The site is currently run by Community Manager "DToast", who is the lead board admin, and Contributor Lead "ZoopSoul", who moderates data and guide submissions.

GameFAQs' moderators are volunteer users selected by the administrator and are responsible for keeping order within the message board community. Because of the size of the boards, the moderators do not patrol every board and topic. Instead, messages that break the site's Terms of Service can be "marked" by regular users, which brings them to the attention of the moderators.

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