PCGamingWiki:Editing guide/Wiki policy
This section of the guide is for the wiki's site policies and guidelines specific to article content.
For general wiki code of conduct, see Code of conduct. For details on bannable offenses and standard moderation protocol, see Moderation guidelines.
Who the articles are for
- First time user: Thinking of buying game and conducting prepurchase research.
- Just bought the game: Wants to know the ideal recommended way to run the game.
- Have the game but can't run it: People with issues that need fixing.
What the wiki does not cover
Although the wiki's main goal is to be the go-to source for all PC games, there are some types of games and game-related information it refuses to carry:
- Information for "alternative" systems (i.e. any desktop-caliber OS not currently covered by the wiki).
- Examples of such OSes are AmigaOS and OS/2.
- Information for pirated or cracked versions of games.
- See Piracy for details.
- Games only available through crowdfunding sites (ex. Kickstarter).
- Once the game can be bought through a store such as Steam or Amazon, this restriction will no longer apply.
- Games only available for mobile devices (ex. iOS, Android).
- Mobile versions of desktop games also fall under this category.
- Internet browser-only games.
- Linking to browser versions of retail games is OK.
- PCGamingWiki does not host pornographically explicit content (games with mature content are allowed, but cover art and other media should be safe for work).
- Games blatantly promoting or encouraging hate against a group of individuals or race.
Due to the rather subjective nature of the definitions, it is up to the editor to use common sense to determine if a game falls under any of the above categories.
If there is confusion in determining the validity of a new article, contact a mod or admin (either through PM, the wiki's IRC channel, or the wiki's Discord server).
Piracy
While PC games are our specialty, pirated versions of them are not. Please do not add in links or information specific to pirated or cracked copies of games, as they will be removed. Note that this applies to illegitimate copies of abandonware title as well, as such copies are also considered pirated content and are thus subject to all restrictions stated above.
If a pirated game is experiencing a problem, in most cases the best fix available is buying the game through a legitimate channel.
Bypassing copyright protection and fixes
Applications and files made to bypass a game's copyright protection (ex. No-CD patches/cracks, keygen programs) and/or access normally-locked content, such as DLC, are generally-considered as related to pirated content and subject to all its restrictions as stated above. Note that officially developed or supported patches/applications by the developer/publisher which remove copyright protection do not fall under this definition.
There are a few cases in which unofficial patches/workarounds are fine for fixes and mods; however, some restrictions apply:
- The DLC was never released for PC, but the data is either included in the game regardless (see Prototype 2) or is otherwise-compatible with the PC version of the game (see Burnout Paradise).
- The DLC for PC has stopped being sold or has never been sold on PC due to licensing issues (see Final Fantasy XIII-2).
- The DRM prevents the normal operation of a legitimately-acquired game, and there are no legal workarounds or fixes of any kind.
In the case of DRM removal, due to it being able to be used on illegitimate copies as well, PCGamingWiki requires certain steps be taken when describing it:
- The fix can only mention that the copy protection needs to be bypassed. Do not give a link to the patch/application. Also, do not give the name of the exact patch/application that needs to be found.
- Denoting the copy protection bypass method type is fine (ex. "A No-CD patch is required to run the game").
- Provided a fix requires the game executable to be de-obfuscated using Steamless, a mention of the tool is acceptable as long as no links or instructions on how to use the tool are included.
- Do not give details on how to install/use the patch/application and how to fix any issues that come up while using said patch/application.
If there is confusion in the validity of a fix that requires bypassing copy protection, contact us via #support on our Discord.
Furthermore, PCGamingWiki staff may, on rare occasions, make an additional exception for older DRM solutions where a bypass can result in an easier user experience to get the game functional on modern systems, although possibly with a loss of functionality. In these cases the tool as well as instructions might be provided, and the exception officially stated on this page. Currently the exception only applies for:
- unSafeDisc
- XLiveless
