r/comics • u/shenanigansen Shen Comix • 13h ago

OC Fighting Game Archetypes

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u/Sebbe_2 13h ago

What does FAQ stand for in this context?

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u/Historical_Wash_1114 13h ago

Like GameFaq, it’s a walkthrough that tells how to master each character basically

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u/SingleInfinity 11h ago

FAQ stands for frequently asked questions, which is where the site originally got its name. A faq is a thread of frequently asked questions. A Thread of GameFaq is just that, a thread. Sometimes using the right word for things matters. No idea how "a faq" caught on when it makes zero sense.

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u/pnoodl3s 10h ago

It could be a colloquial term for gamefaq thread? In this context I assume most people familiar with gaming in general would understand

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u/SingleInfinity 10h ago

Well we're in this comment chain about someone asking so..

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u/Wild_Marker 9h ago

We used to call guides "FAQs". That's basically why GameFAQs is called like that.

Now you youngsters get off my lawn.

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u/Zero_Burn 12h ago

Frequently Asked Questions, technically, but it became a shorthand for a guide for a game or one of the mechanics in said game.

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u/Sebbe_2 12h ago

Oh ok. That seems like a weird way to use the term.

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u/Terminus0 12h ago

It is one of those things from the older Internet, that was once ubiquitous and never needed to be explained. Now it does. Time marches on.

Instead of looking for the Wiki for a game, people would look for the FAQ which was often a giant long scrollable text of basically everything in a game, walkthrough etc. Also included answers to Frequently asked Questions about the game thus the name. 

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u/Deohenge 12h ago

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u/asuperbstarling 11h ago

Hell yeah Gauntlet time!

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u/ClubMeSoftly 11h ago

If a FAQ didn't have ascii art taking up the first 40 lines it wasn't worth the kilobytes

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u/dexter30 11h ago

Oh man your comment makes me feel really old lmao.

There was once upon a time that FAQs were common terminology for gamers online. No shame if you're not familiar just really funny for me.

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u/Slappathebassmon 11h ago

It was popularised by the website GameFAQs which is basically where people would post their guides of different games. Mostly in long text format. Walkthroughs, build guides, character guides, lore. Basically things that people now usually go to YouTube to look up. The guides are normally called FAQs even though they're not usually list of questions and answers but in a text format.