WikiProject Video Games Newsletter

Volume 3, No. 2 — 3rd Quarter, 2010

Interviewed by User:GamerPro64

For this issue, we interview Deckiller, a longtime editor who has made Featured Articles that include Characters of Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy IX and Good articles like Squall Leonhart and World of Final Fantasy VIII (now absorbed into FFVIII). He's been mostly inactive since February 2009.

1. Now, you have been rarely active on Wikipedia since February. Why is that?

   Sadly, a perfect storm of real-life crises has cut down my free time dramatically. All of my free time is basically being devoted to the love of my life and my RPG Maker interests, which I had put on hold for far too long. Aside from that, I was simply burned out and needed a long break.

2. What drew you to Wikipedia, and what prompted you to begin editing?

   In 2005, Wikipedia began appearing at the top of every Google search imaginable. After a few months of reading content on the site, I found some areas that were undergoing significant development — mainly Final Fantasy and Star Wars-related articles. I was drawn into the collaborative aspect of Wikipedia, and that anyone with decent writing and research skills could contribute to a project that would certainly become a cornerstone of information. I started out by inserting a lot of fancruft on the Xenosaga pages (creating about a hundred small articles in the process). Within a month, though, I saw the error in my ways and started integrating extraneous information.

3. How did you become involved with the project?

   I joined and/or started several WikiProjects, and simply watched other editors work their magic. I've always been a word nerd, so the world of copy-editing was quite enticing. Reading FAC feedback from users like Tony1 inspired me to boost the quality of my work on the site, to the point where I was honing my skills at a rapid rate. The standards kept changing (sometimes not for the best), and I tried to adapt as fluidly as possible. 2006 and 2007 were easily my most active years, in which I helped write or elevate numerous articles to Good and Featured status. In those years, I helped mold how fiction is treated on Wikipedia, and essentially repented for my misguided view of the site in 2005.

   However, it eventually became too much to keep up with. I had my hands in the administrative, fiction, non-fiction, copy-editing, and FAC feedback jars. At one point, I was on Wikipedia more than six hours a day. Characters of Final Fantasy VIII was nominated for Featured status mere days after it had been composed. I was constantly defending my contributions and related articles from vandalism, fancruft, and anti-fiction critics. Several of my featured articles lost their status when the source standards rose, and for good reason. I also opened up Pandora's Box by rewriting WP:FICT, essentially creating a debate that is still raging three years later. There was too much going on, and I could not cover every front. Eventually, I just gave up on article writing and focused on copy-editing and reviewing, but even that became too much to handle.

4. What article(s) are you most proud of writing or exemplifies your best work?

   Because this is a collaborative project, I feel that articles exemplify the site's best work, not that of individual editors. It is very rare that a high-quality article is written exclusively by one editor, especially with today's standards. At one point, I was particularly proud of Final Fantasy VIII and Characters of Final Fantasy VIII, as well as my numerous copy-edits to Featured Article Candidates. However, I don't feel those two articles (or any Featured Article to which I've contributed significantly) exemplify the extent of my potential, as there is so much room for improvement. Articles are constantly edited and revised — for better for worse — so I can't take credit for what is on any article I've helped overhaul. I also need to note that most of my work has been collaborative; users such as the retired Ryu Kaze played a major role in those early days. I think my best work on Wikipedia is the sum of all the little things I've done — vandalism reverts, FAC feedback, copy-edits, research, synopses trimming — as well as my efforts in making video games a legitimate topic on this site.

5. What do you think is the most difficult part of editing on Wikipedia?

   I think the biggest challenge is two-fold: (1) finding reliable sources for topics about fiction, and (2) maintaining and defending contributions. Number one is fairly obvious, and I've already covered number two to some extent. Defending contributions can be very difficult when an entire group of editors have an axe to grind. This site is very political, and it can be very hard to work on when an entire group of editors are against your contributions from the start. When people nominate articles for review simply because they have a plot synopsis or a source they feel is unreliable, the stress can mount very quickly. There was one point where three or four of my major contributions were up for review at a single time, mostly for issues I did not cause. This is why it's extremely important not to overexert yourself; learn from my mistakes!

6. Are there any projects you want to work on right now?

   Dozens upon dozens. I've been wanting to work on Woonsocket, Rhode Island for years, and I was at one time very ambitious about elevating every Final Fantasy article to at least GA status. Unfortunately, there just isn't enough time.

7. What else would you like others to know about you?

   I love what this site stands for, and I wish I could be as active as I once was. I'll be graduating from college next year with a Bachelors in Management. I'm an RPG enthusiast; feel free to check out my profile at [1].

Also read about our previous Featured editor: Sabre