6

I asked a question about the history of the use of F5 for saving in games. It was closed for the reason of "Questions asking for help identifying a game, whether based on a description, or feature list, or any other set of criteria (i.e. "What was the first game to…") are off-topic":

When did F5 become the standard key for “Save Game”?: Screenshot of question

However, another question asking about the history of WASD in games seems to be popular and well answered. What is the origin of the WASD key scheme?

Can someone explain, or perhaps I can phrase my question in a slightly different manner?

17
  • 4
    You should change your question to ask something in the like : When did F5 became the default key for save/quick save? instead of asking for which game precisely.
    – Jonathan Drapeau
    Dec 4, 2015 at 13:14
  • 3
    @JonathanDrapeau That is asking the exact same thing in different words. Why should that be treated differently?
    – Invader Skoodge
    Dec 4, 2015 at 14:07
  • 1
    @StrixVaria Because the burden to find which game started the whole thing vs when it became the default is quite different. Around 1985 for x reasons vs this game started it because is far from being the same.
    – Jonathan Drapeau
    Dec 4, 2015 at 14:10
  • 4
    @StrixVaria - I think that new proposed question allows for expertise on why the F5 because the standard rather than which game was first. The reason why games often use F5 for save may have nothing to do with the first game to use it.
    – user101016
    Dec 4, 2015 at 14:10
  • 1
    @CamelCase "The reason why games often use F5 for save" is a developer intent question, also off topic for different reasons.
    – Invader Skoodge
    Dec 4, 2015 at 14:11
  • 1
    ... some of the WASD answers are pretty good (mouse consideration, right handed-ness etc)
    – user101016
    Dec 4, 2015 at 14:11
  • @StrixVaria - not an individual developer, but a collective/standard. Does that really fall under the same sword?
    – user101016
    Dec 4, 2015 at 14:13
  • @CamelCase Yes.
    – Invader Skoodge
    Dec 4, 2015 at 14:14
  • @StrixVaria - WASD is off topic because it is about developer intent. I have to say, the answers provided for that question (although trivial) I did find helpful.
    – user101016
    Dec 4, 2015 at 14:16
  • 3
    The current community consensus on historical questions is that they're OK (see Is “Historical Trivia” off-topic? and How do we feel towards specific questions about the history of a certain game mechanic?), how does that make these questions off topic?
    – kalina
    Dec 4, 2015 at 14:59
  • @kalina - that first link is in regards to the origin of a term. The problem here with F5 and WASD is that you are either asking for the first game to use this config (which does appear to be off topic), or the history of why developers chose to use the config (which is arguably off topic for developer intent reasons).
    – user101016
    Dec 4, 2015 at 15:10
  • @kalina, the second link isn't conclusive. Scores for on or off topic are within 1, and the third answer backs off topic but pretty much says we need a consensus!
    – user101016
    Dec 4, 2015 at 15:11
  • 1
    shrug interesting view of things, I don't see much of a difference to be fair, they're both about history and both about gaming (it's not like wasd was widely adopted elsewhere first) and while the question and answers aren't amazing they are interesting and I wouldn't want to be throwing out the baby with the bathwater or whatever the saying is
    – kalina
    Dec 4, 2015 at 15:14
  • At one point during the last debate, it appeared that game history was off topic: meta.gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/7423/…
    – user101016
    Dec 4, 2015 at 15:22
  • 2
    If questions about gaming history are off topic, why is there a tag for gaming history questions for "Questions about the history of games, their terms, or conventions, and how they have developed over time."? Would "conventions" not cover WASD and the history of using F5/F7?
    – kalina
    Dec 4, 2015 at 15:35

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
-2

The answer is: don't ask that kind of question here. It's off topic. We even have an off topic close reason specifically for that kind of thing:

Questions asking for help identifying a game, whether based on a description, or feature list, or any other set of criteria (i.e. "What was the first game to…") are off-topic

Emphasis mine.

Ok, maybe not specifically for this, but there are a lot of things that are off topic here and only finite customizeable reasons to describe them all.

Asking "what was the first game to use F5 to save", or even "how did using F5 for saving come about" is an extension of this. We're good at mechanics, and we do story, but we don't do development, identification, or the history of specific mechanics.

So there is no on-topic way to ask this question. It might be fun to research and find the answer, but Arqade isn't the place to do it.

As a side note, the WASD question you linked should probably also be closed for the same reason. It's old-ish, and sometimes things slip through the cracks. I won't mod close it this instant, but if there's agreement around that, I won't object.

8
  • 9
    I've been saying for a while that we're playing magic word syndrome when it comes to gaming history stuff. Ask for the first game that did something, off-topic. Ask for the origin of a mechanic, all of a sudden, on-topic. Even though they're fundamentally the exact same question. I don't care which way we jump, as long as we do it consistently.
    – Frank
    Dec 3, 2015 at 22:08
  • 4
    @Frank Count me as a vote for off topic on both counts.
    – Invader Skoodge
    Dec 4, 2015 at 3:29
  • 2
    According to the 2 previous meta posts about history questions here and here, these questions are on-topic. I'm wondering why one of them isn't a duplicate of the other even.
    – Jonathan Drapeau
    Dec 4, 2015 at 13:05
  • @StrixVaria, its hard to understand your take on it. Here, you say "origin" is off topic. At the same time, you post "I propose that "first game" questions be reworded to "origin" questions, if possible, and left open.", on another meta. I can understand peoples confusion a little more, when even mods contradict themselves on the subject..
    – user106385
    Dec 5, 2015 at 22:56
  • (meta.gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/11109/…)
    – user106385
    Dec 5, 2015 at 22:56
  • @Timelord64 This answer was written without much thought but rather simply explaining my understanding of the current situation. I especially did not reconsider whether I still agreed with a stance I held formerly, and mostly assumed current me would agree with past me. When there was controversy, I actually took some time to learn about the precedent, think about that class of questions, and review my position, which is now stated in my answer to the question you linked.
    – Invader Skoodge
    Dec 6, 2015 at 4:15
  • The conflicting quote actually comes from the answer, which has not been edited
    – user106385
    Dec 6, 2015 at 4:52
  • 1
    @Timelord64 I'm not sure what editing has to do with anything. I didn't post them simultaneously, and had time between the writing of one thing and writing another to think and reformulate my opinion.
    – Invader Skoodge
    Dec 6, 2015 at 4:55

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .