Here's a graph of the off-topic reasons used during the past 20 weeks, by week:
![that graph I mentioned][1]
It seems pretty clear that a distinct ITG reason *is* needed. I don't care for the idea of lumping this in with game *recommendations* though; they're not that similar, and frankly the results of trying to create a reason that covers both have been... Really awful. Rather than arguing this point, I'm going to just list all of the custom off-topic reasons used at least twice on a question since I removed the "meet specific criteria" reason:
Uses Reason
---- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 This question is off-topic because it does not include an artifact from the game itself.
5 This question is nothing more than trivia with no real lasting impact on gameplay.
5 this question doesnt seem to be about games, but rulings on speedruns (which we don't know/oversee)
5 This question appears to be off-topic because we only accept game recommendation questions that include screenshots or audio clips
5 This question appears to be off-topic because the listed system requirements are not sufficient to run the game. We cannot troubleshoot when those requirements are not met.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because no artifact has been provided.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it requires in-depth knowledge outside our expertise.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is soliciting service recommendations, not asking about gaming.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is requesting assets.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is requesting an identification without an accompanying artifact.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is cross-posted at SU, and has an answer there.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is asking, "Can I run it?"
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is asking whether a specific PC can run a game or not. We do not allow, "Can I run it?" questions.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is asking for off-site resources.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is asking for a website recommendation.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is asking for a software recommendation.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is asking for a site recommendation, which is off-topic.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is asking for a save file. A better question would be to describe what problem you are having.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is asking for a game identification without an accompanying screenshot or other artifact.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about website development, not playing games.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about trying to play a game around the EULA of the game in question.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about troubleshooting an operating system. See our meta post regarding SteamOS: https://gaming.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/8086/which-is-the-right-stackexchange-site-for-steamos-question
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about setting up a PC and not gaming.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about setting up a JVM, which is a computer configuration issue.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about server management not directly related to gaming
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about server maintanence reasons, not gaming.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about people or groups involved in software piracy, not about playing games.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about one specific system.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about mod development. Game Dev stack exchange may be able to help, though I'm pretty sure the answer to this particular question is no.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about map recommendations.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about locating a violence free let's play
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about hardware recommendations.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about general video recording.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about general networking, not gaming
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about general computer issues that are not specific to gaming.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about configuring SteamOS itself, and our [Meta post has deemed questions about the OS itself off-topic](https://gaming.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/8086/which-is-the-right-stackexchange-site-for-steamos-question)
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about comparing video cards.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about asking for product/site recommendations.
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about asking "Can I run it"?
5 This question appears to be off-topic because it is a shopping recommendation. Questions need to be able to stand the test of time, and asking whether or not something is still being sold does not meet that test.
5 This is a legal question. We are not lawyers.
4 This question appears to be off-topic because you are not asking a question about a problem you're facing, and will not help future visitors.
4 This question appears to be off-topic because it is spam.
4 This question appears to be off-topic because it is requesting a link for a specific version of Minecraft. We are not an asset location service.
4 This question appears to be off-topic because it is asking to identify a game without an accompanying artifact.
4 This question appears to be off-topic because it is asking for a link to a mod. We are not an asset location service.
4 This question appears to be off-topic because it is an extremely localized question that will no longer be relevant within the next hour.
4 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about selling your own merchandise.
4 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about identifying a game. If you can provide an image/sound/video of the game, we could help you.
4 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about identifying a game without an audio/visual artifact.
4 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about external tools.
4 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about drug usage.
4 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about computer hardware and configuration.
4 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about asking for a straight mod recommendation.
4 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about a 3rd party website.
3 This question appears to be off-topic because it is not about video games.
3 This question appears to be off-topic because it is not about gaming.
3 This question appears to be off-topic because it is asking to find other players, and not about playing the game.
3 This question appears to be off-topic because it is asking for a mod recommendation. See the [latest meta post](https://gaming.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/8147/the-community-is-closing-mod-rec-questions) on the subject for the most recent community consensus.
3 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about food, rather than gaming.
3 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about an event that is now over.
3 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about a Facebook plugin that has nothing to do with gaming.
2 Welcome to Arqade. Questions asking for identifying games without an audiovisual artifact are off-topic. If you can provide one, we'll gladly help.
2 This question appears to be off-topic because it is asking for a list of games that fit certain criteria.
2 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about real-world race drivers.
2 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about racing, and not the video game kind.
2 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about nonsense.
2 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about history and not video games.
2 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about hex editing save files, which is well beyond our expertise.
2 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about asking us to locate assets.
2 This question appears to be off-topic because it is about an operating system recommendation, which is off-topic because it is not about gaming, and we don't do recommendations here because the SE system does not do well with that kind of question.
2 This looks like spam. Could also be a stage for sockpuppets.
2 This is spam... what happened to the close cause its spam option?
2 Product and service recommendations are considered off-topic for this site, as they do not work well in a Q&A format. [Here is a link to a related StackExchange blog post about these types of questions](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2010/11/qa-is-hard-lets-go-shopping/)
2 Can be found on the wiki, too lazy to check it
Yes, there are a respectable number of ITGs in that list. There's also a bunch of stuff that has no business being lumped in with either ITG *or* shopping (seriously, someone thought there was a close reason for *spam?!!*)
##Conclusion
You can have four site-specific off-topic reasons. I recommend they cover the following topics:
- game/hardware recommendations
- identify this game questions lacking specific artifacts
- Game dev speculation/rumors/trivia
- Illegal content
Of the suggestions posted so far in this thread, I like [3ventic's][2] the most: they're direct, explicit and well-formatted (and they have links!) However, he breaks up game dev and gossip while lumping together recommendations and ITG - this really doesn't seem to be warranted by the relative numbers. Indeed, it may make more sense to drop "game dev" as a distinct item entirely and focus specifically on speculative / rumor-mill questions.
###P.S.
Contributing a good set of OT reasons would be a great way for someone to show off their deep understanding of the community here, [should they wish to do so for any reason.](http://gaming.stackexchange.com/election)
[1]: https://i.sstatic.net/Vths8.png
[2]: https://gaming.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/8082/are-there-grounds-for-getting-an-extra-custom-reason-close-slot/8145#8145