Beautiful, Useless Knowledge, How I Love Thee

By mrjared August 4, 2008 4 Comments

The Matrix Online

The beauty of Giant Bomb is that no matter what the subject, there is bound to be someone who knows far too much for their own good and as the Spice Girls taught us, too much of something is never enough. For example, I may not know much about the world of Warhammer, but after reading the stupidly in-depth page on space marines, I've at least walked away with a kick ass metal name (Bloodthirster!) should I ever be in need of one.

Even if Amy Hennig can't remember half the things she wrote about the Legacy of Kain series (No, really), that doesn't mean the Bomb can't teach you all there is to know about Kain and Raziel.

The point is, we're already starting to see folks carving out their own personal niche, which is exactly what Giant Bomb needs right now. I didn't think we'd start seeing this brand of awesome until the article history kicked in (PS: please keep saving your work in text files), but the kids have been coming together under the common banner of the nerd and I'm loving it.

Feeling inspired, I went all out on a subject that, I felt, I was the only one who could possible care enough to pull off: The Matrix Online. It turns out, I wasn't alone in caring too much about this failed, D-list MMO that persists to this day like some sort of cruel disease or at the very least, Joey Fatone. After finishing up the page for the night, QforQ came out of nowhere, filling me in on his time as part of the Live Events Team for the game itself. How lucky is that? And now, Giant Bomb has the most awesome article on The Matrix Online, anywhere, evers. Total value: $2 bucks and a bag of half-eaten Big League Chew.

This was also a chance to try out a different style of articles, as in the case of The Matrix Online, the history of its development and community far outweigh the interest of the game itself. Giant Bomb isn't Wikipedia. We're not, at the moment, constrained to a rigid set of rules and style guides. Not every article has to run the checklist of "gameplay," "synopsis" and what have you. If you think a game is suited for a better life, make it happen. Also, don't forget: every page has its own forum. Do try and use them to set up a collaboration or to detail out your idea!

It's back to work and your wiki submissions for me, but I have a few other games that I'd like to knock out for the greater good on my mind. Prop Cycle, anyone?

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