I was glancing over a FAQ yesterday and ended up taking a look at the FAQ section. You know,
one with Frequently Asked Questions. While most of the stuff in there most likely weren't
Frequently Asked Questions at all, one of the answers voiced a peculiar opinion I hadn't quite
heard before in the Guide writing world. Well, not from a writer themselves, at least.
A little more than a year ago I started placing a notice in my Guides encouraging people to donate
if they felt my hard work has helped them a lot. I believe I've been one of the pioneers (someone else
comes to mind, D. Engel, another great writer) in doing this and more and more writers started to
also include similar paragraphs in their Guides.
And with good reason, I think. It doesn't distract, if someone doesn't want to donate then they won't,
and it encourages those who do want to help in one way or another. It's called communication, it's
what people do in this world. Besides, someone will only donate for something really well written, and
not for a half-assed guide with a half-assed logo, along with all the half-assedness in between. I know
I wouldn't. In a way, people are enhancing the quality of the available Guides by stimulating motivated
writers.
But apparantly, according to what I read in the aforementioned Guide, having a donation notice in your
Guide is equal to being a begger. And "naturally", begging should be looked down upon as it is a shameful concept.
It's almost insulting, and I believe that if you've spent hundreds of hours completely ripping a game apart to
increase the fun that millions of others will get out of the game, you're not being shameful by having a small
notice dedicated to donations. I guess it's a good thing that this person doesn't ask for donations, as they
wouldn't get them anyway. Effing elite.
Steve
