Are all questions about games on-topic as long as they contain some SciFi or Fantasy element?

Question

This question asks for identification of a game containing fantasy elements (a knight fighting skeletons in a graveyard). It was closed as off-topic, then reopened since games in general aren't off-topic.

The consensus in this question was that questions about works just containing fantasy elements aren't necessarily on-topic just because of the fantasy elements.

This question sounds as if it would be more at home at Arqade, except for the fact that identification questions are off-topic there, even though they still have the tag.

So before we go through another close/reopen cycle, let's discuss here if it's on-topic or not. Is it?

Answer 1

Here's a simple answer for whether a game question is on-topic if it contains some Sci-Fi or Fantasy element.

If the question relates to Sci-Fi for Fantasy, it is on-topic. Period.

This means you can ask Sci-Fi or Fantasy questions about video games, but not video game questions about a Sci-Fi or Fantasy video game.

The content of the material is not important - the content of your question determines whether it is on-topic, and I think that's satisfactory. If there is enough Sci-Fi or Fantasy content in your video game to ask a solid Sci-Fi or Fantasy question about it, then the question is on-topic.

[/Simple Answer]

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Now, Identification Questions are more problematic, but you can still follow this rule when asking an Identification question.

Are the elements you're using to identify the game Sci-Fi or Fantasy related? Then it's on-topic, but you'd better make sure those elements are specific enough, or it will get downvoted for low-quality details.

This is a Sci-Fi/Fantasy SE, so we expect our questions to be Sci-Fi and Fantasy based. If they're not, they're off-topic. If they are, they will be treated as any other Sci-Fi/Fantasy question.

Answer 2

What is a game if not an interactive story? We take questions about the background and story of sci-fi and fantasy games just like we do any other sci-fi or fantasy work. The elements described in the game ID question are clearly on-topic, and we allow identification questions, so I think the question is squarely on-topic.

Answer 3

Questions about video-games are explicitly allowed (as long as it's not about the game mechanics), as are story-identification questions.

As far as I'm concerned, combining the two doesn't seem like any sort of a stretch, especially if/when the questions are phrased in a way that actually allows a single acceptable answer.

The usual rules (not too broad, not a "list" question, etc) do obviously still apply.

Answer 4

We discussed this earlier in chat and my contribution and position on the matter is: I think the issue is the element of the game -- is it truly sci-fi or fantasy? For example, I wouldn't want to see questions about Donkey Kong just because a princess might make an appearance, and the question is about strategy, not the elemental story of the game.

I don't believe our site is the appropriate one to discuss game strategy; it shouldn't be allowed on a technicality simply because a minute element of sci-fi or fantasy exists within the game's lore. American McGee's Alice¹, for example, is obviously based on Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, which, yes, is a work of fantasy. I would not be impressed by a question asking about plot points for the sole purpose of beating the game.

I could say that I wouldn't then mind lore for the sake of lore questions, but if that were the motivation, it would seem the question would (or ought to) have come directly through SFF.se and not be shifted over from Aquade. I can't help but worry that the underlying theme of gaming questions is going to be strategy, which I think would be inappropriate for our site. I would prefer not to see those questions here. YMMV, of course.

¹_{Excellent soundtrack by Chris Vrenna}

Answer 5

As far as I know ID Requests on Arqade aren't off topic as I asked this question almost a year ago and it was never closed, the link in the OP's question is dated back to 2 years ago. To my knowledge ID Requests must meet certain strict criteria otherwise they're closed, Arqade's I think is a screen shot, Anime and Manga has a Meta Question on it requiring 2 points or a picture, (my question originally didn't have one but I did link to the video and indicated the time, someone edited the image in for me).

As for if something is on-topic here I'd think of it like this. If the story contains one of these elements as a major/significant plot point it's on topic:

• A time setting in the future, in alternative timelines, or in a historical past that contradicts known facts of history or the archaeological record.
• A spatial setting or scenes in outer space (e.g. spaceflight), on other worlds, or on subterranean earth.
• Characters that include aliens, mutants, androids, or humanoid robots and other types of characters arising from a future human evolution.
• Futuristic or plausible technology such as ray guns, teleportation machines, and humanoid computers.
• Scientific principles that are new or that contradict accepted physical laws, for example time travel, wormholes, or faster-than-light travel or communication.
• New and different political or social systems, e.g. dystopian, post-scarcity, or post-apocalyptic.
• Paranormal abilities such as mind control, telepathy, telekinesis, and teleportation.
• Other universes or dimensions and travel between them.

Source

I'd also add anything which is seen as Magic as well regardless if it's actually a mystical force (Magecraft, True Magic in the Nasuverse), super advanced technology which is seen as magic by everyone else (Asgard, Goa'uld from Stargate) or a hybrid of the 2 (the Program like Magic Systems in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha) since it kinda is a merger of the 5th and 7th points

But then you have to ask yourself, where can I get a better answer? Practically almost every Anime/Manga/Light Novel/Visual Novel is sci fi whether it's using magical powers like in dragonball or weather it's just science like in Robotech, even Arqade accepts story-line questions like this one. In this case I'd do a search for existing tags on here, Arqade and Anime and Manga, see how many questions have been asked/answers and how detailed they are, which ever site has answers more to your liking is probably your best bet.

However it's a good idea to think about what you're trying to get out of the question ie. I asked this question here over Anime and Manga because I was after an ID of a Cthulhu Mythos creature, I knew from the references I give that Mary met something from the Cthulhu Mythos and figured I'd more likely get an answer here considering the number of questions on the Cthulhu Mythos and Lovecraft.

                                              {Question about Anime}
                             TV and Movies -----------Ask On------------
                                /\   ||                                ||
               Ask On           ||   ||           Ask On               ||
   {Question about TV or Movie} ||   || {Question about Sci Fi Story}  ||
                                ||   ||                                ||
         {Question about Story} ||   \/    {Question about Anime}      \/
 Aquade --------Ask On---------> Sci Fi --------Ask On---------> Anime and Manga
   ||                                                                  /\
   ||                                                                  ||
   --------------------------------Ask On-------------------------------
                        {Question about JRPG Story}

^ above is what I'd like to think how ideally questions get put on a site when one thinks about where to ask, ofcause we still get Duplicate Cross-Site Questions so it doesn't work all that well.

Answer 6

This question sounds as if it would be more at home at Arqade,[...]

Questions may be on-topic at more than one site at the same time. Whether a question is on-topic somewhere else has nothing whatsoever to do with whether it is on-topic here. The only reason we should even care about other sites' scopes is when we're trying to decide between migration and regular closure for a question which is undoubtedly off-topic here.

Now, let's look at the actual question in this case:

Trying to find a game I played as a kid, most likely on a PS2 (99% sure).

It's an old game where, I believe, you play as a knight, and during the first few levels it is night time and you fight skeletons in a cemetery. Not much to go off of but thanks for whatever help.

EDIT: I really want to say it was made by Capcom, but I can't be sure. It was also not a sidescroller, it was a full 3D action/adventure.

While fighting skeletons in a cemetery would probably be a moderately unusual plot for most SFnal stories, it's a fairly common plot for video games of the generation OP is describing (Don't believe me? The accepted answer lists no less than four possibilities, not counting one which the OP rejected.). The other details are helpful, true, but not really sufficient. By the time the PS2 was widely available, 3D games had already captured a large segment of the market. Action-adventure scarcely means anything, unless you happen to be talking about one of the Zelda games. And Capcom made a lot of games.

Frankly, I would close-vote this question as too broad, if it didn't already have an accepted answer (which rather defeats the point of the exercise). It's really lean on detail and people seem to have come up with an answer by guessing rather than via the details in the question.

(Contrary to claims in the comments, we do close story ID questions with insufficient detail.)