Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/List of cult video games

List of cult video games

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List of cult video games (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) – (View log)

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Attempting to encapsulate what is wrong with this list and explain why it should be deleted is difficult. I have personally contributed to this list in the past but stopped because of issues I saw with it. In discussions off-wiki, other editors shared the same concerns I had, which is why I decided to nominate for deletion.

First it's important to understand that for a game to be included on the list, all that is required is for a reliable source to have called it a "cult" game or describe it as having a "cult following", using those exact words. It could be a trivial passing mention, doesn't matter. In practice, as long as the word "cult" is used describing a game, it has been considered fair for inclusion. This has resulted in lots of drive-by edits with people adding their favorite games because it was mentioned somewhere as a cult game.

The issue is: there is no solid definition of what a "cult video game" is, or what it means for a game to have a "cult following". Even the Wikipedia page for cult following doesn't seem to have a convincing definition. I'm not dismissing the claims by reliable sources that these games have cult followings; rather, I am saying that simply having a cult following does not create any meaningful relationship with another game that another source has also claimed to have a cult-following.

Let's look at the variety of games listed. You have games that were:

• Unpopular at release but grew a fanbase over time (Sweet Home, Shantae)
• Critically divisive (Killer7, God Hand)
• Commercially unsuccessful but critically praised (Snatcher, Beyond Good & Evil)
• Commercially and critically unsuccessful (Ribbit King, Doshin the Giant)
• Commercially and critically successful (yes somehow games like Xenogears, Dark Cloud, Destroy All Humans!, and Pokémon Snap are considered "cult" games by reliable sources)

Per WP:LISTN, a common reason lists are deemed notable is because they are "discussed as a group or set by independent reliable sources". You could argue that sources have published lists like "best cult games" etc. and you would right. This is why I made this long write up, because despite that, the issue remains: Why these games are considered cult games is not clear, so what you end up with is a list that serves no purpose and does not help the reader draw any meaningful conclusions. TarkusAB^talk/contrib 21:11, 27 January 2021 (UTC)

Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Video games-related deletion discussions. Shellwood (talk) 21:14, 27 January 2021 (UTC)

Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Lists-related deletion discussions. Shellwood (talk) 21:14, 27 January 2021 (UTC)

• DELETE Per above, as well as the fact that the word "Cult" can mean very many things. Shrekxy64. 21:28, 27 January 2021 (UTC)
• Delete — Despite my comment on the talk page supporting a restructure, the more I look at this page, the more I think it should just be deleted. Tarkus perfectly summed up my thoughts on why I dislike the sources used in just about every one of these entries, so I don't need to really go into it too much. Basically, sources are incredibly loose with what they define as a cult game, and most of the time they never go in-depth as to why they consider it a cult classic, or why that's a general opinion. I imagine users who would want to read a list like this are looking for games that never achieved much success but have a strong following. They are sure as hell not looking for random licensed games like Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit, games that are listed on List of video games considered the best, or small/niche franchises. Half of the time I see people edit this page, it's either removing bogus entries or naive editors trying to add passing mentions that go against consensus, which means the page is unstable. This list simply cannot be saved. Namcokid47 ^(Contribs) 21:40, 27 January 2021 (UTC)