Wikiracing is a game in which players compete to navigate from one Wikipedia page to another using only internal links.[1][2][3][4][5] It has many different variations and names, including The Wikipedia Game, Wikipedia Maze, Wikispeedia, Wikiwars, Wikipedia Ball, Wikipedia Racing, and Wikipedia Speedrunning.[6] External websites have been created to facilitate the game.[7]
The Seattle Times has recommended it as a good educational pastime for children[8] and the Larchmont Gazette has said, "While I don't know any teenagers who would curl up with an encyclopedia for a good read, I hear that a lot are reading it in the process of playing the Wikipedia Game".[9]
The Amazing Wiki Race has been an event at the TechOlympics.[10]
The average number of links separating any English-language Wikipedia page from the United Kingdom page is 3.67. Thus, it has been occasionally banned in the game. Other common rules such as not using the United States page increase the game's difficulty.[11]
The rules of wikiracing can be used as a method for studying aspects of Wikipedia.[12]
See also
edit- Six degrees of separation – Concept of social inter-connectedness of all people
- Crowdsourcing – Sourcing services or funds from a group
- Gamification – Using game design elements in non-games
- Virtual volunteering – Online volunteering
- Volunteer computing – System where users donate computer resources to contribute to research
- Wikipedia community – Volunteers who create and maintain Wikipedia
References
edit- ^ Whelan, Aubrey (21 July 2010). "'Wikiracing' picking up speed among college students". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ Jones, Ben (20 June 2010). "Latest game for bored students? Wikiracing". Star Tribune.
- ^ Doctoroff, Ariel (22 July 2010). "Want To Waste An Hour (Or Three)? Go On A Wikirace". Huffington Post.
- ^ Colin Hepke (2008). "On Your Mark, Get Set, Wikipedia"! Archived 2012-04-03 at the Wayback Machine Cornerstone 2(3), 8.
- ^ Jones, Ben (8 July 2010). "Students glued to computers turn Wikipedia into a game". College Times. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012.
- ^ Stefan Thaler, Katharina Siorpaes, Elena Simperl and Christian Hofe (2011). "A Survey on Games for Knowledge Acquisition". Archived 25 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine Semantic Technology Institute International. pgs 14-17.
- ^ Walker, John (10 June 2010). "Searching For Fun: Wikipedia Game". Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
- ^ Stevens, Heidi (14 August 2011). "Zero in on your child's lack of focus"". The Seattle Times.
- ^ Plumez, Jacqueline Hornor (25 September 2008). "The Career Doctor". Larchmont Gazette. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
- ^ Denise Smith Amos. "500 teens converge for TechOlympics". Cincinnati Enquirer, 3/5/2010
- ^ Read, Brock (28 May 2008). "6 Degrees of Wikipedia". The Chronicle of Higher Education.
- ^ "I Made a Graph of Wikipedia... This Is What I Found" on YouTube
External links
edit- Wikipedia's Wikirace project page
- Wikipedia's Wiki Ladders project page
- Harrison, Stephen (26 September 2023). "The Art of Wikiracing". Slate. Retrieved 27 September 2023.