Wikipedia closes Wii, PS3, Sony entries

Virtual vandalism the latest weapon in the next-generation console wars.

Web encyclopedia Wikipedia--which allows anyone to write or edit its entries--has locked down its pages relating to Sony and Nintendo's next-generation consoles after continued vandalism.

A series of less-than-impartial edits over the last few weeks has led to the temporary lockdown to "protect" the entries, in the hope that the virtual vandals will lose interest by the time the pages are reopened to changes.

Users have been hijacking the site's entries to add what Wikipedia refers to as "funny" edits. Top of the list is the Nintendo Wii--a name that pranksters seem to find especially entertaining.

Last week the complete Nintendo company page was replaced with the phrase "Nintendo Sucks!!!!!!!!!" briefly before the Web site reloaded the original entry. Previous vandalism efforts include someone doodling on a Hitler moustache and horns on the photograph for the entry for Bill Gates, and the sentence "Microsoft is Zomg T3h Suck0r!!!!!!" briefly replacing the computer software company's page.

All of the next-generation consoles make it into the company's top 40 list of most revised pages, with the Nintendo Wii at number 10 (12,780 revisions), the PS3 at number 21 (9,894 revisions), and the Xbox 360 at 25 (9,481 revisions.) Interestingly, the Wii seems to attract more conflicts of opinion on the site than the subjects of Scientology (8,475 revisions), God (7,537 revisions), and even Britney Spears (9,886 revisions.)

A spokesperson for Wikimedia told GameSpot that this was likely because those who use the site and the Internet in general are statistically likely to be into gaming as well. "Wikipedia has many users who are interested in computer and video gaming (in fact, many of our "featured" articles--the project's best work--are about games and gaming), and so many people who use the site will have something to add to these articles," the spokesperson said.

Wikipedia was set up in 2001, and initially there was much skepticism that an encyclopedia wholly written, edited, and peer-edited by the general public would be a reliable source of information, but it is now in common usage. Even Web pages like the official Number 10 Downing Street Site link to its pages--although some university professors refuse to accept citations from Wikipedia in student essays and dissertations. Wikipedia now has more than 1.4 million entries in English, and has 250 different language versions.

The original version of Wikipedia made the Web site completely open to changes and edits from anyone, but in 2005 the site's founders chose to introduce a number of features to protect content, including preventing new and unregistered users from amending controversial entries, and blocking individual users who cause trouble on the site by username or IP address.

The top three articles with the most revisions are the United States at three (16,677 revisions), Wikipedia itself at two (21,832 revisions), and George W. Bush at one (32,649 revisions).

243 Comments

  • StarFoxCOM

    Posted Feb 11, 2007 4:43 pm PT

    Meh i'm sike of people doing that

  • roboiago

    Posted Dec 8, 2006 7:31 am PT

    wow. internet.

  • StanAce

    Posted Nov 18, 2006 11:58 am PT

    Didn't you know? The average intelligence of the general public is relatively low. This is a prime example of fanboy-ism mixed up with a lack of intelligence.

  • Darth-Revan45

    Posted Nov 18, 2006 9:19 am PT

    The public is filled with lifeless idiots.

  • Piccolo-san

    Posted Nov 18, 2006 3:25 am PT

    Well, it goes to show - the public are idiots

  • _Sam_

    Posted Nov 17, 2006 4:04 pm PT

    I don't like Wikipedia because there are people out there who mess up factual articles, or make their own up

  • R1PP3R

    Posted Nov 16, 2006 12:59 pm PT

    Sad, pathetic, ignorant, stupid, degrading, idiotic, imbecilic, moronic...there are so many words to describe this kind of behaviour...dont they realise they are playing right into the manufacturer's hands? These kinds of people deserve to be ripped off by whoever they choose to bum off.

    They need to get an education...and a life.

  • Fooljeff

    Posted Nov 16, 2006 1:14 am PT

    Wii, PS3 this week! woot. We will finally get to argue about which one is better after playing them all.

  • blackthegame

    Posted Nov 15, 2006 12:30 pm PT

    booooooo ps3!!! the wii is going to be good but the 360 already won the battle

  • i_like_evil

    Posted Nov 15, 2006 8:31 am PT

    Agreed. foola12 might want to take a look at this... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammar

    ;D

  • McDog3

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 8:41 pm PT

    foola12:----"Everybody just scared of da wii, they no theres no better... that why the "try" to trash it.... "

    What i'm truly scared of is your horrible grammar!!!!!

  • Max_Hydrogen

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 8:35 pm PT

    That's what you get when you let anyone change any entry in what is supposed to be an encyclopedia.

    I am sick and F***ing tired of the terms Fanboy and old-school. They mean nothing and are inane.

  • vercetti_dude2

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 7:15 pm PT

    That's sad...like pathetically sad
    To think that people would continuously alter something that's purpose is to provide INFORMATION just to trash them.

    Immaturity and the internet make a rather bad combination.

  • benri4761

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 7:10 pm PT

    Vash67 - A) If everyone would stop playing into the idiotic marketing blitz that is the "console war," then there would be no argument one way or the other...just buy the console that suits you the best, and stop whining about the other like a bunch of sheep, and B) Learn to spell the word opening before you post a comment that uses it

  • Vash67

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 7:06 pm PT

    You know, if the Nintendo fanboys didn't think that their Nintendo wouldn't let them down, as they've done many times before, I think the Sony fanboys would be less likely to do anything like that. Because let's face it, Nintendo fanboys have been openning their mouths way too much and frankly they don't have any proof that the Wii is as great as it's supposed to be.

  • foola12

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 4:07 pm PT

    Everybody just scared of da wii, they no theres no better... that why the "try" to trash it....

  • bamf03

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 3:39 pm PT

    360 at no. 25. It seems that 360 is beeing trashed the least.

  • PiMacleod_basic

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 3:12 pm PT

    --forz-- STILL doesn't get it?! LOL! I usually don't use 'LOL', but that's funny!

    Seriously, you're saying that you have used the word 'wee' to talk about urination more than you've used 'we', as in "We are playing some games." I find that hard to believe. "We are going to the mall." "We could care less!!" "We saw that new movie last night...." Should I continue?!

    If you talk about urination more than you use a very common word that associated you with a group of people....well, maybe you should find a GROUP OF PEOPLE!! Fun usually comes packaged with it. Sorry for the 'LOL'....I just find it hard to believe that someone talks about urinating that much. ....well, unless you have a bladder problem, then maybe I could see a change in your vocabulary.

  • TVR_Fan

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 1:37 pm PT

    Didn't some people learn the gamers are the winners of the next gen war and not the companies.

  • nobeaner

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 1:05 pm PT

    Well this just goes to show what one can expect when you give a fanboy free reign on the internet.

    But then again, those that hate them aren't much better. Searching for fanboy on wikipedia and there was a nice long capitalized rant of how terrible fanboys are. Luckily someone converted it back to the original text.

  • xanst

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 12:53 pm PT

    It's the internet. These things happen.

  • --Forz--

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 12:35 pm PT

    wii still sounds like wee. in the uk, it's still very common to say wee as in urine, like "the cat did a wee on the rug" etc. every non game i've talked to have had a problem with the name, nintendo really shot themselves in the foot on that one....

  • Kurtisadei

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 12:23 pm PT

    this just proves the wii's popularity. why would people go through all this trouble critizizing the wii? they're probably jealous or they know the wii is great annd are trying to bring it down.

  • narutoramen

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 12:22 pm PT

    so so lame & childish

  • PyroSean30

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 12:15 pm PT

    lol, no one looks at the xbox360 entry...

  • kuhl420_basic

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 12:05 pm PT

    Regardless of if you like Nintendo or not, Wii is a stupid name. Who's bright idea was it to name it that?.?....... Wii... Say that 2 times fast lol

  • Blazer88

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 11:59 am PT

    More proof that fanboys are children, or have the minds of them. Be smart, don't be one.

  • sirlordraven

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 11:52 am PT

    "pencilpusher69 - The Wii is the most feared, so it's the most hated." No, Wii is just a stupid name which is easy to mock unlike it's better and more suited name Revolution.

  • sccUniverse

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 11:48 am PT

    Just curious? What happens if someone completely deletes everything for an article? Can you never get that info back??? That would suck...

  • Winner555

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 11:45 am PT

    Hee, now PS3 is on Wiki.. soon we should update our dictionaries! XD BTW, don't you think it stinks that anyone can edit and change nearly anything? People can write there stuff they think about for example, a TV show if it's on there, or any word, and just add their opinions as facts and twist others' opinions... it sucks, do they even monitor this feature?

  • cyborg100000

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 11:26 am PT

    Thos guys should get a life

  • El_Jarvo

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 11:23 am PT

    This has to be the most pathetic thing I've ever heard...To all the nerds sad enough to do this; GROW UP, GO OUT, GET LAID. But then again, if they're pathetic enough to do something like this then I guess they're not gonna grow up, they must never go out and they sure as hell musn't get laid.

  • maxamegalon2000

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 11:10 am PT

    This really isn't that big of a deal. I have Wii on my watchlist, and it's been semi-protected on and off for months now. Also, blocking IP addresses has been a feature of Wikipedia for years, not just since 2005.

  • 74n17h

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 11:09 am PT

    I find this quite depressing to be honest. It annoys me because the concept for wikipedia is brilliant, and alot of the articles on there are top notch - however it just seems that some immature idiots cant help but ruin it for everyone else.

  • pencilpusher69

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 10:53 am PT

    The Wii is the most feared, so it's the most hated.

  • soupboy76

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 10:39 am PT

    This is news? If you use an inaccurate site like Wikipedia for information you my as well say Fox News is the word of god.

  • GrimBee

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 10:34 am PT

    LOL!

    Sounds alot like the David Hasslehoff reviews on Amazon.. you know.. "the song hot shot city is particularly good" heh heh.

    I remember once going on to the Wikipedia site (a must for all college and university students! lol) looking up the bluray, clicked on ps3 and lo-and behold "ps3 sucks!" came out as the entire wiki-entry!
    So its not just Nintendo...

    but Nintendo seemed to have alot more... but you know what they say- the ones which will prevail will be the first to be slated! well, at least that is what I, GrimBee say

    Wikipedia locking the page is kind of... well.. crap. Its like when gamespot write a topic on here, some guys just WAIT so they can get the first comment in.
    So whoever is crazy enough to edit a wiki, funny it may be, surely will be waiting around for the inevitable console UNlocking of the wiki!

    Overall, alot of the edits are probably done by the same group of sad, sad people. HEY! wouldn't it be cool if Wikipedia actually had an entry describing this very event!!
    But, it might cause some sort of wiki-paradox...

    Well, it goes to show that the nerds will do anything to proclaim their biased and unjust love

  • Regginator14520

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 10:30 am PT

    lol ha, there was a Ron Jeremy super mario that said "Wii" on the Playstation wikipedia page about 3 days ago. However, Nintendo's page was hit first by Sony fanboys... for some stupid reason... Then Sonys page got wacked for doing that

  • DontEatCream

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 10:23 am PT

    Wow...all the fanboys in the world should grow up.

  • kenshinhimura16

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 10:11 am PT

    I think that the next thing to be closed is reviews on amazon, check this guy

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/R1ZV8KYGQID0GF/ref=cm_lm_dtpa_fvlm_cfa_2/102-3337375-8162567

  • Riorio99

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 10:10 am PT

    Wow, how sad do you need to be to edit masses of wikipedia.

  • Paul_TheGreat

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 9:48 am PT

    360 fanboys

  • Dups79

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 9:46 am PT

    lol nothing is safe

  • cjcr_alexandru

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 9:27 am PT

    The console wars has reached Wikipedia. Maybe I should retreat in a cave.

  • R3VOLV360

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 9:19 am PT

    *wonders if DinghyD is a vandal* >.>

    Why use such an obscure topic as scientology to compare with? Probably going to have more vandalism itself know that's its mentioned

    There must be better ways to get your point across than '72pt bold' "Microsft is teh 5uxx0rz" in the wiki...

  • faizali86

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 9:12 am PT

    i didnt expect fanboys to get this ugly. but the other revised entries(g.w. bush, britney) make me think what could have been changed by vandals.

  • Dinghy_Dog

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 9:03 am PT

    lol, that's funny. vandals are funny.

  • sancezz

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 9:02 am PT

    I feel sorry for people who do that, full stop.

  • XJRockcrawler

    Posted Nov 14, 2006 8:44 am PT

    I feel sorry for those people who gotta do stuff like that just so they can feel good about their system of choice

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