Talk:The Backrooms

Why is 'Pie on a Plate Production's game specifically being noted?

There are many backrooms games of varying quality, the aforementioned game seems hardly notable among them. Is it simply because it's on Steam or did it actually get enough media coverage to warrant the mention?

Got enough media coverage. Wetrorave (talk) 22:22, 24 March 2022 (UTC)

Actually I just found many Backrooms games listed on Metacritic. Will add as mentions, since nearly none of them have critic reviews. Wetrorave (talk) 22:34, 24 March 2022 (UTC)

- 2001:8003:81F2:1B00:5D2E:36C:B914:20C6 (talk) 02:40, 23 March 2022 (UTC)

@Wetrorave: I tried to remedy this by shortening the video games section and adding more games in, as well as adding a line that said there were numerous Backrooms games (all sourced, of course). Hopefully this should reflect the sheer amount of Backrooms games. — VORTEX³⁴²⁷ (Talk!) 00:32, 11 February 2023 (UTC)

Levels Deletion

Should we just delete the levels section? No one's been able to find sources on it (except for the singular one we have) since April, and no reliable source has discussed the levels of the backroom. Plus, including the levels doesn't really add anything to the article. I'm sure of that because a lot of communities have different interpretations of what the levels even are. Hell, the 4chan post doesn't even discuss levels. I think it's for the best that this section is deleted until sources can be found. Genesisfalls (talk) 05:16, 28 September 2022 (UTC)

@Genesisfalls I support removing the levels section. It comes across as "the author's favorite theory". MattWithTwoTees (talk) 06:16, 31 October 2022 (UTC)

I merged this with another section as one possible theory. — VORTEX³⁴²⁷ (Talk!) 01:02, 11 February 2023 (UTC)

Suggestion

As the original image's copyright cannot be determined, maybe someone could create a Blender render of the Backrooms and release it under a free license? — VORTEX³⁴²⁷ (Talk!) 06:42, 11 February 2023 (UTC)

I've found https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/backrooms-another-level-429f3c9ea8024f5e9bb78f6649c7bd26 and added a screenshot to the article. The model is CC-Attribution and appears to use original textures. Belbury (talk) 09:11, 11 February 2023 (UTC)

@Belbury: Thank you! — VORTEX³⁴²⁷ (Talk!) 09:17, 11 February 2023 (UTC)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:The_Backrooms also has quite a few images of particular levels and creatures in it, but I'm not sure how useful or genuinely free the original depictions are. --Belbury (talk) 12:12, 13 February 2023 (UTC)

GA Review

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

---

This review is transcluded from Talk:The Backrooms/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: LunaEatsTuna (talk · contribs) 00:43, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

• Looks interesting! I will get to this later today (UTC-wise). ツLunaEatsTuna (💬)— 00:43, 15 February 2023 (UTC)
• Fun read! Okay, I have placed this article on hold for now and have left some comments below. Please ping me once you have addressed my concerns so that I can know when to respond. Thanks, ツLunaEatsTuna (💬)— 06:36, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

   Done most of these: I'm only still figuring out the spotcheck.

  • Prose #3: the Vice article only mentions r/Backrooms and its member count. For all we know, it might've been created earlier and been repurposed (unlikely, but Redditors have done so before). As for its purpose, it's pretty obvious to the reader.
  • Prose #6 and #7: Linked wikt entry for its definition "The backstory created around a fictional universe." As text says, some sources say the Backrooms was the beginning of liminal spaces and others only an offshoot, so I changed the caption to say "associated with".
  • Formatting #1: I thought that archived pages didn't need retrieval dates, but I haven't found any policy for this and I'm probably wrong.

  — VORTEX³⁴²⁷ (Talk!) 08:37, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

  @LunaEatsTuna:  Done Thanks for the review! — VORTEX³⁴²⁷ (Talk!) 08:52, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

  Thank you for the hasty response! Proses #3, #6 and #7 are good. As for formatting #1 it is not that big of a deal, though why not archive all of the URLs just to be safe in case any of them die? Anyways, per your changes implemented I am satisfied enough to pass this fantastic article for GA status. Congrats! ツLunaEatsTuna (💬)— 15:45, 15 February 2023 (UTC)

Copyvio check

No concerns. Quotations used in-line with WP:COPYQUOTE.

Files

All images used are relevant, good quality and copyright-free:

File:Backrooms model.jpg: CC-BY-SA 4.0;

File:Lorain High School hallway.jpg: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

Prose

• "horror shorts by YouTuber Kane Parsons" – unlink YouTuber as WP:OVERLINKING; linking YouTube is enough.
• Wikilink thread to conversation threading.
• "on subreddits such as r/creepypasta and later r/backrooms." – maybe note that r/backrooms was created in response to and specifically for the Backrooms.
• The sentence starting "Happy Mag noted in particular two other levels" is cited to two sources.
• "Wikis hosted on FANDOM" – change to "Wikis hosted on Fandom" as its official name (not stylisation).
• "dedicated to the Backrooms lore was established." – could lore be wikilinked to somewhere or some context added for readers unfamiliar with what lore means on the Internet?
• The body says "The Backrooms has been cited as the origin of liminal spaces" whilst the image caption reads "The Backrooms' popularity was inspired by the Internet trend of liminal spaces," seeming to contradict one another.
• "ABC News and Le Monde compared it" – recommend "ABC News and Le Monde have compared it"
• I would remove the sentence starting "Parsons agreed, describing" because, despite directing a film on the backrooms, his opinion as a creative seems less noteworthy than a professor IMO. Alternatively, the sentence could perhaps be moved to § YouTube.
• "Praised by the fandom, it currently" – avoid currently as ambiguous; use "As of [Month] [Year]" instead. Also:
• Recommend changing to "the video has over". Additionally:
• I would merge the line about it being praised by the fandom to the below sentence, something like "The short was praised by the fandom and received positive reviews from critics."
• "while Dread Central and Nerdist compared it" – change to "while Dread Central and Nerdist positively compared it" – at least I believe that is what they mean by it?
• "became popular on YouTube due to his series." – recommend "became popular on YouTube as a result of his series."
• "positively reviewed for its atmosphere despite its short length." – recommend "positively reviewed for its atmosphere despite criticism for its short length."
• "depiction of the extended lore" – same concern regarding lore as above.
• Remove SCP Foundation from § See also as it is mentioned in the body.

Refs

Spotcheck—no concerns with refs 1, most of 2, 7, 10, 20 or 24. But:

• Neither refs 2c nor 4 verify ""originalists", fans who prefer the original Backrooms, and "expansionists", who continue to expand the Backrooms with new levels."

Formatting:

• A couple of refs are missing retrieval dates.
• For ref 26, use the Type=video parameter instead.
• Is a more specific publication date available for ref 30?

Other

Further reading, section formatting, categories and external links good.

• For the WP:SHORTDESC, is Fictional not redundant?
• Recommend adding template:use mdy dates.
• Recommend adding template:use X English.
• Please add WP:ALT text if you can.

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Did you know nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Dying (talk) 09:43, 20 February 2023 (UTC)

(

• Comment or view
• Article history

)

• ... that The Backrooms is an example of creepypasta? Source: As the creepypasta grew in popularity, users began to share stories about the Backrooms on subreddits such as r/creepypasta and later r/backrooms
  • ALT1: ... that The Backrooms is associated with an internet aesthetic which includes images of eerie and uninhabited spaces? Source: Since then, similar images of eerie and uninhabited spaces have inspired subreddits, Instagram accounts, and TikToks.
  • Reviewed: Template:Did you know nominations/Private Peaceful
  • Comment: Similar to the interesting Liminal space (aesthetic) which we ran at DYK recently.

Improved to Good Article status by Vortex3427 (talk), 1000dumplings (talk). Nominated by Bruxton (talk) at 23:58, 17 February 2023 (UTC). Post-promotion hook changes for this nom will be logged at Template talk:Did you know nominations/The Backrooms; consider watching this nomination, if it is successful, until the hook appears on the Main Page.

• Article has achieved Good Article status. No issues of copyvio or plagiarism. All sources appear reliable. Hooks are interesting and sourced. QPQ is done. I think the ALT hook is best, seems the most interesting. Looks ready to go. Thriley (talk) 20:07, 18 February 2023 (UTC)

Maybe we could do a DYK based on Pixels' age and the fact that he's directing a movie. — VORTEX³⁴²⁷ (Talk!) 00:11, 18 February 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 3 March 2023

Backroom TCG added to adaptations backroomstcg.com 2600:6C50:7300:FB00:F9E4:2B9D:3C4D:3A37 (talk) 01:19, 3 March 2023 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Lightoil (talk) 02:33, 3 March 2023 (UTC)

The video games section is already crowded as-is. That paragraph includes games either to 1) further illustrate the sheer amount of Backrooms games and 2) note the ones which have gotten more media coverage. Unless your adaptation falls in 2, it's probably not gonna get included. — VORTEX³⁴²⁷ (Talk!) 03:59, 13 March 2023 (UTC)

Remove “to direct over his summer vacation” under film

Parsons confirmed the line in the deadline article about him directing the movie over his summer was a joke added in by the editor Not0nshoree (talk) 13:59, 20 March 2023 (UTC)

 Done. Sorry for the long wait. — VORTEX³⁴²⁷ (Talk!) 09:51, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Should there be a citation for that line? (sorry, I don't know where to put this.)

The line has been removed. OhNoitsJamie ^Talk 00:16, 4 June 2024 (UTC)

Image

@Belbury: "Skin-Stealers" still needs to be cited, no? ツ LunaEatsTuna (💬)— 14:06, 8 April 2023 (UTC)

Should this image be replaced with one of another level? It would correspond better to the text. — VORTEX³⁴²⁷ (Talk!) 09:54, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

Isn’t the backrooms separate?

I thought the SCP foundation was separate from the backrooms. Am I missing something or did they merge? AN0M4L1Y (talk) 22:14, 2 May 2023 (UTC)

Copyright problem removed

Prior content in this article duplicated one or more previously published sources. The material was copied from: https://032c.com/magazine/an-analysis-of-the-backrooms-also-known-as-the-internet-s-horror-rooms. Copied or closely paraphrased material has been rewritten or removed and must not be restored, unless it is duly released under a compatible license. (For more information, please see "using copyrighted works from others" if you are not the copyright holder of this material, or "donating copyrighted materials" if you are.)

For legal reasons, we cannot accept copyrighted text or images borrowed from other web sites or published material; such additions will be deleted. Contributors may use copyrighted publications as a source of information, and, if allowed under fair use, may copy sentences and phrases, provided they are included in quotation marks and referenced properly. The material may also be rewritten, provided it does not infringe on the copyright of the original or plagiarize from that source. Therefore, such paraphrased portions must provide their source. Please see our guideline on non-free text for how to properly implement limited quotations of copyrighted text. Wikipedia takes copyright violations very seriously, and persistent violators will be blocked from editing. While we appreciate contributions, we must require all contributors to understand and comply with these policies. Thank you. I dream of horses ^{(Contribs) (Talk)} 00:22, 8 May 2023 (UTC)

@I dream of horses: This might be an undue response because the matter has long been dealt with and the section is already restored, but (and the edit history confirms this) I wrote that section before the 032c article ever was published on April 12. See this diff from March as evidence. I believe it is the other way around: 032c has heavily borrowed the wording from Wikipedia, with slight changes, when it discussed the history of the Backrooms. You can see a lot of similarities when you go through the article. — VORTEX³⁴²⁷ (Talk!) 06:52, 16 July 2023 (UTC)

Should we list who was inspired by it?

I mean, what's the point Tortboi86 (talk) 17:15, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

Earlier 4chan threads with Backrooms photo

It was discovered that there were earlier uploads of the photo on 4chan, one is dated on 8th of April 2018 of which picture is downloaded from even earlier thread dated on 15th of July 2012. It was discovered by the youtuber Virtual Carbon. I think it should be noted in the article. Kuraczan (talk) 10:09, 1 June 2023 (UTC)

This channel would not be considered a reliable source for Wikipedia, per WP:RSPYT (Most videos on YouTube are anonymous, self-published, and unverifiable, and should not be used at all.) Belbury (talk) 10:26, 1 June 2023 (UTC)

"no clipping" origins

A footnote suggests that the phrase originates with DOOM II. It was present in the original DOOM, and predates even that. It may have originated with Commander Keen, also from id software. 2604:CA00:100:2005:0:0:62:E121 (talk) 05:53, 16 June 2023 (UTC)

 Done. Removed the part about Doom II. — VORTEX³⁴²⁷ (Talk!) 12:29, 7 July 2023 (UTC)

I feel like the whole foot note is unnecessary. No-clipping is linked to “Glossary of video game terms#noclip mode” in both instances its present in the text, so if someone was unsure of what it means, they just can click that link and don’t need the foot note. --Mariella's boyfriend (talk) 07:23, 26 October 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 13 July 2023

Add that the exit from backrooms is at level 0,to exit you will have to find there a red button and when you press it walls will collapse after that you will be able to leave. 109.165.198.251 (talk) 14:17, 13 July 2023 (UTC)

 Not done, no context for which version of the story this appears in, if any. --Belbury (talk) 14:21, 13 July 2023 (UTC)

Nextbot backrooms

Nextbot and evade 24.186.250.63 (talk) 22:13, 29 July 2023 (UTC)

It’s not an urban legend

Why is this classified as an urban legend? An urban legend is a mythical story believed to be true.

Reading this article, it seems like almost everyone acknowledges that the backrooms are fictional.

This backrooms seems closer to the SCP foundation or a horror internet meme than an urban legend. CycoMa1 (talk) 06:37, 10 August 2023 (UTC)

Good question, I can't see that anybody quoted here is claiming to believe that the Backrooms are real, or to have heard about a friend of a friend who genuinely got trapped in them. Seems to be straight horror fiction that's written and read in that spirit. --Belbury (talk) 15:17, 9 September 2023 (UTC)

@Belbury: why don't you just get rid of the "fiction originating from a" in the first sentence and call it a creepypasta. fits the definition, and the current wording sounds kinds weird 202.7.251.206 (talk) 12:31, 18 November 2023 (UTC)

Spelled Kane Pixels YouTube name wrong

It says Kane Parsons. keep in mind if you search up his name on YouTube, it will say Kane pixels. please change this. (I don’t know if it is his real name or if it’s just a typo. DaNerdOfBackrooms (talk) 22:45, 16 October 2023 (UTC)

Please re-read the first two sentences of the "Youtube" section. OhNoitsJamie ^Talk 23:17, 16 October 2023 (UTC)

No YT Link

There's so many links in the first few sentences on the YouTube section. None of them are links to video. Seems really odd to use secondary references in an encyclopedia when the primary reference is right there, just existing. 2604:2D80:DE09:D400:B8A3:8FBB:27C6:B47 (talk) 21:46, 29 October 2023 (UTC)

While primary sources are useful, secondary sources are typically supposed to be used more. See WP:PSTS Not0nshoree (talk) 11:59, 3 January 2024 (UTC)

Add original 4chan thread to "External links"

@Belbury, @Blaze Wolf,

Before today, External links section contained a dead text "Original thread on 4chan (archived)", without any links. Before July 16th, it contained a link to archive of original thread, but @Vortex3427 inexplicably removed link only, and left dead text in the section.

I merely restored the state before July 16th.

In any case, original thread deserves to be placed in "External links", as it is not merely a source. It is a primary source, which all other sources are based on.

Ђидо (talk) 18:06, 13 November 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 29 December 2023

so i just want to edit the creepy pasta section a little bit cuz it was in 2019 not in 2020 the creepy pasta came out.. Dark Fire0617 (talk) 19:35, 29 December 2023 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Mattdaviesfsic (talk) 19:36, 29 December 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 19 February 2024

2603:8001:3000:995B:D040:F936:C100:D686 (talk) 21:36, 19 February 2024 (UTC) e

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. GrayStorm^{(Talk|Contributions)} 22:14, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 25 April 2024

I request that the original backrooms image associated with the 4chan post be added in the "Original creepypasta" section. Astraeus-1192018 (talk) 00:55, 25 April 2024 (UTC)

 Not done for now: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the {{Edit semi-protected}} template. - FlightTime (open channel) 01:01, 25 April 2024 (UTC)

Additional images

somewhere around the section discussing the finding of the original image and where The Backrooms takes place should be embedded with an image of the room while it still housed furniture, specifically the Rohner's newspaper image. Miner Eleven (talk) 18:56, 30 May 2024 (UTC)

Source of original image found as early as 2019

A tweet (X? post?) dated May 19, 2019 has been recently uncovered, turns out that the origin of the image had been found ever since the whole thing started. Do I add this to the "image origin" section, and if so, how? Arfan Eka Diandra (talk) 13:06, 31 May 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 1 June 2024

This was the result of a combined effort in a Backrooms-designated Discord community,

"designated" is the wrong word here, change it to "dedicated". Kyrasantae (talk) 20:42, 1 June 2024 (UTC)

 Done '''[[User:CanonNi]]''' (talk • contribs) 01:36, 2 June 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 2 June 2024

The backrooms are much older than this page says. They first showed up in the 1990s, it was a survival horror game. Everything else seems right on this page though. Heres a credible source outlining the history. Please edit this page to reflect the true history of the backrooms.

At the very least; please change the date of first appearance to 1998 from 2019.

Thanks

https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/the-backrooms-1998-e7f2d7#:~:text=The%20Backrooms%3A%201998%20is%20a%20is%20a%20first%2Dperson%20found,or%20it%20will%20hear%20you. 142.127.7.34 (talk) 00:52, 2 June 2024 (UTC)

 Not done: The game is titled The Backrooms 1998; the game itself was released in 2022. '''[[User:CanonNi]]''' (talk • contribs) 01:35, 2 June 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 2 June 2024 (2)

Change the first line of the article to "The backrooms is a fictionalized space originating from a 2019 4chan thread." I believe "fictional location" implies that the place does not exist, and "fictionalized space" better represents the idea of the actual place being used as a basis for the fictional elements pertaining to the meme. 24.144.188.223 (talk) 17:00, 2 June 2024 (UTC) 24.144.188.223 (talk) 17:00, 2 June 2024 (UTC)

 Not done: No. Also, backrooms itself is a nonexistent location so this change will definitely be objected. ABG (Talk/Report any mistakes here) 00:21, 7 June 2024 (UTC)

I don't think it was WP:IDONTLIKEIT, I Just thought it would make more sense. Also, I don't get what you're saying, I never said it didn't not exist. It's based off a real photo so making that disticion would make more sense than saying it is completely ficitonal 24.144.188.223 (talk) 23:16, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

It is not purely fictional but a fictionalized version of an existing place 24.144.188.223 (talk) 23:20, 8 June 2024 (UTC)

That one tweet

@Belbury: Although it is a tweet, it is a primary source that clearly has a date (not edited ex post facto nor can dates on X be faked to my knowledge) predating this, which verifiable proves the RS sources erroneous: to say it was wholly unknown until mid-2024 is thus, unfortunately, misinformation, albeit I would choose a wording that makes it clear to the reader that the location was nearly entirely unknown until 2024. (Also, FWIW I was not the original user to cite the tweet nor did I notice it until your edit). ❧ LunaEatsTuna (talk), proudly editing since 2018 (and just editing since 2017) – posted at 13:38, 25 June 2024 (UTC)

I've replaced Until 2024, the source of the original Backrooms image remained unknown with a vaguer ... was not widely known, and removed the statement that the 2019 tweet "went unnoticed" (cited only to the tweet itself, which itself can't tell us how noticed it was). Belbury (talk) 13:14, 5 July 2024 (UTC)

Good call, thanks! ❧ LunaEatsTuna (talk), proudly editing since 2018 (and just editing since 2017) – posted at 14:44, 5 July 2024 (UTC)

Say, uh, is The Backrooms actually sci-fi?

I ask because the article is categorized as "Science fiction horror." What's so sci-fi about The Backrooms? The parallel universes, which are referred to "levels"? Ss0jse (talk) 01:21, 20 December 2024 (UTC)