Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Article guidelines
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This page is considered a guideline on Wikipedia. It is generally accepted among editors and is considered a standard that all users should follow. However, it is not set in stone and should be treated with common sense and the occasional exception. When editing this page, please ensure that your revision reflects consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page. |
Note that these are suggested guidelines established by consensus among Wikipedians. Please discuss them on the talk page if you have ideas. Ryu Kaze wrote an informal guide geared towards editing CVG articles to featured status; you may find it here. You should also be familiar with the guide to writing better articles.
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[edit] Neutral point of view
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Make sure to write from a neutral point of view. Wikipedia is not the place for writing reviews. If you can provide factual records of opinions, that is of course excellent. Magazine reviews, awards and quotes from game developers (except the developer's own advertising) can and should be used - those carry weight on their own. If there is more than one take on the subject, make sure to include all and to treat all as potentially true. For these, be sure to clarify that they are opinions, not incontrovertible facts.
Watch out for overly general and vague statements, such as "there are many who think Game X is great". Such weasel words are not particularly factual and usually nothing but the author's opinions in disguise. Try to provide more specific information, and back the statement up with references to magazines, websites, etc. In addition, avoid peacock terms; these pieces of fluff actually lower the prose to an unprofessional level.
[edit] Content
[edit] Common elements
Each computer or video game article should include a minimum set of standard elements:
- An infobox, completed correctly and appropriately. See the CVG Templates for more instructions on how to use the different templates that are used in writing CVG articles.
- Appropriate categorization by genre, platform, and year. See Wikipedia:Categorization.
- The {{cvgproj}} template placed on the article's Talk page. This lets others know that the article is part of WikiProject Computer and video games.
[edit] Scope of information
Articles on computer and video games should give an encyclopedia overview of what the game is about, not a detailed description of how to play it or an excessive amount of non-encyclopedic trivia. Such topics should be moved to one of the gaming wikis: Encyclopedia Gamia for general info/trivia, StrategyWiki for walkthrough/strategy/gameplay content or GamerWiki for categoric listings of releases, due to the pending deletion of the Wikibooks computer and video games bookshelf.
A general rule of thumb to follow if unsure: if the content only has value to people actually playing the game, it's unsuitable. Keep in mind that video game articles should be readable and interesting to non-gamers; remember the bigger picture. To propose that an article or section should be moved to a gaming wiki, use the {{Move to gaming wiki}} tag.
To help remove information that might read as a game guide, please add the {{gameguide}} tag to the article in question.
When moving content:
- These gaming wikis all run MediaWiki. Thus, you can easily copy wiki text from Wikipedia. However, you should remove Wikipedia-specific code such as interwiki links, category tags (unless the category already exists at the other wiki), and template calls (unless the other wiki has a similar template). You might want to keep Wikipedia image tags and then reupload Wikipedia images to the destination wiki.
- If you are not the copyright holder (if you are moving content submitted by another Wikipedian), then the GNU Free Documentation License requires that you preserve the History by crediting Wikipedia, in a way similar to Comixpedia:Template:Credit. The best way to do this is to mention that part of the wiki page is from Wikipedia and provide a link back to the Wikipedia article. For example:
- This page uses content from the Wikipedia articles, Gameplay of Doom and List of enemies in Doom.
- Optionally, you can copy the edit history from Wikipedia to the talk page on the other wiki. For an example, see StrategyWiki:Talk:Virtual_Magic_Kingdom. This shows which Wikipedians edited the article. You do not need to copy edit history from before when the moved content was added to Wikipedia.
- Remember that these other wikis are not only for rejected Wikipedia content. Consider helping the other wikis by editing them to improve their content. Help them by contributing good content to those wikis as well instead of only to Wikipedia. You might want to copy information that is useful on both Wikipedia and the other wiki, but remember that the other wikis probably do not want to be Wikipedia mirrors.
Content that may be moved to gaming wikis:
- Specific moves and buttons used to execute them. While saying that a character can jump, punch, and pound the ground is OK, explaining how to execute them using the controller is not.
- Lists of mere statistics, items, or other minutiae. The HP or weight class of a character is not important to the article; neither are all the swords available in the game.
- Strategy guides. Basic strategy concepts are often essential to the understanding of a game, but avoid in-depth explanations.
- Lists of cheats or codes. Some codes may be notable and suitable for articles, such as the famed Konami Code, but the method of performing a code that's confined to only a few games and has no special claim to fame is unsuitable for Wikipedia.
Other unsuitable content:
- Theories or speculation. You may think that the Chozo were actually cannibalistic, perhaps based on a sentence referencing their mysterious eating habits in an instruction booklet, but unless this has been stated explicitly in official literature, it does not belong in the article. This also applies to theories that are not your own.
- Similarly, fan ideas about characters' lives or relationships are not appropriate for the encyclopedia.
- Obscure rumors. If the launch list of Nintendo's Wii hasn't been announced yet, do not bother contributing that you heard a Metroid card battle game is in the works. If it's heavily rumored in several major media sources, that is fine.
- Rumored codenames. For example, do not refer to the "Game Boy Evolution," because that name is entirely made up.
Examples of articles that have been considered inappropriately detailed:
- Jumping in Quake (since merged to Quake and Rocketjumping); old version: Jumping in Quake)
- Super Mario 64 Glitches (since moved to Strategywiki:Super Mario 64/Glitches)
[edit] Critical content
A staple of any CVG article is its reception section. It makes a case for the game's notability and provides important out-of-universe information, such as critical review. It is often coupled with "impact" or "legacy" sections in articles over important games; see Final Fantasy VII#Reception.
- Magazine Project
Finding critical review for older games may be difficult as most work was done in dated gaming magazines without the advent of the internet. Several CVG members have kept old copies of certain video game publications. A list of users and notable data is kept at Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Magazines. If you find something relevant to your article on that page, contact an appropriate user to request referencing.
If you wish to contribute to the project, please add your username to issues you have or create new issue listings if none currently exist. Please be thorough when checking magazines, and be sure to wikify game titles. Follow the simple table format.
If you prefer, add this userbox to your page to generate interest in the project. Just add {{User WPCVGm}} to your user page.
[edit] Style
This is an encyclopedia, and articles should be written formally, not like FAQs, fansites, or player's guides. In addition to the Manual of Style, keep these CVG-centric style tips in mind:
- Do not use second-person pronouns ("you"). We cannot assume that the reader is planning on playing the game. Use "one," "the player," the name of the player-controlled character, or put the sentence in the passive voice. Example: "You can fight the boss" becomes "the player can fight the boss," "the character can fight the boss," "Link can fight the boss," or "the boss can be fought." If using "the player", make sure the use is singular, not plural.
- Use italics for game titles, but not character names. Ninja Gaiden is OK; Ryu Hayabusa is not.
- Avoid confusing abbreviations, unless they are standard. PS2 is OK; LoZ:OoT is probably not. Instead, try shortening the title to a few key words: LoZ:OoT becomes Ocarina.
- Use the {{spoiler}} and {{Endspoiler}} tags on a case by case basis.
- Use the present tense for describing things happening in the games (including gameplay), not the past tense. This is logical; even if a game was released decades ago, it still performs the same today as it did on release for anyone who plays it on its intended gaming platform.
- When writing about a game's story elements be sure to keep a out-of-universe perspective. Or simply put, do not describe fiction as fact. For Example: "Link awakened after hearing a telepathic message from Zelda." This sentence talks about fiction from a perspective within its world. "The start of the game shows Link awaking after hearing a telepathic message from Zelda." This sentence talks about fiction from the perspective out of its world.
- Please use appropriate external link templates, such as {{Nintendo.com}}, {{Moby game}}, {{Hotu}} and {{GameFAQs}}.
- Substandard and fluffy prose are unacceptable, even in underdeveloped articles. Ask for copyeditors to help enhance your article's prose, even if you are a solid writer. Avoid redundancies and misplaced formalilty, such as "in order to" and "upon". You may wish to read "How to satisfy Criterion 1a".
[edit] Links to remakes
Links to modern remakes (homebrew clones) of the entry game in question are discouraged. Such games are usually added to articles for self-promotional purposes and infringe on the copyright of the game property's owner.
[edit] Disambiguating names of mods
Use the original name of the mod and only disambiguate the title if there is a naming conflict. If a mod's name clashes with the name of an existing article, then use "Mod Name (computer game)". Only use "Mod Name (mod)" if the name clashes with another computer/video game.
[edit] Screenshots and cover art
For information on adding pictures, see Wikipedia:Picture tutorial.
Wikipedians assert that screenshots of video games and box or cover art usage are protected under the fair use provision of U.S. Copyright law (but see exceptions below). To notify others of the copyright status of such images, uploaded game cover art should include the tag {{Gamecover}}. Screenshots of a game should include the tag {{Game-screenshot}}. Some screenshots or box covers may be categorized elsewhere, in which case the uploader is still required to provide valid information on the image's source and copyright status. For rendered art or other official graphics that aren't screenshots, use the general {{Character-artwork}}, {{Promotional}}, or {{fairuse}} tag and provide information (See WP:Fair use for information on what the requirements are). Game company logos may use the {{logo}} tag. Do not upload screenshots that have been watermarked.
If the video game itself uses a free license (for example GPL), that licenses extend to screenshots produced by the game. In such cases, used appropriate free software tag instead. In addition, Ubisoft has also granted Wikipedia free licenses for screenshots of games produced by them. (See {{Ubisoft-screenshot}}).
Screenshots are great for enhancing the comprehensiveness of articles, and all computer and video game articles should have at least a couple. Do not go overboad, because excessive placement of fair use images has been known to spark controversy and objection, especially with Featured Article candidates. Cover art should appear in the infobox (see below for more info on the infobox), and ideally, the most recognizable English-language cover should be used to illustrate the subject.
For video game consoles or other hardware, it is preferred that users take their own pictures and upload them. Whenever possible, replace copyrighted images with free (public domain or GNUFDL) alternatives.
For captions, try to conform to the guidelines set forth in Wikipedia:Captions and Wikipedia:WikiProject Writing Captions.
[edit] Image file formats
For box art, JPEG will work fine. PNG or SVG are preferred for logos.
Now with the easy stuff out of the way, the file format used for screenshots depends entirely on what type of image it is. JPEGs are fine for most 3D games and some 2D games. Games with a strong emphasis on pixel art/sprites should use PNG. GIFs should only be used for animated images.
[edit] Release dates
When inserting release dates, please be sure that they are correct. Remember, point out if this is a release date for a specific region/console. To find a release date for a game it is best to check multiple sources for the same dates. Many game websites display the release dates of games (GameSpot, IGN etc.) and shopping sites such as Amazon. When adding wikilinks to the year the game was released, consider linking to the video game article of that year. For example, use [[2007 in video gaming|2007]] instead of simply [[2007]]. By following Manual of Style guidelines, try to avoid the surprise, e.g. use "Scramble was released in 1981" rather than "Scramble was released in 1981".
Where a full date is known, link to the year itself rather than the year in video gaming, so that user date preference formatting can function correctly. For example, use [[September 13]] [[2006]] rather than [[September 13]] [[2006 in video gaming|2006]].
If a title has yet to be released, please put {{future game}} at the top of the page. This template takes the sortkey as an argument if needed. The game will then be listed in Category:Upcoming video games.
[edit] Organization
Here are a few ideas for how to organize articles. These do not necessarily have to correspond to the actual section headers and divisions, and they are no more than suggestions. Do not try to conform to them if they are not helping to improve the article.
For games:
- Lead section: The name of the game in bold italics, release date, platform, and other identifying information go first. Then, a brief summary of the article. Finally, why the game is notable and important; this is the key part of the lead section, because it establishes the main idea that will be carried throughout the article.
- Infobox: see below for more information.
- Gameplay: going over the significant parts of how the game works. Remember not to include player's guide or walkthrough material.
- Plot: if the plot is not too complex, it can be lumped in with the gameplay; otherwise, put it in its own section. If necessary, the section should have subheadings for the story's setting, characters, and story. Avoid trivial details.
- History: discuss development, release, impact, critical acclaim, etc. This can easily be several different sections.
- Trivia: Such information should be integrated into appropriate areas of the article.
- External links and references. Cite sources! If you're unsure what to include for references, game instruction booklets, guides, reviews, and interviews are all good candidates.
[edit] Other guidelines
As per a very lengthy debate, full names should be used for video game character article namespaces when they appear in-game. Otherwise the common name should be used.
[edit] Example articles
[edit] Featured Articles
The featured articles are what Wikipedia editors believe are the best articles in Wikipedia. Before being listed here, articles are reviewed at Wikipedia:Featured article candidates for accuracy, neutrality, completeness, and style according to our featured article criteria. Bold article names have been featured on the main page on "Today's featured article".
