Wikipedia:WikiProject Massively multiplayer online games/Game Guidelines
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WikiProject MMO |
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Welcome to the guidelines as to how to write an article about an MMO. Please remember that these are just guidelines; nothing is set in stone here, these are just recommendations. Also, please remember that these guidelines are in the midst of being written and any help is appreciated... so here it goes!
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[edit] Parts of an Article
The following are the parts of an article in order of placement.
[edit] Hatnotes
The first thing needed in an article is a hatnote (if necessary). This is simply a link to a disambiguation page or an article with the same or similar name. Often times this is not needed.
[edit] Lead
The first question that the reader will probably ask themselves is "Is this the article that I am looking for?" The lead is one of the most important parts of the article as it tells the reader what the general idea of the article is. The first sentence should include the name of the game in bold and italics (the code for bold and italics together is five apostrophes on either side of the name). The lead should also includes some basic information (even if it is already covered in the infobox).
A common mistake in the lead is using weasel words and saying something to the effect of "Many believe that this is the best game ever." An improved replacement for such a phrase would be "This game is widely regarded as a good game." followed by references to reviews from well-known game review websites.
[edit] Infobox
| An Example MMO | |
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| Developer(s) | WikiProject Massively multiplayer online games |
| Publisher(s) | WikiProject Massively multiplayer online games |
| Release date(s) | *JPN Release Date 1
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| Genre(s) | MMOG |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
| Platform(s) | |
One thing that cannot be stressed enough is to put an infobox on the page. For those who do not know what an infobox is, an infobox is a box on the right hand side of the page that gives the reader basic information on the game. The infobox used for computer and video games is {{Infobox_CVG}}. An example of what an infobox might look like is to the right-hand side of this paragraph. The necessary code to put on the page for an infobox is below. Not all of the code is needed for absolutely every game, although for the ease of future editing, please copy all of it when the infobox is being created in case another editor decides they want to fill it in. Lastly, please avoid using fair use images in the infobox with the exception being box art for the game (which should be included in the infobox).
{{Infobox CVG
|width=
|title=
|image=
|caption=
|developer=
|publisher=
|distributor=
|designer=
|series=
|engine=
|version=
|released= *<small><sup>'''[[Japan|JPN]]'''</sup></small> Release Date 1 <br />
*<small><sup>'''[[North America|NA]]'''</sup></small> Release Date 2 <br />
|genre=
|modes=
|ratings=
|platforms=
|media=
|requirements=
|input=
}}
[edit] Storyline/Plot
An overview of the storyline/plot of the game is generally necessary (however there are articles where this would be irrelevant such as RuneScape for instance). Please, write about fiction in an an out-of-universe perspective; what must be remembered is to keep Wikipedia an encyclopedia. Next, do not go into too much detail as we want a general overview of the plot, not a novel about it. Also, some people do not want their story ruined for them. Warn them before and after the spoiler with spoiler tags (see Wikipedia:Spoiler warning). This section may be further organized with sub-sections (level 3 headlines) which would each contain a different part of the story.
Finally, while writing, please follow the guidelines for writing about fiction and notability in fiction.
[edit] Gameplay
[edit] References
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This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
Citing your sources of information is always necessary for ease of reading, you should create a references section. The only thing that you need to put in it is </references>. Then properly cite your sources throughout the article using in-line citation and it should all appear properly down there.
If you are looking for some references, the main page of WikiProject Massively multiplayer online games has some here.
[edit] Stub Templates
As there are no stub categories for MMOs, use {{videogame-stub}} unless you can find a more specific one that suits the game. Other more specific stub types include {{rpg-videogame-stub}} for MMORPGs, {{strategy-videogame-stub}} for MMORTSes, or {{simulation-videogame-stub}} for simulation MMOs. The full list of computer and video game stub types is available here. Of course, stub templates are only necessary if the article is stub-sized.
[edit] Navigation Templates
There may be an appropriate navigation template for the article (such as a navigation template to help readers navigate games of the same series). If there is, put it here.
[edit] Categories
All articles must be in Category:Massively multiplayer online role-playing games or a relevant sub-category of that.
[edit] Interwiki Links
[edit] Writing Style
These are some tips on writing in an encyclopedic fashion.
[edit] Present or Past Tense?
When writing about anything in a game (be it gameplay, plot, or otherwise) always use the present tense. You may have played the game five years ago, but the game is still the same now.
[edit] Second-Person Perspectives
As this is an encyclopedia, do not write in a second-person perspective. Instead of saying "you must do this" say "one must do this", "the player must do this", or "(insert character's name here) must do this". When saying "the player must do this", do not pluralize "the player".
[edit] Appropriate Uses of Italics
When do you use italics? When saying the name of the game use italics. When saying the name of a character, do not.
[edit] Neutral Point of View
It may be hard for many people, but please try and keep a neutral point of view when writing. That includes not using weasel words as discussed in the lead section. Remember that this is an encyclopedia, not a forum or review website.
[edit] Talk Pages
On the article's talk page please start out with the following:
{{WP_MMOG}}
{{Cvgproj|class=|importance=|peer-review=|old-peer-review=}}
That adds templates for both WikiProject Massively multiplayer online games and WikiProject Computer and video games.
For the second template, at the end of |class= rate the article based the Wikipedia 1.0 Assessment Scale. The same applies with |importance=. Information on the rating system used is available at this page from the WikiProject Council. For |peer-review= and |old-peer-review= simply type yes or no to weather for the first one it is undergoing a peer review and for the second one if is has previously undergone a peer review.
More information on assessment and peer reviewing is in the section Taking the Next Steps - The Path to FA.
[edit] Taking the Next Steps - The Path to FA
| The path to a Featured Article |
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Our parent project WikiProject Computer and video games has an article assessment system as well as a system for peer reviewing. To the right of this section, you will see "The path to a Featured Article" which shows the six steps that are usually taken to get your article to FA status (the best status of an article in Wikipedia).
Do you remember that {{Cvgproj}} template that you put on the article's talk page? Do you remember how you could use that template to assess the article and make a note to weather or not it is or has been under peer review? This is where it's full use is shown!
 FA |
| A |
 GA |
| B |
| Start |
| Stub |
In the quality part rate the article from Stub to FA. All of the possible quality ratings are just to the left of this paragraph. Descriptions, explanations, and examples of the individual ratings are available here. Although, to get to some of the ratings, there are procedures.
As you can see there, the level up from "B" is "GA" a.k.a. "Good Article". Wikipedia wrote about what a Good Article is here. To become a GA you must nominate the article as a Good Article Candidate.
[edit] See Also
- Guidelines From WikiProject Computer and video games About Writing Articles About General Computer and Video Games
- Zeality's Guide to Writing Articles About Computer and Video Games
