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Article: Draft of "How to write a good video game article".
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Writing encyclopedic articles about video games has proven to a difficult venture on Wikipedia; though it has been done many times before. Writing about a video game is not hard. People do it all the time on the internet and there are several professional and personal websites dedicated to video games. The tricking part about writing about video games on Wikipedia is adhering to the policies and guidelines of style and quality. Though these guidelines and policies may seem cumbersome, they are there for a reason; to maintain a certain level of quality, accuracy, and reliability.

Organization

Articles are organized to help display the information in a manner that is easy to read and understand. If details are divided among several sections in the article, the flow of the article can be disjointed and it is more difficult for readers to see the bigger picture. After earning numerous successful Featured articles and Good articles, the Video games Project has found a rather safe and reliable format to use in video game articles:

1. Intro
   • Lead paragraphs – Should be a short summary of the whole article.
   • Infobox – Should provide basic information at a quick glance.
2. Gameplay
   • Should briefly explain the mechanics of the game and how the player(s) interact with game.
3. Plot
   • Setting – Should help give a little background information about the fictional or real life location of the game and the period of time it is set in.
   • Characters – Should mention the major characters and briefly explain their role in the game
   • Story – Should briefly explain the story of the game and mention major events.
4. Development
   • Should explain how the game and its various aspects were created by the developers.
5. Reception
   • Should explain how the game was received by critics in the gaming and other notable press. Sales information and awards should also be included.
6. Impact/Legacy
   • Can include various types of content.
     • Should mention any sequels, remakes, or re-releases.
     • Should explain how the game has affected the video game industry and various aspects of society.
     • Should mention notable appearances in other media

Researching the topic

re·search - [ri-surch, ree-surch] –noun 1. diligent and systematic inquiry or investigation into a subject in order to discover or revise facts, theories, applications, etc.: recent research in medicine. 2. a particular instance or piece of research. –verb (used without object) 3. to make researches; investigate carefully. –verb (used with object) 4. to make an extensive investigation into: to research a matter thoroughly. "research." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 25 Mar. 2008. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/research>.

While it may seem like a boring task, researching about the video game you want to write about is vitally important to improving its quality on Wikipedia. While it may be easy to write about some aspects of a game, like the gameplay or plot, others require knowledge outside what you experienced while playing the game. Information like why the character designer chose to make a character's clothing a specific color or style, or why the game plays the way it does.

Reliable sources

Further information: Wikipedia:Reliable sources and Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Sources

Misconceptions about video game articles

Most readers and editors will come to Wikipedia looking for information about video games and related topics with a certain expectation. Often times they expect to find something akin to a game/strategy guide or FAQ. However, this is not the purpose of Wikipedia, nor is it the purpose of an encyclopedia.

Obstacles to writing

Video games are a tricky beast from an encyclopedic viewpoint in that there are three ways to approach most topics: discussion of the game, development, reception, and sales, discussion of the game's gameplay and how certain tasks in the game are done, and discussion of the game as a work of fiction, describing the plot and characters. Moreso than other topics, all three need a careful balance which is now being realized in our Featured Articles and Topics, but it is a slow learning curve. Video games, being a completely contemporary topic, also tend to lack the academic and paper sources that other topics enjoy, and we are working to try to ensure that the best sources are used to back up key articles.

User:Masem, Wikipedia

Lack of sources

Sometimes the information you need is either just not out there, or in a format you can't use; unreliable source or another language. That means that some articles will not any content for a "Development" and/or "Reception" section. What this amounts to is that those articles do not have the necessary information to be considered comprehensive and can not progress up Wikipedia's quality scale. This has happened to plenty of editors and it will probably continue to happen.

There are a couple of solutions to this, though not all are desirable to editors.

• The worst case scenario is the article gets deleted. Without enough real world information and reliable sources, the article can not assert enough notability to stay on Wikipedia. Though many people believe Wikipedia to be the website with all the information in the world, not everything is meant to be on Wikipedia.
• If there is not enough real-world information for the article to stand on its own, it can sometimes be merged into a related article. While this is not always considered ideal by the primary contributors, it allows the content to remain on Wikipedia and normally helps the related article become more comprehensive.
• If there is enough real-world information for the article to stand on its own, it can stay were it is. However, without enough real-world information to cover the major aspects of the topic, it can not be considered comprehensive and can not obtain a rating higher than B-class. All you can do from here is to be on the lookout for new sources to emerge that can help fill in the gaps.

Edit wars

Further information: Wikipedia:Edit war

Having a biased point of view

Further information: Wikipedia:Neutral point of view

It's probably a safe assumption that if you're writing about a particular video game, you've probably played it and/or really enjoyed it. I doubt you'd take the time to write about something you didn't like. That being said, it is easy to overlook the flaws of a game we really like. This can sometimes lead to inadvertently using weasel words when writing sections of the article, omitting negative comments in the "Reception" and/or "Impact" sections, and even sometimes removing negative content from the article in the hopes of making it look better.

While this is understandable, it is greatly discouraged on Wikipedia. Wikipedia's purpose is to provide reliable content, and pushing a particular point of view skews that purpose. Since Wikipedia does not endorse the people and objects articles are written about, there is no need for an article to read like an advertisement.

Other guides

Content from User:Zeality/GuideWIP

1. Research like mad. Think of it this way—before you do anything else, if you don't have sources to cite, then there's no point starting. You'll save yourself a lot of wasted time if you make sure you've got everything you need to build an article with from the beginning. There's a subproject of WP:CVG that keeps track of video game publications and their content that can be of much help.
2. Start with the real world sections first, such as Reception or Development. I usually start at the Reception section and then work my way through the other real world sections before finally doing the plot-related stuff. I find that it helps you keep yourself grounded in thinking in terms of applying the article's subject matter to the real world. Also, I personally think it's more interesting. For me, the hardest part of writing an article is working on the plot-related stuff. I mean, I already know the story. Writing about it is hardly a joyride to me, especially when it's bogged down in as many details as one like Final Fantasy VII's. I personally find information about how critics responded and about what kind of ideas went into making the game a whole lot more interesting to work on.
3. Do the lead last. By then, you've already done everything else, and you know exactly how the article needs to be summarized.
4. Keep the process the images went through on this FAC in mind. While the fair use thing can be annoying, it really helps ensure that the images we do use are all the more valuable for meeting some really sensible criteria, such as notability, or what they help convey that text alone might not be able to. The strict requirements also ensure you pick relevant images and cut down on excess.
5. Take breaks when you need them. I can't stress this enough. You don't have to do an entire 90-100kb article in two and a half days like I did with Final Fantasy 7. That was nuts. I don't know why I did it. I blame... I don't know who I blame. But it was nuts. Don't do that. When you start feeling burned out, walk away from it for a little while, maybe just a couple of hours. I promise you the work will benefit from it. Don't hound yourself to death, and don't force yourself to get an article to FA so fast. Normally, this process is supposed to take weeks. Sometimes it takes people months. Really, what Deckiller and I have done with all our work is unnatural. You don't have to do that. Just keep it in mind. Find the pace you work best at and just conduct yourself at that pace alone. Don't try to beat us or tie us or anything like that. You'll do your best when you're feeling comfortable. The ironic aspect of this advice I'm giving you is that, for me, I do work best under rapid conditions, for whatever reason. But find your own comfort level and stay in it.
6. Check other featured CVG articles to observe how certain info is linked together. For instance, some games have a lot of sketchy trivia about development and soundtracks floating around. Some editors prefer to link most out-of-universe information under a "reception" or "development" header. Conversely, if enough information is available, separate sections can be made. Be flexible; the article's form should best represent information about the game—not the other way around.
7. Get as much feedback as you can, especially from editors you trust or respect. However, try to be open to the advice of even those people who cause you to think "Where'd the hell they come from?" while making an entrance accompanied by an edit that you might not have liked. This one's hard. But it's a good idea. One of the worst things that can happen while making an article is to say something you regret. If you do it, just remember that it happens to all of us I've done it plenty of times. Always remember to apologize when it happens, though. This is very important (I won't say why. It might be important to you for a different reason than it is me, but I promise that it's important).
8. Prepare for requirement 1a by extensively editing the prose and inviting other editors to do so. There's a great guide here to meeting the "brilliant prose" requirement. At the most basic level, try to eliminate useless words like "additionally," "eventually," and other superlative connectors. Meeting this requirement will likely be the hardest part of the nomination, and the easiest way to do it is to import a fresh pair of eyes.
9. Don't be afraid to be bold when you have to be. Don't even be afraid to disregard any or all of this advice. Do what you have to do to.
10. Meet objections head on with swift and eager action. Don't automatically bend to certain objections however, as some reviewers get the wrong idea at times. But demonstrating and executing a willingness to correct oversights and flaws not only speeds up the process but makes it easier for all parties involved. FACs can often turn sour when editors who have invested much time in articles are offended by suggested corrections. Tackle things with energy and a positive attitude.
11. Remember to thank everybody you owe a thanks to, even the people who annoyed you or altogether pissed you off. Especially if they actually managed to contribute on some level. Go out of your way to thank them if you have to. I can't stress this one enough. It's one of the most important, and is the only bit of advice I suggest never disregarding.

Content from User:Hbdragon88/vgimprove

Improve a video game article within ten minutes

1. Find a category of games
2. Find a video game that is relatively recent, let's say within the past ten years that has plenty of web reviews
3. Create sections for Gameplay, Story, Reception, and See also/External links
4. Open up Gamerankings.com and open up the reviews for IGN, GameSpot, and couple of other sites
5. If you haven't played the game before, read the reviews and cite them when writing the gameplay section
6. State the Game Rankings percentage, possibly the Meta Critics percentage, and mention 2-3 things that the three reviewers seem to say about the product. Is it a great buy? Sucky? Or what?

Now, as for GA status...

1. Development information is cruical. Are there any inteviews with game designers and developers that state what their goals were? Was the game delayed several times, or anything notable like that?
2. Include speculation and news over the game, including the direction the game was about to take
3. Find more reviews, preferrably from magazines and such
4. Find sales and marketing information, such as how much the game sold (difficult)