Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Video games

• It is usually inappropriate to list all the levels in a game, but Sonic Generations is an exception because its reliance on aspects from prior Sonic games is the basis of the game.
• It is usually inappropriate to explain strategies, but the "lurking" exploit in Asteroids is an exception because it changed the way developers test their games for exploits.
• It is usually inappropriate to describe
  in-game items in detail, but describing the portal gun from Portal
  is necessary to understand the game, and has significant coverage in reliable sources.
• It is usually inappropriate to list specific multiplayer servers or worlds in a game, unless they have individual notability and coverage in reliable secondary sources, such as Hypixel, 2b2t, or The Uncensored Library.
• It is usually inappropriate to include cost information, but including the launch price of the PlayStation 3 in its article is an exception because it was largely criticized across various reliable publications. This should be included in the "Reception" section.
• It is usually inappropriate to mention or list
  Grid Wars and Armagetron Advanced, have achieved notability because of their far-reaching impact on the game(s) on which they are based. Some fan remakes of games or their engines are independently notable and have their own articles, e.g. OpenMW
  (see also the "Remakes" section below).
• If a short article that has existed for some time is to be merged (per #2 above), merge the content first and only redirect the short article once consensus determines the merge is of sufficient quality.
• It is usually inappropriate to speculate about games that were never announced. However, certain games such as Chrono Break have been the subject of much debate by independent reliable sources, with the game's developer Square Enix commenting on questions about the future of the Chrono series.

Remakes, expansions (including both expansion packs and downloadable content), and game series can be handled as either a section in a parent article, or as a separate article. If you can verify enough information to write a non-stub section about the distinct reception of a video game remake, as well as a non-stub section about its distinct game development or design, then the remake will qualify for its own article. However, having a separate article should not endanger the notability of the parent article. If there is not enough distinct information on the remake for a complete article, the few distinct aspects of the remake should be covered in the original game's article.^[d] Expansions follow similar criteria for when it is appropriate to split out a separate article, taking care to avoid unnecessary splits.

Series or franchise articles provide an overview of a continuous

This is an encyclopedia, and articles should be written formally, unlike FAQs, fansites, or player's guides. In addition to the general Manual of Style guidelines, keep these video game-centric style ones in mind.

• Italicize video game series and stand-alone video games.
• Individual video game levels, chapters, or episodes of a standalone video game should use standard double quotes (for example, "Milkman Conspiracy").
• Italicize titles of in-universe fictional works that would be italicized if they were real, e.g. Red Book of Hergest. Similarly, use double quotes for titles of in-universe fictional works that would normally use double quotes if real, such as song names.
• Common words
  third-person view
  are written as such.

For expansions and downloadable content (DLC), the nature of that content will affect how the names should be presented, though editors should seek consensus for alternatives for specific cases:

• For a DLC that is a significant add-on story, often handled separately from the main game's story and not integrated into it, the name of the DLC should be italicized, treating it like a stand-alone game. Examples include Grand Theft Auto IV's The Ballad of Gay Tony and BioShock 2's Minerva's Den.
• For DLC that may add additional narrative along with additional content to the main game, integrating that story alongside the existing narrative, the name of the DLC should be quoted. For example: "Dead Money" for Fallout: New Vegas, and "The Bank Job" for Payday 2.
• For DLC that mostly adds new content (characters, maps, weapons, vehicles, gameplay modes) but little new narrative, the DLC name should follow standard English capitalization rules but is otherwise left unformatted. For example: Stimulus Package for
  Saints Row III
  .
• For games that are presented episodically, such as most releases from
  The Walking Dead: Season One
  's "A New Day" and "400 Days".

Video game genres and formats or types of gameplay should be presented in standardized style (see

Video game platforms and hardware should follow appropriate naming and style for trademarked names. WP:Manual of Style/Trademarks covers this in detail. The short version: do not use typographic tricks to try to mimic logo stylization, including ALL-CAPS or SMALL-CAPS; use plain English, though camel case is permissible, as is letter/number substitution, if consistently treated as the title in reliable sources (e.g., Left 4 Dead).

Italicize

Write from a

• While Retro Gamer reported that Sabre Wulf broke the company's sales records,^[1] Computer and Video Games wrote that it underperformed prior games, with only 30,000 copies sold by December 1984.^[2] Eurogamer reported that 350,000 units were sold in total.^[3]

Avoid

Avoid writing or listing the game's features and mechanics like an advertisement. Wording such as "My Player − NBA 2K15 features a career mode in which you start your career in the draft and working your way up by training your player" is unacceptable (see also Wikipedia:Manual of Style § Second-person pronouns). Instead, write out the features in an encyclopedic manner, such as "In NBA 2K15, there is My Player mode in which players can create their own NBA player and use the created player to raise stats by training and playing out games throughout his career."

For systems and games, English terms are preferred over non-English equivalents when the difference would either be confusing to the reader or unimportant within the context of the article. For example, while the Famicom is not quite the same as the NES, the differences are relatively minor for the vast majority of game articles (see also WP:Article titles#Use commonly recognizable names; while it is part of the article naming policy, we generally refer to things in article prose the same way we do in article titles, to avoid confusing readers).

Use the present tense when describing a subject that continues to exist. For example, a 1984 video game and console both continue to exist as long as copies of both are in circulation, but both a canceled video game and a discontinued online game exist only in the past tense.

• The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console, and Super Mario Bros. is a video game.
• Sonic X-treme was a platform game in development for the Sega Saturn, but was canceled before release.
• Glitch was a browser-based massively multiplayer online game launched in 2011 and discontinued the next year.
• Battleborn was an online hero shooter that was released in 2016. Its servers were shutdown in 2021.

However, when describing specific events related to a console or game, such as production, advertising, reviews, use a tense appropriate for the time period in which the event occurred. Avoid phrasing that may confuse past and present tense.

• The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console designed by Nintendo. But: It was released in 1983.
• The PlayStation 5 is currently being sold worldwide.

Similarly, use the present tense to describe gameplay and other in-game events. This is logical: even if a game was released decades ago, it still performs the same today as it did on release. Game plots should always be written in present tense, as they happen as the game is played, not in the past. An exception is when an event (fictional or historical) took place prior to the events of the game. For example,

• Throughout the game, Pac-Man is chased by four ghosts.
• At the beginning of the game, Niko Bellic arrives in Liberty City, not arrived. The event happens as the player begins the game.
• Four hundred years prior to the start of the game, the Lefeinish watched their country decline as the Wind Orb went dark.

In the first sentence, only include a parenthetical non-English language equivalent when the game/topic is not primarily known by a Latin alphabet title. Move the parenthetical to a footnote if the non-English name is not critical to understanding the topic. It is recommended that unless the Japanese name (kanji/kana) is critical to the understanding of the topic, one should place it in a footnote to the official English title. (This only applies to video game-related articles. For other Japan-related articles, see WP:Manual of Style/Japan-related articles.) Even if the Japanese name is important, in some cases there are several Japanese titles, or the fully-utilized nihongo templates are so long they hurt the readability of the lead paragraph; these should also be placed in a footnote. This can be done using {{efn}}, {{nihongo foot}}, or other methods as described in Help:Shortened footnotes. This retains the information about the original Japanese title and translation but avoids creating a "busy" first sentence in the article. In games where there is no official English title (such as Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan), the first sentence should retain the romanized Japanese title while the remaining translation information should be placed in a footnote. If a game was originally titled using the Latin alphabet, there is no need to include its title in any other writing system.

• When the article's title (by common name) is a transliteration of a language other than English, that language equivalent can be included in the lead sentence, usually in parentheses or a footnote, when it would help the reader understand the title's meaning in the original language. For example:
  • Katamari Damacy (塊魂) is a third-person puzzle-action video game ...
• For stand-alone games, names of franchises, and the first game within a franchise, the full set of English title, Japanese title, and Hepburn romanization (which in this page is called "romaji") should generally be used.
• For sequels in a franchise that are numbered, the romaji for the original game's title is not required nor is the romaji for the numeral.
• For series within a franchise, treat the articles on the series and first title as if they are their own franchise.
• For sequel games that have idiosyncratic subtitles, the romaji for only the subtitle is required if the English name is a literal translation of the Japanese name. In place of the romaji for the original title, include an
  en dash
  (–).
• For sequel games that have idiosyncratic subtitles that are not literal translations from Japanese into English, the third parameter of {{nihongo}} does not need to be filled at all.
• For sequels with idiosyncratic subtitles that use English text in the original Japanese title, romaji is not necessary for the English text if the words are read the same in English as they are in the Japanese title. Example:
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (真・女神転生 Strange Journey) is...
• For sequels with idiosyncratic subtitles that use English text but are read in a way that they would normally not be in English, the romaji is not necessary, but the fourth parameter of {{nihongo}} should include the intended reading of the subtitle. Example:
  • Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (キングダム ハーツ 358/2 Days, read as "Three Five Eight Days Over Two") is...

Video game jargon is often used in reviews, Internet forums and casual conversation about video games. Like all jargon, the slang words are familiar to those closely involved with the game industry, but tend to be cryptic to others. For example, you would confuse a person you meet on the street by telling them:

• Ryu's 46-hit combo deathmove absolutely pwns Jin and takes away 85% of Jin's health.

They would puzzle over words like "combo", "deathmove", and "85% health", as well as wondering who "Ryu" and "Jin" are, and how somebody can "

• Among the characters available for players to control, Ryu has an advantage over Jin. He has a super attack technique that deals out a long sequence of hits on Jin and is capable of depleting 85% of Jin's health points.

That said, it is still possible to use jargon in an article. This could be of necessity if the game's concept deals closely and often with the jargon. The jargon would, however, have to be clearly explained (simple and clear sentences) before its first use in the article. For example, if an adventure game requires players to gather mana crystals (calling it Shwartz gems) to defeat monsters with spells, one could write,

• A key concept of the game is magic. Players are required to gather crystals, Shwartz gems, to increase their magic points. Shwartz gems can be collected by defeating monsters, searching through containers, and buying them at a shop. The gems also bestow additional benefits on the players, such as increasing their amount of protection, increasing their speed, and allowing them to teleport to certain places. Players must possess certain Shwartz to kill the large monsters, bosses, guarding the end of each level.

Another example,

• Boogers can fly 60 Starspitzers, of which 55 are unlocked by executing no-hit runs.

We can rewrite the bolded jargon to:

• The protagonist Boogers flies spacecraft called Starspitzers. On starting a game, players choose between five Starspitzers options. When they complete a mission without damaging their spacecraft, a new Starspitzer is added to their choice of spacecrafts. Up to 55 additional Starspitzers can be added in this manner.

Be aware of common video game acronyms which may be well known within the field, but not outside it. For example, do not presume everyone recognizes the terms "MMORPG", "HUD" or "CPU"; spell out these terms to avoid confusion. If the term is used frequently within an article, then it is acceptable to spell it out the first time it is used in the body, followed by the initialism or acronym in parentheses. Following this, all subsequent recurrences of the term can use the initialism or acronym. If the term is only used once or twice, this approach may not be necessary. Do not make up initialisms or acronyms just to simplify a phrase, and instead use only those that are commonly used in reliable sources.

In summary:

• Use simpler and common terminology in all instances.
• Only use jargon if they are crucial or unavoidable in explaining the game to the readers.
• Explain jargon briefly on their first usage.
• Link to relevant articles if necessary.
• Try to get someone unfamiliar with video games to read your article and locate any jargon in it.

Title Wikipedia articles by the subject's

Mainspace pages should be tagged, if possible, with a short description, a brief summary of the topic of the page, which is used as part of the

• For video games, a typical format would be "<year of release> video game". For example, for Resident Evil 4, 2005 video game; for Super Mario 64, 1996 video game.
  • If further disambiguation is needed, add the game's primary genre: "<year of release> <genre> video game".
  • Per
    WP:SDDUPLICATE, "avoid duplicating information that is already in the title (but don't worry too much if you need to repeat a word or two for context)". For example, for the article God of War (2018 video game)
    , "2018 video game" is already in the title, so use the short description to add the genre instead: Action-adventure game.
  • If an article covers multiple video games and is not a video game series, such as the case with the article Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen or Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, the year of the earliest release should be added. The general format should be "<year of release> video games". For those two examples, 2004 video games and 2014 video games should suffice.
• For video game series or franchises, "Video game series" is sufficient.
• For video game hardware, a short description of the type of hardware. For example, for PlayStation 2, home video game console; for Nintendo DS, handheld video game console; and for DualShock, video game controller.
• For people in video games, use "<nationality> <primary job function(s)>". For example, for Gabe Newell, American businessman, and for Shigeru Miyamoto, Japanese video game designer.
• For video game companies, similarly use "<nationality> <primary business type(s)>". For example, Nintendo, Japanese video game company; for Electronic Arts, American video game company, and for Remedy Entertainment, Finnish video game developer.

For any other case, use similar short terminology. The goal is a phrase shorter than 40 characters, specific enough to be clear to identify the topic if searching through a list of closely matched similar terms with these descriptions.

• The parameters and style guide for the video game infobox is explained at Template:Infobox video game/doc#Syntax guide.

Avoid bloat in the first sentence. Restrict it to the most important aspects of the topic.

The first sentence should:

• Include only the primary genre. Exclude themes and concepts. E.g., The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a 2017
  open-world action-adventure game
  .
• Include the original release year as part of the introduction to the topic. Other dates, or more specific dates, may appear elsewhere in the lead but should do so only as part of summarizing the topic.
  • Label unreleased, pre-release, and early access games as "upcoming".
• Only use a parenthetical non-English language equivalent when the game/topic is not primarily known by a Latin alphabet title. Move the parenthetical to a footnote if the non-English name is not critical to understanding the topic.
• Avoid "commonly known as" and "stylized as", unless the point of abbreviation or stylization has been made by a preponderance of
  independent, secondary sources. Wikipedia maintains a formal tone and, like newspapers and magazines outside the gamer niche, uses brief phrases instead of abbreviations. For example, the name Ocarina of Time would be an acceptable shorthand for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but OoT would not. There are some occasions where using the full name of the game is the only appropriate option, such as Team Fortress 2
  instead of TF2.

• Write for a general audience. Assume that the reader has heard of a video game but has never played one. Introduce the game in terms of the player's actions and goals.
• glossary of video games
  .
  • E.g., The
    hit points and the player receives a game over
    .
• Similarly, avoid confusing abbreviations. If the term recurs in the article, introduce the acronym alongside its full name. E.g., Downloadable content (DLC), non-player character (NPC), massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG).
• Avoid second-person pronouns ("you"). In addition to their ambiguity and informal tone, we cannot assume that the reader plans to play the game. Instead, use "the player", "the character", or the name of the player-controlled character. E.g., the player can jump or Mario can jump, not you can jump. See also Wikipedia:Manual of Style#Second-person pronouns.
• For readability, choose either "the player" (singular) or "players" (plural) and stay consistent throughout the section.
• Use active voice and avoid passive voice.
• As with most Wikipedia content, gameplay details must be
  WP:NOT#GAMEGUIDE
  .

• For both the lead, infobox, and "gameplay" sections of an article about a video game, make sure to indicate the game's genre or genres.
• Avoid using more than two genres, or more than one hybrid genre (like "action-adventure") in listing the genres. Simply borrowing parts of a genre does not necessarily make the game of that genre, and instead can be said to be using elements of that genre in the lead and gameplay prose. For example, BioShock is a first-person shooter with role-playing game customization and stealth elements... rather than BioShock is a role-playing, stealth first-person shooter...
• Use standard genres (those defined in {{Video game genre}}), and avoid developer/publisher-created ones in these sections, though one can subsequently describe how the developer or publisher describes the game. For example, Dead Cells is properly classified as a roguelike-Metroidvania by most sources, but mention is made of the developer's "roguevania" self-description as a mashup of these genres.
• Do not include narrative genres and gameplay mechanics, such as "science fiction" and "open world", alongside a game's genre. These can instead be used later in the lead or in the gameplay/plot section.
• Similarly, unless a game is strictly a
  platform video game
  ....

• The article's plot coverage should be proportional to the plot's importance in the game, as determined by its weight in the article's source material. For example, plot is a major aspect of Final Fantasy game reviews but a minor aspect of Mario game reviews.
• Include the plot within the gameplay section unless there is cause to distinguish it.
• Straightforward plot summary is assumed to be sourced to the game itself and thus does not require sources. Any conclusions inferred by interpretation, however, do require reliable, secondary sources. Add secondary sources whenever reasonable to (1) reliably verify the cited fact, and (2) prove that the plot detail was sufficiently non-trivial to pass the source's editorial discretion. Primary sources, such as the instruction manual, are of limited use, as a self-published source about itself.
  • The plot should summarise content that every player would be expected to see on a playthrough of a game. Avoid including elements that require the player to follow side quests or visit secret areas, unless that information is deemed critical to understanding the plot. If such information is included, it should be referenced in a way to explain how the player would discover it for
    verifiability requirements. For example, BioShock Infinite
    references specific messages from optional collectibles to support plot elements outside the player's frame of observation.
  • For games with divergent narrative paths, including multiple endings, consider how to summarize these to the simplest level of detail. The summary should explain that the narrative branches, but it is not necessary to enumerate exactly how to obtain each branch or events along each. Focus on divergent narratives that have the greatest impact on the story. For example, the plot summary of The Walking Dead (video game) omits many of the possible story choices, but retains the final decision and its consequences the player makes due to its impact on the narrative.
• Write about story elements from a "
  in-universe
  ") or describe fiction as fact. E.g., not "It is the end of the Zelda timeline and thousands of years after Link defeated Ganondorf", but "Breath of the Wild is set at the end of the Zelda timeline, thousands of years after the events of previous games".
• To retain focus, generally limit plot summaries to 700 words or fewer.
  • For episodic video games, plot summaries of no more than 300 words per episode should be presented either in the plot section as prose or in a table using {{Episode table}} and {{Episode list}}. If appropriate, these articles could instead include a prose plot summary of no more than 700 words per season instead of an episode table, but an article should not have full plot summaries in both an episode table and a plot section. A brief one sentence plot synopsis is permitted in the table for articles with both, such as Tales of Monkey Island.
  • For narrative downloadable content (DLC), plot summaries of no more than 300 words per content should be presented in the main plot section or as an additional sub-section (such as Final Fantasy XV). If appropriate, larger narrative DLC may be split into its own article if it receives significant independent development and reception coverage, such as The Last of Us: Left Behind. Split articles should follow the main plot guideline of 700 words.

• In describing development elements related to the release of a game, it is often easy to fall into the use of proseline on trivial details, repetitive sentences or list items in a form like "On such-and-such date, the company teased the release of their game via a Twitter message." Both proseline and this type of detail are generally inappropriate. Consider what secondary sources state about the game's pre-release information to determine what is appropriate to include. The use of release teasers, trailers, and social media is common throughout the industry, so specific details on these elements are generally unnecessary unless the nature of their presentation is something noted by sources. Exact dates for announcements are rarely necessary and only a rough time estimate is needed: a month/year for most games, or for those unveiled at conferences like E3 or GDC, referring to those conferences.

• Organize sections thematically to juxtapose similar comments from reviewers into a coherent narrative. For example, group reviewer comments on gameplay, technical audiovisuals, narrative, and other common themes of the reviews.
• Signpost each paragraph with a topic sentence. A good opening sentence summarizes the paragraph, helps the reader anticipate what to expect from the paragraph, and has references to directly support the summary. Be careful to not make
  generalizations not substantiated by the sources. If Reviewers praised the game's art direction, say so, and add the references that support the statement, but avoid Most reviewers praised... and other phrases that make the subject ambiguous
  unless you have a source that makes a claim about "most".
• Stack similar claims. When five reviewers write that the controls were clunky, write the claim as a single sentence with multiple refs. If the number of footnote refs following the sentence becomes unwieldy, mention all sources in a single summative footnote. Example: DK Rap ref in Donkey Kong 64
• Vary sentence rhythm and avoid "A said B". Successive sentences in this pattern quickly become dull:
  • John Smith opined, "it's the best game of the year". Juana Pérez of Reliable Blog claimed it was "dry and boring" and lacked focus. (Variants include "A of B said C" and "A said that B".) Rephrase and recast sentences whenever possible to keep the content interesting. Try varying sentence length, direct and indirect claims, and types of summary. For more, see Wikipedia:Copyediting reception sections.
• Minimize direct quotations. Prefer paraphrase whenever possible, both for Wikipedia's emphasis on minimizing use of copyrighted content and to massage the essence of the source into what best suits the section. Almost all reviewer sentiments can be rephrased without using the source's exact words/phrases. Use quotations only to illustrate that which cannot be said better than the source. Reception sections that consist purely of quotations are treated as copyright violations.
• Reduce clutter by removing reviewer names, publications, and dates when unnecessary to the point at hand.
  • Multiple reader polls ranked the game among the best of all time.^[1][2][3], instead of The game was included in multiple top 50 games of all time lists, including that of Famitsu readers in 2006^[1] and IGN readers in 2005^[2] and 2006.^[3]
• Metacritic's qualitative summary often provides a satisfactory summary of a game's overall reception. As in the image to the right, The game received "mixed or average reviews", according to review aggregator [[Metacritic]]. Avoid summative claims that cannot be explicitly verified in reliable, secondary sources.

  

• Including the number of reviews that are computed to create the review aggregator score can be helpful, since it gives context and can help the reader understand how the score is averaged. The number can either be listed after Metacritic's qualitative summary in prose or footnoted in {{Video game reviews}}. Examples: Team Sonic Racing's reception section
• Shortcut

  • WP:VG/MIXED
  "Mixed-to-positive" and "mixed-to-negative" imprecisely describe reception that skews slightly more positive or negative. "Mixed" means "scattered across the board", not "medium", so reviews cannot be both "mixed" and "positive". For precision, "mixed" alone is sufficient. Supplement with specific reviews to describe various positive and negative aspects.
• Reduce minutiae inappropriate for a general audience. For example, avoid scores and statistics in prose, which are hard for the reader to parse and often impart little qualitative information. These scores should be limited to the {{Video game reviews}} template, if present.
  • Review aggregator Metacritic gave the PC version a score of 76 out of 100 based on 45 reviews from critics, while the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions received scores of 77 and 79, respectively. ... The first review was published by Official Xbox Magazine, which gave the game a 9.5 out of 10. IGN gave it 8.5.
• Guidelines for {{Video game reviews}}:
  • This template is not required. It supplements the reception section; it does not replace it.
  • All reviews must be referenced: Individual reviews should cite their original publication, not the truncated aggregator summary.
  • Every single-site review source should be used within the reception section. The reviews table supports the text. It is not to replicate the function of external review aggregators.
  • Present numeric scores using numerals only (e.g. 3.5/5 or 9/10). Convert star ratings and other number-based scores to the equivalent numerals without changing the scale or the score itself (e.g. use "3/5" for a score printed as , but do not convert it to a ten-point scale such as "6/10").
  • Aggregators present readers with a quick gauge of the critical consensus.
    • Metacritic is seen as the industry standard.
    • OpenCritic is useful for newer games. Only use OpenCritic's Critics Recommend metric normally. Do not include OpenCritic's Top Critic Average metric in articles that have a Metacritic score.
    • GameRankings is useful for some older games, but is now defunct. Only use GameRankings when a Metacritic score is unavailable. Round aggregator scores to the nearest whole number (e.g., 83.46% → 83%)
  • (for more, see Template:Video game reviews/doc#Guidelines).
• self-published sources are unreliable unless these are called to attention in secondary sources, such as if a game was review bombed
  . In such cases, cite the secondary source(s) describing the event, not the user review itself. This includes user scores on aggregators.

• When documenting sales, avoid creep; you do not need to document every single sales milestone a game has surpassed. (By March 2017, the game had sold 3 million copies. By September 2017, the game had sold 5 million copies. etc.) It is recommended to limit sales information to the debut sales figures, which indicate the game's initial impact, and the cumulative/most recent figures.

• proseline (typically four or more), these should be placed in a table. For the table, only include awards where either the awards individually are notable (e.g. Seumas McNally Grand Prize) or the awards body as a whole is notable (e.g. The Game Awards

  ); omit individual publication awards and ranked lists from the table.
• Awards included in lists should have a Wikipedia article or be vetted by the community to allow for its inclusion to demonstrate notability. Examples of formatting such tables, typically consistent with accolades from film and television, can be found at
  page size concerns. Examples can be seen with The Last of Us and Red Dead Redemption 2
  .