Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Video games/Article guidelines

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Fair use images that are neither screenshots or covers

The examples only covers the most common kind of video game images, while there are a number of video game-related fair use images that need to be covered here in more detail. For example, setting images can often be art that doesn't fall under these guidelines and as such editors have no good reference points as to when such an image is acceptable for use. - The New Age Retro Hippie used Ruler! Now, he can figure out the length of things easily. 07:58, 26 April 2011 (UTC)

They are less common, but still bound by WP:NFCC. I don't really think we need to add more content on promotional content. Der Wohltemperierte Fuchs^(talk) 13:23, 27 April 2011 (UTC)

The only one that might be covered here would be for character articles. For those we can state that screenshots, cover images or promotional media (such as official posters) with the largest character casts should be used to limit the number of fair use images. I say that is needed because I've heard arguments that since video games aren't like TV/movies they don't usally have images depicting the entire (major) cast members and therefore more individual images are justified. That argument should basically be shut down before it gains momentum.陣内_Jinnai 15:15, 27 April 2011 (UTC)

Stronghold Kingdoms

Hello, I found a request for box art or logo for the game titled above on the talk page. I have the logo but am nervous about just placing it in case it causes the article to be deleted while it is still new and being added too. Any help or advice or someone checking the logo file I have, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.VoltairSHK (talk) 13:02, 25 May 2011 (UTC)

Svg image

Can someone convert to svg and upload to Commons the Wii U's logo? Here's the source: [1] User Name: E32011 Password: nintendo « ₣M₣ » 21:17, 7 June 2011 (UTC)

• Here is the png logo in case someone wants to convert directly. Protonk (talk) 00:52, 8 June 2011 (UTC)

Whose screenshots are preferable?

I'm working on the article Spiral Knights. I want to add some new screenshots. I've read the fair use guidelines, but they don't address one detail: Should I take my own screenshots from within the game, or should I use the canned screenshots from the company's web site? Two possible considerations: The company's screenshots seem slightly doctored (no heads-up display) and they are not easy to cut-and-paste (perhaps indicating that the company doesn't want them cut-and-pasted?). Mgnbar (talk) 14:21, 22 August 2011 (UTC)

Also: The company's screenshots are probably more diverse and more visually appealing than the ones I would take. Mgnbar (talk) 14:24, 22 August 2011 (UTC)

• I don't think the non-free content policy cuts either way. The core issue is usefulness of the file to the article (NFCC 1 and 8). If there is a particular part of the game which has received specific coverage (some bug or a design decision or whatever) where a text description won't cut it then either your image or a company image will work fine. Other specifics (doctored images which caused a stir when the game was released with graphics which did not live up to preview images) may benefit from an in-game screenshot and a company screenshot. Protonk (talk) 14:55, 22 August 2011 (UTC)
  • I should point out that the lack of a HUD usually just means they are using game cameras rather than player cams, although the possibility they've been touched up always exists. I often end up using self-taken shots for older games because I can actually take them and focus on coverage from the article, rather than trying to find images that do as much per NFCC. Der Wohltemperierte Fuchs^(talk) 14:58, 22 August 2011 (UTC)
    • Knowing the case for Spiral Knights, the game is presented near-top-down, the same as the non-HUD shots. For an artistic standpoint, the graphics are the same, but the HUD does have some details (like health, Heat, etc.) that could be useful in describing the game alongside sources. --MASEM (t) 15:04, 22 August 2011 (UTC)

Thanks everyone. I didn't mean to imply any scandal about the HUD. And just to clarify: The shots I have in mind (five at most) are intended to describe the graphic style, rules, and overall experience of playing the game. This an appropriate, encyclopedic use of screenshots, right? They don't have to address "specific [media] coverage (some bug or a design decision or whatever)" (quoting Protonk), do they? I base this on a cursory reading of a few other recent video game articles. Mgnbar (talk) 15:49, 22 August 2011 (UTC)

Yeppers, you just need to justify them per WP:NFCC. Given that at least cursory time is spent talking about gameplay in most reviews, you should be fine, but I usually look at critic views to see what elements they liked most/hated to spruce up the rationales. Check out our more recent VG FAs and you should find some good examples. Der Wohltemperierte Fuchs^(talk) 15:54, 22 August 2011 (UTC)

Thanks again. I have uploaded my first two screen shots. If anyone is willing to verify that I have followed best practices, or tell me where I went wrong, then I'd appreciate it. In particular, I kept one screenshot at full resolution (but aggressively cropped), because reducing resolution damaged legibility of text, and the text was crucial to the purpose of the image. Any further discussion should be at Talk:Spiral Knights I guess. Mgnbar (talk) 15:00, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

Character classes

What exactly is meant by "weight classes"? This seems like a bizarrely over-specific idea, applicable mostly to Mario Kart and fighting games. Is this supposed to refer to character classes (such as mage, summoner, warrior, etc, which I think are overly specific minutia) or only classes categorized by weight? Some guy (talk) 00:30, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

That would seem to be relevant mostly to driving and fighting games, to compare characters. Salvidrim! 00:52, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

Well, you've rephrased my question as a statement. Some guy (talk) 03:05, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

I'm not sure what your question is exactly. A "weight class system" is an arbitrary (but generally consensus-defined) tiered distribution of characters (fighters or drivers/vehicles) on a lightest-to-heaviest basis (relative to the game's own gravity/physics system). Salvidrim! 03:42, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

Yes, I understand the concept, but not why it is singled out. I guess to be more clear, why would we discriminate on that but not on character classes? Some guy (talk) 07:08, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

As I've said, I'm not sure what exactly you're talking about. When you say "it is singled out", what are you referring to? Salvidrim! 07:28, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

Oi. Let me start over (and undent). I came here trying to determine if a list of character classes offered in a game (e.g. "mage, summoner, warrior, healer, knight, paladin") would fall under Inappropriate Content. With that question in mind, I saw "character weight classes", and thought this was indicating that an article shouldn't list the weight classes that are offered in a game (for example say "featherlight, light, medium, heavy"), which I thought was a bizarrely overspecific thing to say not to have in an article when you could just say "character classes". Looking at it again, since it follows "character moves", maybe it means "listing what weight class each character is" (for example saying "Yoshi is light, Mario is medium, Bowser is heavy", etc).

My feeling, and the possibly mistaken impression I'd gotten from browsing articles, is that a list of the character classes offered in a game is overly detailed (gamecruft) and shouldn't be listed in an article if there are more than say, four classes. Is that the case? Would it depend on context, formatting, etc? Some guy (talk) 07:46, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

When a character is notable enough to be covered in a game's article, mentioning his in-game "character class" is perfectly fine.

As for an actual list of classes, unless their number is very limited, I would recommend mentioning a class system and giving examples, but not listing them all. Salvidrim! 08:02, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

Yes, that last bit is what I was asking/thinking. Thank you, and I apologize for the overly confusing conversation >_< . Some guy (talk) 08:04, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

I brought this up because Star Wars: The Old Republic lists twenty four classes by name, consisting of 8 main classes and two subclasses for each of the main classes. I don't think there's a huge problem with listing the eight main classes, although it's unnecessary, but I feel listing them all again and then listing the 16 subclasses is a perfect example of minutia that shouldn't be in the article. There is a discussion going here, and a few of the editors there think we should list all of the classes, with one of them asking for consensus here and claiming there are "many, many" articles that will need to be revised. So what would we need to establish a consensus here, if this discussion isn't enough? Any more feedback here or there from more editors would be great. Some guy (talk) 20:49, 12 January 2012 (UTC)