Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Sources

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 this page's talk page.

Template:WPCVG Sidebar Articles related to video games need sources like any other Wikipedia article. Content must be verifiable. Editors writing articles in the scope of this project, however, may encounter some problems when finding sources, or citing them. This guideline aims to discuss some of the most common problem areas. None of the below is applicable to every single instance of it—use reason and common sense.

Fansites

Most video games have several fansites devoted to them. These sites enable fans of a game to read more about the game, and to discuss it. Fansites play an important role in video gaming communities. Editors of articles about video games in Wikipedia are often part of these communities, and sometimes use fansites as sources.

Fansites usually do not qualify as reliable sources. Wikipedia policy on what constitutes a reliable source is scattered, but the guidelines in Wikipedia:Reliable sources#What is a reliable source? provide a good summary. When checked against the requirements there, fansites usually do not pass. They have little to no editorial oversight, and may be self-published (i.e. the person hosting the website is also the one writing its content). Fact-checking is often of lesser importance than publishing the latest rumours. Quoting the rule of thumb: "...the greater the degree of scrutiny involved in checking facts, analyzing legal issues, and scrutinizing the evidence and arguments of a particular work, the more reliable it is."

A notable exception to this rule exists. When a fansite is publishing third party information that is reliable, but is not available elsewhere, or only in video or audio format, it may be cited. For example, a transcript of the text of a cut scene may only be available on a fansite. In this case, cite the video game (see below), and include a link like "Transcript" to the fansite containing the transcript. Do not cite the fansite itself as source. An example from Characters of StarCraft :

Blizzard Entertainment (1998). StarCraft (PC). Level/area: Episode I, mission 2: "Backwater Station". Transcript.

Other fansites provide forum excerpts by developers from the game's forums. Favour citing the forum post itself over the fansite's article and commentary about it. When citing a forum post on a fansite's own forum, special scrutiny is advised. Make it clear that it is the post that is cited, not the thread or forum in general. Consider forum posts like journal articles, except that in this case the "journal" is unreliable (see WP:SPS), but the "article" may be, because of its author. Use real names over forum nicknames. An example from Supreme Commander :

Ables, Jeremy (2007-07-30). "Patch notes build 3260". Gas Powered Games. Retrieved 2007-08-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Tools: {{cite web}} and {{citation}}

Video games

In articles about themselves, citing video games is often attractive. Essentially, they contain all information needed for the article. Wikipedia favours secondary sources, and the use of primary sources should be minimised. Games are primary sources in articles about themselves. Whether it is a good thing to use them as a source varies per perspective, subject and game. For a reader, it is usually very hard to use a video game to check facts. Provide transcripts wherever possible, and enable readers to check the facts themselves by noting which area, level or episode is cited. Using the later levels of games with a linear level progression as sources (without transcripts) should be avoided. The same applies to bonus levels or easter eggs.

It is very hard to find proper sources for sections about the plot or setting of a video game, without using the game itself. In many of these sections, the game itself is used as a source, but make sure that it is not the only source. Furthermore, the kind of statements that can be backed up with a reference to the game itself is limited. For example, it is impossible to use the game itself to back up that it "... takes place in a high fantasy setting".

Statements of a technical or critical nature should never contain references to the game itself. Technical details (like the type of texture mapping used) are impossible to discern for the layperson. Using the game itself as a source for critical content is original research. Criticism should not be the editor's own, but for example a reviewer's.

Tools: {{cite video game}} and {{cite video}}

Review sites

The most important source for most video game articles are the reviews of the game itself. These reviews come mostly from reliable sources (such as the ones in the list below), but be aware of less reliable reviews. Many sites allow users to submit content, like Wikipedia itself. These reviews are often not independent, and are not reliable because they have not been checked for factuality by an editor. It is also important to make a distinction between review sites, and directory listings. The latter often repeat information from press releases and the game's official website, and do not constitute a reliable source for establishing notability. Their use should be avoided in general as well.

Aggregate review sites such as Metacritic and Game Rankings are generally useful to include in the critical reception portion of a video game article, as these sites provide links to numerous reviews for a game, more than can readily be included in Wikipedia. Data from these aggregate review sites should be handled carefully. There are two primary issues with these sites. Firstly, the site webmasters are free to include or ignore any review source they choose. While these sites will typically include major English gaming review sources, they can (and do) also include less reliable sites. Secondly, the sites average the scores between reviewers without regard for the differences in the rating systems used. Furthermore, video game reviews are not meant to be used in comparison with each other. A reviewer who gave two games both a score of 90% might prefer one above the other, but this does not show in the scores.

Official information

In video gaming communities, discussing unreleased games or expansion packs, the adjective "official" is often used. It denotes that certain information is definitive, reliable and sometimes important. This section uses the word in that sense—it should not be confused with the use of "official" to denote whether certain information is canon or not.

Information that conforms to Wikipedia's standards is often, but not always official. Some official information should not be included in a Wikipedia article about a video game. It may not be relevant to an encyclopedic treatment of the article's topic, or it may not have been published in reliable sources (for example, only in a forum post by a dubious author). Likewise, some information should be included, but may not be official. An example of this is the release date: when the official date is at 1998, but a reliable source (say, GameSpot) writes (convincingly) that it is 1999, Wikipedia should include the latter.

The crux is that "official" is not automatically relevant to Wikipedia standards. In fan communities, all information released by the game developers is official and important. In a Wikipedia article, information released by game developers is no different from any other reliable source; in fact, it may be less reliable, because it is self published.

Sourcing style

Main article: MOS:TITLE

When citing a print magazine, the name of the magazine should be in italics. Likewise for the video games themselves. When citing an online source, the name of the site should not be in italics. When citing a particular article within a publication, or a chapter in a video game, the title should appear surrounded in quotes.

The various citation templates, such as {{cite}}, handle this sort of thing automatically.

List

See also: Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Magazines

See also: Video game journalism § Publications of note

It is often difficult to gauge whether a source is reliable or not in the area of video gaming. The following is a list of sources that have been established as reliable in the field of video gaming per past consensus. Please bring up all new additions on the talk page before posting them below.

Note: "Medium" refers to the publication's principal means of content delivery.

Academic

Name	Medium	Type	Notes and limitations	Owner
Game Studies	online	peer-reviewed, scholarly journal	Has a Board of reviewers from academic institutes, a team of editors, and are listed on the Directory of Open Access Journals.

General

Name	Medium	Type	Notes and limitations	Owner
1UP.com	online	game reviews, news, features		Ziff Davis
allgame	online	game synopsis, summaries, credits	An extension of Allmusic by the same company to video games. Provides IMDb-like details for game credits and useful as a source for those within articles.	Macrovision
Blue's News	online			UGO Networks
CNET Networks	online			CBS Corporation
Dengeki (JP)	print, online		Japanese source. Ensure that the translation of its material is sound. URL must be filled if original material is available online to allow for verification.	Published by ASCII Media Works
Edge (UK)	print, online	game reviews, news, features		Future Publishing
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US)	print	console gaming		Ziff-Davis; part of 1UP.com Network
Eurogamer	online			Independent
Famitsu (JP)	print		Japanese source. Ensure that the translation of its material is sound. URL must be filled if original material is available online to allow for verification. Includes several spin-off publications dealing with specific platforms.	Published by Enterbrain
FiringSquad	online		Started by Dennis Fong aka "Thresh". The site's various articles has been cited in many publications and scholarly works.	FS Media Inc.
Game Informer (US)	print, online			GameStop
GameDaily	online			Time Warner > AOL
GamesMaster (UK, PH)	print			Future Publishing
Gameplanet	online
GamePro (US)	print	console gaming	Sister magazine of GameStar.	IDG Entertainment
GameSpot	online		GameSpot uses a similar interface for displaying news, user blogs, and "union" postings. Be careful to ensure that the author is a staff member. Some content is mirrored at Yahoo! Games.	CBS Corporation > CNET Networks
GameSpy	online		Shared database with IGN.	News Corporation > IGN Entertainment
GameZone	online		Recommended as an objective and reliable gaming site in books, and referenced for several of its articles in various books and scholarly works.[1]
Giant Bomb	online		Reliable for reviews and news content submitted in the site's blog by the site's own editorial staff. Do not use the user contributed content from the site's article/database section for citations.
Hardcore Gamer Magazine (US)	print			DoubleJump Publishing
IGN	online		Shared database with GameSpy.	News Corporation > IGN Entertainment
Impress Watch (JP)	online		Japanese source. Ensure that the translation of its material is sound. URL must be filled if original material is available online to allow for verification.	Owned by Impress Group
ITmedia (JP)	online		Japanese source. Ensure that the translation of its material is sound. URL must be filled if original material is available online to allow for verification.	Owned by ITmedia
Pro-G	online		Provides content for Virgin Media.[2] Full-time staff includes industry veterans.[3][4]	Pro-G Media
Shacknews	online		Full-time staff and editorial processes. staff about	Independent
SKOAR! (IN)	print		Spinoff from technology magazine, Digit.	Owned by 9.9 Mediaworx
Stratos Group	online		Acknowledged industry experts.[5]	Independent
The Adrenaline Vault	online		Recently-resurrected former premier site. Now run by volunteers. May need to demonstrate reliability of author. about
UGO Networks	online			Hearst Corporation
Voodoo Extreme	online			News Corporation > IGN Entertainment
X-Play (US)	television			G4

Games industry-related

Name	Medium	Type	Notes and limitations	Owner
GfK Chart Track	online	Monitors sales of software for the UK, Ireland and Denmark.		Controlled by research institute GfK[6][7]
Gamasutra	online	Focus on video game development, for video game developers.		United Business Media; sister publication to Game Developer magazine
Game Developer (US)	print	Focus on video game development		CMP Media
GamesIndustry.biz	online			Eurogamer

Sales

Name	Medium	Sales figures for	Notes and limitations	Owner
ELSPA	online	Famitsu (Japan) sales, ranging from 2005 to 2008		Ratings organization for Europe

Platform-specific

Name	Medium	Type	Notes and limitations	Owner
GameStar (DE, HU, CZ, IT, CN)	print	PC gaming	Sister magazine of GamePro.	IDG Entertainment
InsideMacGames	online	macintosh gaming site		Independent
Killer List of Videogames	online	Arcade games	Has been cited and mentioned in several publications: magzines, websites, and books	International Arcade Museum
Major Nelson's Blog	online	Updates on Xbox Live content and performance	Should only be used for specific data on Xbox usage/download statistics, or for lack of any other corroborating sources on downloadable content/demo release dates. Replace if possible.	Self-published by Larry Hyrb in a non-professional manner.
Nintendo Power (US)	print	Nintendo		Future US
PC Gamer (UK, US)	print	PC gaming		Future Publishing
PC PowerPlay (AU)	print	PC gaming		Next Media Pty Ltd
PC Zone (UK)	print	PC gaming		Future Publishing
PlayStation Blog	online	Updates mainly centred around hardware/system software and PlayStation Network	Reliable for release dates and other information of a non-controversial form. Published by Sony so use/back-up with a third party source if at all possible.	Published by various Sony developers via the companies own site.
Rock, Paper Shotgun	online	PC gaming site	Blog-style website run by four experienced UK games journalists: Jim Rossignol, Kieron Gillen, John Walker and Alec Meer	Independent
TeamXbox	online			News Corporation > IGN Entertainment
Xbox.com	online	Xbox official site	May not be appropriate for reviews, since it's owned by a game publisher.	Microsoft

Genre-specific

Name	Medium	Type	Notes and limitations	Owner
Adventure Gamers	online			Independent
RPGamer	online			Part of the CraveOnline Gaming Channel
Sports Gaming Network	online	Sports games	The site has been cited in several publications and scholarly work.
Wargamer.com	online	Wargames (strategy and tactics)	Fairly rigorous editorial process,[8] staffed by experts on war-related and editorial fields,[9][10] and received serveral accolades from established sites.[11][12]	Independent.
RPG Vault	online			News Corporation > IGN Entertainment
Strategy Gaming Online	online			UGO Network

General computing

Name	Medium	Type	Notes and limitations	Owner
Mac|Life / MacAddict (US)	print	Macintosh.	Formerly a part of CD-ROM Today, along with boot (Maximum PC).	Future US
Macworld (US, CA, AU)	print	Macintosh.		International Data Group; formerly in partnership with Ziff-Davis
Maximum PC / boot (US)	print		Formerly a part of CD-ROM Today, along with MacAddict (Mac|Life).	Future US
PC Format (UK)	print			Future Publishing

Aggregate sites/other

Name	Medium	Type	Notes and limitations	Owner
Game Rankings	online	Aggregate review scores		CBS Corporation > CNET Networks
Metacritic	online	Aggregate review scores		CBS Corporation > CNET Networks
Music4Games	online	Focus on video game music, music industry, etc.	Established editorial policies, major supporter/media partner of GDC and trade shows.	Independent.

Defunct

Name	Medium	Type	Notes and limitations	Owner
recently defunct
Computer and Video Games (UK)	print		The print version of this magazine was suspended for a while and reappeared in a new form focusing each issue on the life history of a single games franchise. Website was unafected by changes.	EMAP, Dennis Publishing, Future Publishing
Computer Games Magazine (US)	print		Currently in hiatus. May make a reappearance at some time in the future.	Theglobe.com
Computer Gaming World / Games for Windows (US, CA)	print	PC games, later Windows games		Ziff-Davis, later in partnership with Microsoft. Staff integrated into 1UP.com.
EGM2 / Expert Gamer / GameNOW (US)	print	Tips, tricks & guides.	Affiliated with Electronic Gaming Monthly.	Sendai Publishing, Ziff-Davis
GameFan / Diehard GameFan Magazine (US, CA)	print	Imports and anime.		DieHard Gamers Club, Metropolis Media, Shinno Media
MMO Games Magazine / Massive (US)	print	MMO gaming		Theglobe.com
Next Generation Magazine (UK)	print	Games, games industry.	Affiliated with Edge.	Future Publishing
retro
Amiga Power (UK)	print	Amiga	Archive	Future Publishing
Amstrad Action (UK)	print	Amstrad CPC		Future Publishing
CRASH (UK)	print	ZX Spectrum		Newsfield Publications Ltd
Mean Machines (UK)	print	Multi-platform	Offshoot of Computer and Video Games.	EMAP
Sinclair User (UK)	print	ZX Spectrum		EMAP
Your Sinclair (UK)	print	ZX Spectrum		Dennis Publishing, Future Publishing

Situational sources

Sources in the following list should only be used for certain situations, as some of the content on the websites is deemed unreliable. Be sure to read a source's limitations before adding content to articles.

Name	Medium	Type	Notes and limitations	Owner
GameFAQs	online		Should only be used for release data in cases were a better source is not available. Release data on GameSpot/GameFAQs (the database is shared) comes from three sources: company press releases, research by staff, and user submissions (which are reviewed by a staff member and should be sourced).	CBS Corporation > CNET Networks
Joystiq	online, blog	multi-author blog	A blog network; use of this site and its affiliates should be carefully considered. Often, it is best to demonstrate the reliability of the individual authors sourced.	Time Warner > AOL > Weblogs, Inc.
Kotaku	online, blog	multi-author blog	A blog network; use of this site and its affiliates should be carefully considered. Often, it is best to demonstrate the reliability of the individual authors sourced. For example, Kotaku's editor Brian Crecente has appeared on Fox News in relation to gaming topics, and his work has appeared in other publications (thus meeting the requirements of WP:SPS.)	Gawker Media
MobyGames	online	game synopsis, summaries, credits	Should only be used for production credits; video game books have cited game credits from MobyGames. Most other citations should be avoided; content can be edited by registered users, which is then approved by other users for inclusion in the site's database. MobyScores are generated from user submitted scores and do not satisfy WP:Reliable sources. MobyRanks are aggregate scores from other publications, and are too new to have developed a user base of other reliable sources, however they may be acceptable for some older games.	Self-owned
The Escapist	online		May need to demonstrate reliability of author.	Themis Group

Unreliable sources

Sources in the following list should be not be used and replaced if possible; however, these sources may be useful in finding reference to other, more useful and reliable sources.

Name	Medium	Type	Notes and limitations	Owner
VG Chartz	online	Sales figures for video games in US, Japan, and Europe	While referenced in reliable sources, site's own methods of extrapolation and adjustment without source referral mean site is possibly unreliable by a large margin in estimates (method analysis). If possible, replace with NPD Group or Enterbrain numbers for US and Japan, respectively.	Self-owned

See also

• Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2008-06-26/Dispatches
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Newsletter/20080806