Wikipedia:Notability (computer and video games)

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The following is a proposed Wikipedia policy, guideline, or process. The proposal may still be in development, under discussion, or in the process of gathering consensus for adoption. References or links to this page should not describe it as "policy". A proposal's acceptance or rejection is not determined simply by counting votes.

Shortcut: WP:GAMES WP:NOTCVG

Notability and inclusion guidelines

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Contained on this page are guidelines that are used to determine if a computer or video game is deserving of an article on Wikipedia. This page does not contain guidelines for creating articles relating to video game development, biographies of famous video game related people, or video game related shows; this is strictly for games played on the computer or a videogame console.

[edit] Criteria

A computer or video game is notable if it meets any of the following criteria:

1. The game has been the subject of multiple non-trivial published works whose source is independent of the creator of the game:
   • This criterion includes published works in all forms, such as newspaper articles, books, television documentaries, and published reports by consumer watchdog organizations except for the following:
     • Media reprints or rewrites of press releases, advertising for the game, published walkthroughs/guides for the game, brief magazine mentions, brief television mentions, brief mentions for change in release date mentions, etc.
2. The game has been the subject of at least one non-trivial published work outside the industry.^[1]
3. The game has won an award from a notable award-giving body independent of the game creators, sponsors, and publishers.^[2]
4. The game has been made or adapted into another media (TV, motion picture, novel, stage show, etc..) that meets the Wikipedia's notability requirements of that media. It is recommended, however, that the articles on the same subject be listed under the same name space, unless size limits come into play.

The article itself must provide proof that its subject meets one of these criteria via in-line citations, or "Reference" or "External links" section. Even if a game meets the notability criteria, related topics (weapons, characters, fan website, websites, etc.) are not necessarily notable and deserving of their own separate articles. Such things may fall under other notability guidelines such as WP:FICTION, WP:WEB, WP:BIO, and WP:CORP.

Wikipedia articles should not include instructions or advice suggestions, or contain "how-to"s. This includes tutorials, walk-throughs, instruction manuals, and video game guides. If you're interested in a how-to style manual, you may want to look at Wikihow or our sister project Wikibooks.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ This would exclude websites like GameSpot and IGN since they publish reviews for nearly every game, notable or otherwise.
2. ^ Examples: Spike TV Video Game Awards, British Academy Video Games Awards, BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards, etc.