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NAV | HOME | SYSTEM LIST | GAME LIST | Nintendo | WII | CUBE | Sony | PS3 | PS2 | Microsoft | 360 | XBOX | Handheld | PSP | DS | Other | PC
ACTION | ADVEN | ARCADE | BOARD | COMP | FIGHT | PARTY | PLATFORM | PUZZLE | RACE | RHYTHM | RPG | SHOOT | SIM | SPORT | STRAT


Some guidelines to follow while editing game pages on Parent Gaming.

Contents: Basic Rules | Info Box Editing | Article Editing | Categories | Images

Basic Rules[]

  1. This is not a video game encyclopedia - The Parent Gaming wiki is for people to get an overview of the quality, content and features of a game. Detailed information about characters, story or history are better suited for sites like Game Info, Encyclopedia Gamia, or GamerWiki.
  2. Try to edit from a balanced point of view - Many areas in the Parent Gaming wiki are subject to personal opinion. A game might be enjoyed by one person and despised by another. Give both the good and bad about a game and give ratings that the majority of people would agree with.
  3. Use the discussion page for disputes - It will eventually happen that someone will disagree with the original scores or other opinions given for a game. Before removing or changing a score talk about what you think should change and why with other contributors.

Info Box Editing[]

Game Score[]

In the Game Score field in the Info Box a score is entered from A (being the best) to E (the worst). This score should reflect the overall quality of the game such as presentation and fun factor.

  • A - The game is overall great. Any faults in the game do not distract from the experience.
  • B - The game is very good. Some details in the game bring down the overall quality.
  • C - The game is good, but there are many parts of the game that are of average quality.
  • D - The game is not very good. Some elements of the game may be fun, but the overall quality is poor.
  • E - There are almost no redeeming qualities in the game.

The score here should for the most part reflect popular opinion. The general rule is the first score placed for a game stands unless it strongly contradicts popular opinion. For example if a game receives high marks and praise in major gaming publications then it should not be scored an E here. If the score here is close to popular opinion but you still feel it should be changed go to the discussion section for that page and ask for other user's input before changing the score.

Content Score[]

In the Content Score field in the Info Box a score is entered from A (being the most family friendly) to E (least family friendly). This score should reflect the content in the game that some people may find questionable.

  • A - No questionable content. Any action in the game is non-violent.
  • B - Some questionable content. Any violence is minimal and has no blood. Sexual content is minimal. No strong language.
  • C - Violence is stronger and may show blood. May have sexual content but no nudity. May have some language.
  • D - Strong violence that may show gore. Sexual content may include nudity. Strong language.
  • E - Intense, gory violence. Sexual content may include nudity and sex scenes. Strong language.

The score here should be similar to the ESRB rating for the game. The general rule is the first score placed for a game stands unless it strongly contradicts the ESRB rating. For example if a game receives a Mature rating from the ESRB then it should not be scored an A here. If the score here is close to the ESRB rating but you still feel it should be changed go to the discussion section for that page and ask for other user's input before changing the score.

Difficulty[]

The difficulty of a game should be labeled Easy, Normal or Hard.

  • Easy - Anyone can easily learn how to play the game. The game does not become significantly more challenging as the game progresses.
  • Normal - Some experience with other games will help the player. Most people will be able to learn how to play quickly. The game becomes more challenging as the player advances.
  • Hard - There is much to learn before a player will get the most out the game. The game is challenging and aimed towards experienced players.

For games with difficulty settings that can be set by the player you will usually enter Normal. If there is any dispute work it out in the the discussion section for that page.

Pros/Cons[]

Enter a few brief remarks about the positives and negatives of the game. Use a plus sign (+) before each positive remark in the pros section and a minus sign (-) before each negative in the cons section. Include at least one pro and one con.

Skills Used[]

Enter Yes if the skill is strongly used in the game. Otherwise enter No.

Reflexes[]

Enter Yes if the player must react in a timely matter to the action on screen. Most games will receive a Yes for this skill.

Logic[]

Enter Yes if problem solving is important to play the game. Do not enter Yes for simpler things like knowing how to control your character.

Literacy[]

Enter Yes if reading is important in the game. Do not enter Yes for text in menus or for single sentences.

Mathematics[]

Enter Yes if math is used by the player. Do not enter Yes for math done by the computer.

Creativity[]

Enter Yes if the player is able to create or edit things in the game. The player coming up with a creative solution to a problem does not count (that would be problem solving and a Yes under Logic).

Social[]

Enter Yes if a game has a good multiplayer mode, can be played online, or has some feature that allows the player to interact with others. Do not enter Yes for poor multiplayer modes or for single player games that others can watch and help with.

Article Editing[]

Before the Article[]

Enter a brief one or two sentence introduction for the game. Put the name of the game in bold.

The Game[]

Go into as much detail as needed to explain details of the game such as story and how the game is played.

Quality[]

Go into detail about the quality of the game including presentation and fun factor. What is entered here should reflect the score given in the info box.

Content[]

Go into detail about content in the game that parents may find unsuitable for kids such as violent or sexual content. Describe the overall tone of the game. Is it light-hearted? Is it dark? What is entered here should reflect the score given in the info box.

Skills Used[]

Describe skills used in the game in more detail. Try to include at least a few sentences for each skill that got a Yes mark in the info box. For the skills that received No marks you can enter a few sentences about it if you want, but it's not required.

Releases[]

Many games are released for more than one system. List all the systems that the game was released for followed by a note explaining anything different from that version of the game.

Expansions[]

Some games have new content available from the developer and publisher after a game is released. List the names of the expansions add a short description of what that expansion adds to the game. If a game does not have any expansions this section can be removed from that page.

User Content[]

Some games have new content created by fans of the game. Because these additions are user created the original developer and publisher have no control over the content added. List the most popular and ones that would change the content rating of the game. If the game does not have user created content this section can be removed from that page.

Similar Games[]

List games that have game play similar to the game on this page. Include games that are part of the same series.

External Links[]

Links outside of the Parent Gaming wiki that may have more usefully information about the game.

Categories[]

These categories must be manually entered at the bottom of a game page.

Game system categories are next. Enter modern home systems first and work back to older systems. Then enter portable system categories in the same fashion.

Game genre categories are next in alphabetical order.

Category:Game List is the last category entered.

Images[]

Each game page has a place for box art in the info box. Click the link in the info box (Image:Game Name (Cover).jpg) to upload an image from your computer. Usually an image with a width of about 250 to 400 pixels is a good size. If the image you have is significantly larger or is not a JPEG file you will to modify it before uploading.

Screen shots of a game can also be included in an article. Simply enter this line into the article.

[[Image:Game Name Screenshot 1.jpg|left|175px]]

After the page is saved click the newly created link to upload your image. Images with a width of 250 to 400 pixels are a good size for game screens. Limit the number of screens to about 2 or 3. Any more than that will make the page look too cluttered.

Be mindful of where you place images in an article as the text automatically wraps around the image and may do so in a visually unappealing way. Move the location of the image or adjust the article so it looks correct.

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