Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Esports style advice

This is an essay on style. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more WikiProjects on how to format and present article content within their area of interest.

This information is not a formal Wikipedia policy or guideline, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community.

The following are points of style advice from WikiProject Video Games for various aspects of writing article content about esports. Please discuss them on the talk page if you have ideas or questions. Editors should also be familiar with the main Wikipedia Manual of Style (which takes precedence over essays like this in the event of conflicting wording), and the general guide to writing better articles.

Style guide

Capitalization

Per WP:Manual of Style/Trademarks, WP:Naming conventions (capitalization), and WP:Manual of Style/Capital letters:

The word "esports" should be written as such. If the word is the start of a sentence, then it should be written as "Esports". Do not use the spelling "eSports".
Camel case is not used on Wikipedia except for trademarks and a few other names. The usernames of video game players should be written in plain English, unless a strong majority of independent, reliable sources stylize them as they were created, e.g. ACHES. For more information, see the trademarks guidelines.

Headings and article structure

Per WP:Manual of Style § Section headings:

Headings for athletes should fit regular sports bios. These typically contain a "Personal life", "Professional career", and a section on titles won and other accolades, though layout varies by article (e.g., insufficient material may be available for a "Personal life" section).

Terminology

Per WP:Manual of Style § Technical language, and WP:Manual of Style/Words to watch:

Biographies of esports competitors (as well as video game streamers) are always disambiguated as "(gamer)", unless a more specific disambiguation is needed. Avoid disambiguating using the title of the game played, such as "(Hearthstone player)", since the subject's pro-gaming focus is likely to shift over time.
As aliases can vary by platform, please avoid using the word in the article. Use Nickname, or Moniker instead.

General

Per WP:Biographies of living persons, and WP:Manual of Style/Biography § Lead section:

Biographies should start with the player's full name (if known), followed by dates and places of birth, followed by their moniker. For instance: Gustav Magnusson (born April 1, 1992, Stockholm, Sweden), better known by his moniker s4, is a Swedish professional esports player who plays for Evil Geniuses in Dota 2 competition.
Regardless of which is the most common name, use the subject's family name when referring to them inside an article. Don't write: s4's career started playing Defense of the Ancients (DotA); instead use: Magnusson's career started playing Defense of the Ancients (DotA).

Notes