Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Newsletter/20091007/Feature

WikiProject Video Games Newsletter

Volume 2, No. 5 — 3rd Quarter, 2009

Changes to Featured and Good content | News items and announcements | Feature | Featured editor

Feature: Video game FA maintenance

Submited by User:David Fuchs with contributions by User:Guyinblack25

Many editors think that the journey to article improvement ends with attaining Featured Article (FA) status. Wrong! With many articles, especially ones on video games, constant work may still be required to keep the article up to snuff. Here's a rundown about what you should do to make sure your FAs (and other articles) stick to code.

• Remove bad edits
• Keep looking for sources
• Prune dead links
• Featured Article Review

Remove bad edits

It might seem obvious, but it's easier to not pay close attention to FAs on your watchlist then you should. Neglected FAs tend to accumulate poor edits and decrease in quality over time, so pay attention!

• Example 1: Vandalism is the most obvious bad edit to watch for. Vandalism can range from small prose tweaks that alter the intended meaning or facts to the removal of whole paragraphs or sections.
• Example 2: Adding detailed content about how to play Wii Sports may seem like a good idea to some well-meaning gamers, but such content does not comply with Wikipedia's guidelines.
• Example 3: Adding unsuitable links to Final Fantasy X's "External links" section is a common edit that can go unnoticed. It is often a well-meaning fan of the game linking to their personal or favorite fan site.

Keep looking for sources

Especially if the article became an FA relatively soon after its release, there is bound to be more content published about it. Things like downloadable content, game expansions, updates, and sales info will not be readily available until weeks or months after its release. You never know when you're going to find more information about the game, so every once in a while do a google search for new information or check sites like IGN and GameSpot's coverage for the game and see if there is anything new.

• Example 1: BioShock was released in August 2007 and the article was promoted to FA in November 2007. Since then, was released on another console,[1] a film and two video game sequels were announced,[2] and the game continued to sell units.[3]
• Example 2: Chrono Trigger was released in 1995 and the article was promoted to FA in 2006. A 2008 release on the Nintendo DS required a new section added to article. Also extra information about the original game sometimes surfaces years down the road.[4]

Prune dead links

Many video game FAs rely heavily on online sources, which can be a problem if in several months or years a site refresh or house cleaning causes those sources to disappear off the interwebs. The Internet Archive may be able to give you a cached version you can continue to source, but otherwise you'll have to find another source for the info. When possible, use print sources—they don't expire! This server gives the status of questionable links in all video game FAs.

• Example 1: Sometimes links in articles like Crackdown become dead. Luckily {{cite web}} has parameters to accommodate the archived url.[5]
• Example 2: Though a dead link should be dealt with, not all are a big deal. Konami's page for Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is only used as an external link. Since there are already other external links, removal is an easy and suitable solution.

Featured Article Review

If an article no longer meets criteria (say, it has serious organizational issues, is missing many citations, or is not considered comprehensive), it may be taken to FAR. If your article gets taken to review, don't panic! FAR is actually split into two stages and focuses on improving and keeping articles featured rather than outright removal. During the initial phase editors will discuss what issues need to be taken care of, and hopefully fix them then and there. If discussion peters out or the improvements are not made, the articles moves to a removal stage where editors decide to delist or not. Keep a good mindset and work with other editors to fix problems before they reach this stage!

• Example 1: During Final Fantasy's FA review, concerns were brought to light about the articles degraded quality and lack of compliance with new standards. Editors discussed the issues with the reviewers to establish how a resolution can be reached. Though the process can be lengthy, the issues brought up are intended to help the article shine and maintain quality standards.
• Example 2: However, not all reviews end as desired. Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee's FA review garnered little attention from editors. As such, reviewers were left little choice but to demote the article. Though nobody is happy to lose an FA, there are no free rides on Wikipedia. The FA star means very little as an award without a quality article to back it up.