Template:Infobox video game/doc/syntax guide

Note: In the following, plurals such as "developers", "publishers", "distributors", "artists", etc do not exclude the singular (i.e. "artists", for example, implies "artist or artists").

General fields

collapsible: Set =yes to make the box collapsible.

state: Determines the initial collapsed state of the infobox. Set =collapsed to put the box in collapsed state initially. Set =expanded to put the box in expanded state initially. Set =autocollapse to have the box's initial collapsed state be determined automatically based on the number of other templates in the article that also have the "collapsible" attribute. (Has no effect if collapsible is not used.)

title: The full name of the game including punctuation and style (e.g. "Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars" instead of "Super Mario RPG" or "Legend of the Seven Stars"). Do not wikilink the name of the game.

show image: Set =yes to make the image show even when collapsed. (Has no effect if collapsible is not used.)

image: Should be a filename, such as name.ext. Ideally, an English-language cover or a promotional flier, in the case of an arcade game. Failing that, a logo or foreign-language cover can suffice. Where different cover designs are available for different regions, the one from the region in which the game has been developed should be used. If the game is not developed in an English-language region use the cover from the region in which the game receives its first English language release, unless another English language version has been uploaded first, in which case you should not change it. Where a game is released on multiple platforms, the PC cover is preferred over console covers to avoid bias towards a certain console. However, if possible, artwork should not use any platform indicator at all. Avoid screenshots (per consensus) and multiple images (per WP:FUC #3).
For image sizing, use the "frameless" and the "upright" flag. This takes into account user preferences and sizes the image to fit the infobox at default settings.

caption: A short description of the image. Is it a flyer, a game cover, or something else? (See above for what an image should consist of.) This is used as the alternate text that will be displayed below the image. (Does not show if image is not used.)

developer: The popular name or names of the game developers. This field is for the game development company (e.g. Nintendo) or, if confirmed by primary sources, the name of the team that developed the game (e.g. Nintendo EAD). In the case of a game made entirely by one person, use the designer field instead. The names can be wikilinked. Individual development tasks handled by different companies (e.g. scenario, programming) and ports should not be mentioned in the infobox but in the article text instead.

publisher: The popular name or names of the video game publishers. The names can be wikilinked. Use the {{video game release}} template for regional publishers. If there are many publishers or if the list grows too long, use the {{Collapsible list}} template, fill the field title= with the primary publisher, and also include the field titlestyle=font-size:12px;background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal;. Platforms can be abbreviated to fit in one line and should be listed as bolded section titles without colons, separated with commas (e.g. PS2, GCN, Xbox).

distributor: The popular name or names of the game's distributors. Only use this field if it is a different company from the publisher. The names can be wikilinked.

series: The video game series the game is associated with. Only use this field if there is an article for the series. Wikilink and italicize the names (such as ''[[Halo (series)|Halo]]'').

engine: The game's engine. Only use this field for game engines with an established, independent article and wikilink its name (such as [[id Tech 3]]).<ref>November 2010 discussion</ref>

platforms: The console or operating system the game was released for. The names should not be abbreviated in this field to avoid confusion for readers unfamiliar with the subject.

released: If possible, use the game's exact release date ("November 22, 2024"). Use the first public non-festival release in the game's country of origin, as well as any English-language release dates available. Use the {{video game release}} template: {{video game release |NA=November 22, 2024}}. If there are many release dates, enclose them all with the {{Collapsible list}} template<ref>August 2010 discussion</ref> and add the field titlestyle=font-weight:normal;font-size:12px;background:transparent;text-align:left followed by title= set as the earliest release date. Platforms can be abbreviated to fit in one line and should be listed as bolded section titles without colons, separated with commas (e.g. PS2, GCN, Xbox).

genre: The gameplay genre or genres (such as first-person shooter, adventure, etc) the game is categorized in by its developers and publishers, or by reliable sources. This should not include thematic genres (like science fiction, horror, etc.) as video games are more difficult to categorize in such a way. Verifiable thematic genres can be mentioned in the article's body.

modes: Playing modes offered by the game. Currently, the only accepted values are single-player, multiplayer, or both.<ref>August 2010 discussion</ref>

media: Use this field for games where at least one of the platforms it was released on uses several types of media (e.g. Windows, MSX) or leaves the method of distribution ambiguous. Currently, the only accepted values are "floppy disk", "cartridge", "Compact Cassette", "memory card", "optical disc", "download", "cloud computing", or combinations thereof.

Arcade-game specific

cabinet: The type of cabinet the arcade game uses (e.g. upright, sit-down, cocktail, custom).

display: The characteristics of the arcade hardware's video output, such as graphical technique, display resolution and monitor orientation. Wiki: [[Raster graphics|Raster]], 256 x 224, horizontal orientation

arcade system: The name of or names associated with the arcade game's system board hardware. In case of unique arcade hardware, omit this field and use those below.

cpu: The names and number of central processing units used by the arcade game's hardware, wikilinked if possible.

sound: The names and number of hardware [sound-processing units?] used by the arcade game's hardware, wikilinked if possible.

Credit fields

As with the developer field, individual development tasks for one field (e.g. which artists designed characters and which designed concept art; or which writers created story lines and which wrote scripts) should not be mentioned in the infobox but in the article text instead. Individual tasks should be generally kept to prose and the field should only list key people.<ref>August 2010 discussion</ref><ref>February 2013 discussion</ref> For example, the distinction between story and script writers of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is mentioned in the article's development section.

director: The popular names of the game directors or creative directors who oversaw the creative development of the game. The names can be wikilinked.

List only the person credited specifically with the title "director" or "co-director";
Do not list other types of directors in this field;
For games directed by a succession of people (e.g. MMOs and games with exceptionally long development cycles), indicate their years of involvement.

producer: The popular names of the game producers in overall charge of the production of the game. The names can be wikilinked.

List only the person credited specifically with the title "Producer";
Do not list the "Executive producer" or other "sub"-producer credits, as they are not generally as intimately involved in a game's development;
If three or more people are credited as "co-producer"s, discuss whether any one played the most significant part and, if decided, list that person;
List the "Creative producer" only if said person's involvement in the game is discussed in the article's development-related section.

designer: The popular names of the game designers, i.e. people who worked on the game's system. The names can be wikilinked. This field is often unfilled in modern high-budget development due to large team sizes and collaboration. Older games and indie games are more likely to use this position.

If a single person is credited as "Lead designer", list that person; synonyms for this position include "Game-design director" and "Lead planner";
If there is no equivalent to #1, omit this field;
If three or more people are credited as "lead designer"s, discuss whether any one played the most significant part and, if decided, list that person.

programmer: The popular names of the game programmers. The names can be wikilinked. This field is often unfilled in modern high-budget development due to large team sizes and collaboration. Older games and indie games are more likely to use this position.

If a single person is credited as "Lead programmer", list that person; synonyms for this position include "Main programmer";
If there is no equivalent to #1, omit this field;
If three or more people are credited as "lead programmer"s, discuss whether any one played the most significant part and, if decided, list that person.

artist: The popular names of the game's artists. The names can be wikilinked.

List the person credited as "Art director" or "Lead artist";
Do not list people with titles such as "Character designer" or "Environment artist" (these should be described in the article's development-related section);
List no more than three people in this field.

writer: The popular names of the game's writers. The names can wikilinked. The writers should be listed in the order of their contribution, with those who wrote the game's scenarios/scripts listed before the game's story writers.

If a single person is credited as "Scenario director" or "Scenario writer", list that person; synonyms for this position include "Lead writer";
If there is a person credited as "Scenario concept writer" or "Original concept", also list that person here;
List no more than three people in this field.

composer: The popular names of the composers who worked on the game's music.

List people who contributed significantly to the soundtrack. Discuss inclusion criteria on a per-game basis on the talk page.

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