The Sims Wiki:Manual of Style/Game articles

In addition to the standard Manual of Style, this wiki has specific guidelines that apply to the appearance and layout of articles written about games in the series, including base games, expansion packs, and stuff packs. The guidelines laid out on this page are not universal, but should be adhered to unless there is a reason to deviate from them. Deviations from this guideline can be discussed on the specific article talk page.

Changes to this Manual can be made boldly, or else suggested on the talk page.

Naming conventions for game articles and sections
Articles about games are written in title case; the first word is always capitalized, as is every word that follows, except minor words such as 'the'. If the article is written about an expansion or stuff pack and its title begins with the name of the base game, a colon should be included between the base game name and the pack name. It is improper to remove the word 'the' from the beginning of a game title.


 * Examples: The Sims 3 is a base game, so it has no colon following its name. Its title includes the word 'The' in the beginning; Sims 3 is an incorrect name. The Sims 3: Into the Future is an expansion pack, so its title is separated from the base game title by a colon. Note also that the word 'the' is not capitalized in Into the Future.

In all other cases, names should adhere to the wiki's general naming standards. Section headers should have only the first word capitalized, unless the words are proper nouns or part of a title.

General layout
Game articles should follow this pattern:

Game articles may utilize the Pagecover template (consult the template documentation for more information on its use). If a pagecover is used, the template should be placed at the very beginning of the article, prior to any other templates.
 * Pagecover

Some articles, such as those requiring cleanup or specific improvements, may have header templates displayed on the top of the article, above the article content and infoboxes, but below the pagecover.
 * Header templates

Most game articles utilize the Infobox game infobox template (consult the template documentation for more information on its use). The game infobox should include the game's official box art; unofficial box art is not allowed to be used in infoboxes. The code for the game infobox should be included on the page below other header templates, but above the lead section.
 * Infobox

This section includes the first reference to the game in the article text. The first time the game title is used in the article, it should be in bold font, and should be in italic font whenever the title is given in the article. The first instance of the game title should be completely written out, whereas subsequent instances of the title can be shortened if it is practical to do so; shortening may involve removing the base game title or using an abbreviation. If an abbreviation for the game is to be used in the article, an abbreviation should be stated immediately after the first instance of the game title appearing in the article; this abbreviation should be bolded but not italicized.
 * Lead section

The lead section often gives the date that the game was released. In cases where the game has not been released yet, the lead section can give the (officially confirmed) projected release date, as well as the date on which the games' development was made public.

The lead section should include a brief and general explanation of the game, which serves as a basic introduction to the topic. This may include the expansion or stuff pack's theme, a list of major features that appear in the game, and/or a comparison to other similar expansion or stuff packs. The lead section should not include information that is not already presented in the main article text.

Some games have logos or icons associated with them; these icons are often included, left-aligned, in the article's lead section.


 * Example of a well-written lead section:


 * The Sims 2 Nightlife Icon.png
 * The Sims 2: Nightlife, or NL, is the second expansion pack published for The Sims 2. it is based on the previous expansion for The Sims, The Sims: Hot Date. It was released for Windows on September 13, 2005 (North America) and September 16, 2005 (European Union, Australia and New Zealand), and for Mac OS X on March 27, 2006. This expansion serves as the inspiration for an expansion pack for The Sims 3, called The Sims 3: Late Night.


 * Nightlife centers on the new Downtown area, which has various activities, such as bowling, karaoke, dining and dancing, as well as a photo booth, and includes a dating mini-game which allows the player to engage in their Sim's relationships in greater depth.

Most games or expansion packs include an official description, either on the game box itself or on the game's webpage. This description should be italicized, but should otherwise remain unchanged.
 * Official description

One or more sections should be devoted to covering the game's features. Sections may be devoted to new neighborhoods, life states, objects, or other aspects of the game itself. Separate articles should be created for major features, and linked to in the game article using Main or through standard wiki-links.
 * Game features

Following the game features section(s), any relevant information about the game's development may be added. This may include information about rumors that existed prior to official confirmation, announcements or events held after the game's confirmation but prior to the game's release, changes to the game that occurred after release (for instance, if the game was discontinued or patched), and various editions that the game has been released in.
 * Development information

Most game pages have image galleries featuring in-game images, renders, alternative box art and graphics, and videos. These galleries should be included after all other article content, but above the article references, closing links and bottom templates.
 * Media and galleries

Below the gallery but above the article's references, there can be one or two sections for links to other articles, or for links to locations outside of The Sims Wiki.
 * See also and external links

If an article uses in-line citations, a reference section needs to be included on the article. This section is typically located below the article content and external links, but above the bottom templates. A reference section can be created simply by adding under a 'References' header. Pages with many references or with a more complex set of references may benefit from the use of the Reflist template (consult the template documentation for more information on its use).
 * References

Below the references may be one or more templates. These templates are typically not given their own section header. Among the templates used here are:
 * Additional templates
 * Feat art, the featured article template. This template is used on articles which have been selected as featured articles. This should be the uppermost template in the bottom section, above all other navigation and miscellaneous templates.
 * Chronology "series" templates, which list a given game's release order within the series, are included here.
 * Sims or a specific bottom navigation template, is usually the bottom-most template on the page.

Wikis about The Sims written in other languages may have language links set up between articles on our wiki and corresponding articles on other wikis. These links are typically included at the very bottom of the article, and do not require their own section header. These links do not appear in the main body text of an article.
 * Interlanguage links

Generic template
The following is a blank, generic template for starting a new game article. This template can be copied and pasted into a new article to serve as a general guide for the page. The page should be modified as needed, and does not need to strictly adhere to the template below - this template is only a guide for brand new articles.



Categories
If Game is included on the page, the page will automatically be categorized in Category:Games. However, categories specific to the game will need to be added manually. Typically, each expansion or stuff pack will have a category created specifically for it; for example, Category:Ambitions is the main sorting category for The Sims 3: Ambitions. Expansion or stuff pack pages are also usually categorized in the category for the pack's base game; for example, The Sims 2: Mansion & Garden Stuff is categorized in Category:The Sims 2. Finally, there is a category for expansion packs and stuff packs; the appropriate category should be included on the article.

Other information
Unless otherwise stated here, content in game articles should adhere to the wiki's general Manual of Style. Pages about unreleased games must also adhere to The Sims Wiki's Unreleased Games policy.