User:Shannamartini/Evaluate an Article

Evaluate an article
This is where you will complete your article evaluation. Please use the template below to evaluate your selected article.


 * 2D computer graphics: 2D computer graphics
 * My final article project is based off of video games, and growing up all of my favorite computer games were in 2D, and to this day I still prefer 2D over 3D.

Lead

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the Lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic?
 * Does the Lead include a brief description of the article's major sections?
 * Does the Lead include information that is not present in the article?
 * Is the Lead concise or is it overly detailed?

Lead evaluation
The first thing I noticed was the "This article has multiple issues" warning message at the top of the article, so I knew then that this article was going to have some problems with it. The introductory sentence does a good job summarizing what 2D is, however it does not stand alone and seems to be included within the first subject paragraph. The lead section itself does not contain the structure of the article, just more information related to the overall description and explanation of 2D computer graphics. It includes many links to other various and related topics, but overall does a good job presenting and describing the relevant information it does mention. Despite the structure and layout of the lead, I feel that the lead is very concise and direct in its approach.

Content

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article's content relevant to the topic?
 * Is the content up-to-date?
 * Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong?

Content evaluation
I feel that the sections regarding translation and rotation should not be stand alone sections themselves; they are building upon the techniques that are used by the 2D games, but the article itself is not about the techniques, but the games. Those sections should be made into subsections of the main section "2D graphics techniques," because when you read them, there is no mention of 2D computer games at all, just a in-depth explanation of the technique itself. In addition, the following 3 sections are linked to the "rotations" technique and should thus be subheadings of that section (which should be a subheading itself). None of them mention 2D computer graphics but again only expand upon the inner workings of the technique. If I wanted to learn more about 2D computer graphics, I would not find much relevant material until I had read through or skipped all of these sections (which takes up a good 50% of the article) to the section concerning "2D graphics hardware." If the sections were all edited and reformatted, the article would become more relevant, it would flow better, and it would be easier for readers to locate the information they are searching for quicker.

The content of this article is up-to-date, as the last edit was made on September 30th of this year. I feel that more information regarding the origins of 2D, its history, development over time, examples of some of the most popular 2D games, and important contributors to the realm of 2D gaming would all be relevant and interesting information to add life to this article. In addition, I feel that the information centered around the techniques mentioned earlier could be shortened or cut out completely. If anything, a link to those techniques' own pages could be included, but to expand so much on those topics overshadows the main subject of 2D computer graphics in my opinion.

Tone and Balance

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article neutral?
 * Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * Does the article attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another?

Tone and balance evaluation
The tone of the article is very blunt and the article is very neutral in its stance and presentation. It is subjective in its information and I do not sense any biasedness within the article. There are no real viewpoints to discern considering this article is centered around an area of new media, 2D computer graphics; there is only facts, that can be either true or false and hyperbolized or presented truthfully. Concerning this article, I do not believe any of the information was embellished. Again, there is no position that can be taken based off of the topic, and since there is no biased opinions detected, I do not feel persuasion is present anywhere within this article.

Sources and References

 * Guiding questions


 * Are all facts in the article backed up by a reliable secondary source of information?
 * Are the sources thorough - i.e. Do they reflect the available literature on the topic?
 * Are the sources current?
 * Check a few links. Do they work?

Sources and references evaluation
There are not many references listed for this article which is a bit concerning, however there are many links to other various wiki articles regarding the information presented within the article, each of which are well-supported. The sources are thorough, and the origins of the references that are listed come from very reputable places such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The dates of the sources are from 1981, 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2019, and all of the relevant links are working.

Organization

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article well-written - i.e. Is it concise, clear, and easy to read?
 * Does the article have any grammatical or spelling errors?
 * Is the article well-organized - i.e. broken down into sections that reflect the major points of the topic?

Organization evaluation
Disregarding the relevance and layout of the article's content, the information presented within it is not cluttered and very easy to read and understand. There were no grammatical or spelling errors that I could detect. As mentioned numerous times, the organization could really use some work as the sections and subsections need to be modified based upon relevance; this would aid the reader in locating the information they are looking for.

Images and Media

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the article include images that enhance understanding of the topic?
 * Are images well-captioned?
 * Do all images adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations?
 * Are the images laid out in a visually appealing way?

Images and media evaluation
Concerning the techniques that are included within the article, relevant and very concise images of the formulas and visual descriptions of the topics are included. They aren't over or under presented in my opinion, and the article content is enhanced by their inclusion. The pictures are very well captioned and describe thoroughly what the images are presenting. As far as I can tell through the coding and how they are presented they all follow the Wikipedia copyright regulations. I feel that the images are spaced out well and give the article a clean look and not a cluttered one.

Checking the talk page

 * Guiding questions


 * What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?

Talk page evaluation
Most of the conversations center around what I stated was the issue: the entire format needs to be re-written and re-organized, including the lead section and the speed with which the information is provided to the reader. For this article's WikiProject, it is rated "Start-class, Top-importance."

Overall impressions

 * Guiding questions


 * What is the article's overall status?
 * What are the article's strengths?
 * How can the article be improved?
 * How would you assess the article's completeness - i.e. Is the article well-developed? Is it underdeveloped or poorly developed?

Overall evaluation
Overall I feel that this article touches upon important aspects of 2D computer graphics but fails to provide a good indepth understanding of the topic itself along with the information surrounding it. There are many areas that are overemphasized that should be shortened or removed, and many aspects of 2D computer graphics that are absent and should be included. Because of this, the article is underdeveloped in terms of being able to accurately inform a reader about 2D computer graphics. It needs to be lengthened with relevant information while removing some of the unnecessary details that do not add to a reader's knowledge of 2D computer graphics. It is by no means a finished or complete article (hence the "This article has multiple issues" warning at the top).

Optional activity

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