Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Newsletter/20120105/Feature

Feature: Images in articles

 *  Submitted by Guyinblack25 

"They say a picture is worth a thousand words." I don't know how they came up with thousand words or who they even are, but I can't deny the important role images play in Wikipedia articles. However, because the VG project deals with topics about a commercial industry and its products, article media is typically non-free. That "non" part is what makes selecting media for video game articles difficult on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Traditionally, we've been allowed two non-free images in the bulk of our articles (individual video games).
 * 1) The front cover for identification purposes
 * 2) A screenshot for commentary purposes

Because we're limited in how many images we add to articles, we must exercise good judgement in what we add and how.

Selecting non- free images
To help the reader understand the topic, images should convey information that is difficult to explain in words alone. For an individual game, this might be a unique feature such as an interface, action, or art style. When dealing with non-free images, the image must comply with Non-free content criteria for fair use. One aspect that has been a hurdle in the past is criteria 8: Contextual significance. The more significance, the stronger the rationale for fair use.

To increase the significance, an image should consolidate multiple elements that are discussed in the article. Without commentary about the information in the image, the fair use rational and general relevance is diminished. When selecting an image, consider what the topic is most notable for; this should match up to what is discussed the most in the article. Because of that, picking an image will be easier after the topic is researched.

Many article images where added several years ago, before fair use on Wikipedia was as strict as it is now. As such, many images currently in articles may not be the most representative of the topic and may need to be replaced. At the very least, an older image may need to be resized to a smaller size.


 * Examples
 * File:Maniac mansion screenshot tentacle.png shows several game features: visual design, multiple characters, game environment, user interface, and elements that were censored.
 * File:Systemshock2 ingame final.jpg shows several game features: visual design, an enemy, user interface, and inventory system.
 * File:Ninja Gaiden (NES) gameplay.png shows: visual design, heads-up display, an enemy, platforming elements, and a secondary weapon gameplay option.

Free images
Thankfully, contributors have uploaded free images to Wikimedia Commons for use in articles. Editors can search for files or browse Category:Video games to find applicable images. Though keep in mind that an image should be relevant to the topic. An image of a frog should not be placed in Frogger simply because the game has a frog in it. Images should help the reader understand the topic. For example, Goomba has an image of shiitake mushrooms because the fungus inspired the visual design of the character and the article discusses this.

Adding free images related to the games production is a common practice. The development staff photos are good choices because they are typically mentioned frequently in the article, especially if the lead designer is a prominent industry figure like Shigeru Miyamoto, Richard Garriott, or David Jaffe. Voice actors can be used as well. Similarly, industry (inside and outside the video games) prominence can be a factor for inclusion. For example, Elijah Wood as Spyro the Dragon or Ray Liotta as Tommy Vercetti. However, if the person is only mentioned in passing within the prose, then an image might not be relevant enough.


 * Examples
 * Tales of Monkey Island includes four free images of production staff: Dave Grossman, Michael Stemmle, Ron Gilbert, and Dominic Armato. The article discusses each persons contributions to the games in considerable detail.
 * Sora (Kingdom Hearts) includes a picture of Haley Joel Osment. The article is solely about the character and discusses reception on Osment's voice acting.
 * Lara Croft includes seven images of various people that range from model portrayals to inspirations.

Image captions
Image captions are a great way to provide the reader with additional information. Captions are prose too and are sometimes underutilized in articles. Simply explaining that a cover art is a "North American cover" adds little to the article. If there is information relevant to the article, then it should be explained to further the reader's understanding. Typically, editors should add images with ample visual content (especially for non-free images). To omit an accompanying caption does not do the image justice and does not help the reader as much.


 * Examples
 * The cover art for Killer7 displays the characters in the game. The image caption in the infobox helps identify the characters. Typically a game will only display a single main character on-screen. In this case, the cover does a better job of providing character information than a screen shot, and the caption should take advantage of this.
 * Riven's cover art displays artistic elements that the game's designer tried to convey. Artistic elements are difficult to describe with words alone. If visual information is available, then it should be explained to benefit the reader.
 * The screenshot in Chrono Trigger displays the game's combat, which differs from traditional role-playing games and is a prominent feature of the game. The caption can help emphasize this.