Pseudo_Intellectual (66360) on 3/5/2009 4:28 PM · Permalink · Report

If you do enough of them, you can fall into a pattern: describe the protagonist and setting, describe the general gameplay, compare it to similar games and point out the differences. Hit Submit.

vedder (70767) on 3/5/2009 4:33 PM · Permalink · Report

It's not possible as far as I know. But perhaps you could team up with someone who's good at writing descriptions but not so good in finding factual information like release dates :)

As for tips. Try to have a bit of a system and recognize the elements that need describing.

I usually start with "[game name] is a [genre] in which [very short note of what makes the game unique]. Then sum up the story/setting in one or two sentences (if there is one) and then how the game is played and what modes it has. Finished by features such as number of maps or different NPCs.

Since most games I add I never played I get most information from reviews. What's nice about that is that they usually have a similar format of sorting the information, so I can just read that and immediately write down the useful info (anything that's not an opinion). Also because I've never played the games I keep the text as short as possible (without omitting anything important) in the fear that otherwise I might include things that might not be 100% true. In that respect it's good to have multiple sources so you know they aren't contradicting each other. (something that's less of a problem if you've actually played the game)

Hope this helps a bit.

Unicorn Lynx (181780) on 3/5/2009 4:54 PM · Permalink · Report

Try to split your thinking. 1) Story. 2) Gameplay. Don't mix them together in one paragraph. First talk about the story. Stories of games can be easily deduced even without playing the game itself. Official sites, review sites, fan sites - you are sure to find something about the stories of most games. Just re-write the synopsis in your own words, use simple words and short sentences. First focus on protagonist. Open up with a phrase such as "In this game, you play the role of... ", "The hero of this game is...", "Hero's Name is a mighty Indonesian warrior who enjoys watching tentacle porn", and so on.

Then describe the gameplay. For that, it would of course be better if you have actually played the game; but carefully collecting and comparing information from various website will also do the trick. Just describe the gameplay in plain words. What does the game play like? What's the gameplay focus? Combat? If so, what kind of combat? What makes this combat different from other games? Or similar to other games? Use phrases like "The gameplay consists mostly of turn-based battles like in Final Fantasy series, but you also score special experience points for talking to house cats and sticking your tongue in sand repeatedly", etc.

You'll be surprised how much it is possible to write about a game using this simple approach.

Indra was here (20756) on 3/6/2009 9:10 PM · edited · Permalink · Report

[Q --start MP83 wrote--]Oh well, any tips for making this part of adding a new game easier then? [/Q --end MP83 wrote--] How goes the description FAQ you're supposed to be working on, Indra?
runs away

This is not policy, but many descriptions already in the database usually use this approach. Among others but not limited to:

• First paragraph usually identifies the story/plot: Describing the character, the theme, spesific historical period, usually something similar to the plot provided in the advertising blurb.
• Second paragraph may identify game play. Game play is described as "how to play the game". Considered via consensus the most important aspect of the game description.
• Other information worth noting are:

-->Additional information on genres. It may look like an adventure game, but it plays like a 3rd person shooter. Its an RPG, but it may have unique characteristics that differ from other RPGs, etc.
-->Multiple perspectives; when and where. Many games have multiple perspectives used, when during game play is each different perspective used.
-->Differences in gameplay for different platforms. If the difference is significant, may require a new entry...er...ask the other approvers about that.

Not to be included:

• Publisher and developer information. Many descriptions usually have this in the first line...and we've been trying to get rid of it ever since. We exclude this because that information is already obvious from the release info. Unless it is extremely relevant and worth noting, please refrain from starting a paragraph with "This is Bioforge's 4th game..."
• External links. All external links go the "related links" (don't ask). Any link within the description may only refer to pages within the MG database.

Minor standards:

• Game titles mentioned in the database shoud be italized. E.g. Maniac Mansion. Game titles with hyperlinks should not be italized.
• Use official full game titles in the description. So it should be Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos instead of Warcraft III or Reign of Chaos.

The rest is to your discretion (approver depending). :p

MP83 (474) on 3/5/2009 7:23 PM · Permalink · Report

Thanks for the tips, guys. Hopefully adding new games will be a bit easier. :)