Forums > MobyGames > 'You' or 'the player'?
beetle120 (2415) on 2/15/2008 1:43 PM · Permalink · Report
When I am writing up the game descriptions and screenshot captions I always refer to the player of the game as 'the player' (e.g. When the player reaches level 10 ...) but it seems common that 'you' is used (e.g. When you reach level 10 ...). Is there a correct way and if so which one?
Personally, I think it should be 'the player' as the 'you' i.e. the person reading it may never actually play the game so the "When you ..." is technically incorrect as it should be more "If you ...".
Steely Gaze (208) on 2/15/2008 3:00 PM · Permalink · Report
Personally, I wouldn't think it matters overly much. I often use "you" or if the player-character has a name I use that.
I can see where there are games where this wouldn't apply, but honestly, is there really much difference between the two? When you say "player", aren't you referring to the person playing the game? Isn't that the same as saying "you"? What if the player never reaches level 10 (to use your example)? Shouldn't that say, "If the player reaches level 10..."?
Terok Nor (42009) on 2/15/2008 3:53 PM · Permalink · Report
In all my old descriptions I used 'you', but I have now switched to using 'the player' or the character name. It sounds more professional and encyclopedic, and that's the style I would like the site content in general to have (excluding personal things like reviews, of course).
Martin Smith (81664) on 2/15/2008 7:26 PM · Permalink · Report
I prefer 'the player' as well, although I find that 2nd person description can work just as well for games with indirect control.
Pseudo_Intellectual (66362) on 2/15/2008 9:09 PM · Permalink · Report
I also often open up a description to change a spelling mistake and end up changing all the "you"s to "the player"s.
Indra was here (20755) on 2/17/2008 6:32 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Wouldn't know, either way works for me, until someone comes up with a game description standard that informs me otherwise...since there isn't one, and thus no official reason to go one way or the other, I just view it as the personal writing style of the contributor.
Pseudo_Intellectual (66362) on 2/18/2008 9:31 AM · Permalink · Report
Supposing we could agree on standards, we'd also most likely have to scrap most of the data we've accumulated thus far and start over again to conform to them completely. Me, I'm okay with a little inconsistency.
Sciere (930490) on 2/18/2008 9:58 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Generally, I'm in favour of standards, but in this case it would influence the style or originality of the descriptions. I prefer a more formal and distant overview, but we are no Wikipedia and I enjoy reading entries such as those by Pseudo with some tongue-in-cheek sentences just as much.
Pseudo_Intellectual (66362) on 2/18/2008 10:43 AM · Permalink · Report
I enjoy reading entries such as those by Pseudo with some tongue-in-cheek sentences just as much.
There was some tremendous personality clash in my first couple of years here between my self-indulgence and approvers' desire for a totally neutral tone so we've ended up at about a midway point of compromise. My entries only have half as much personality as they might (this sounds like a review, they always told me) but at least they get approved without me having to write essays debating the approvers anymore. (Must be they figured the struggle just wasn't worth it, since the obscure games I input would never be looked up by anyone anyhow 8)
Игги Друге (46653) on 2/18/2008 7:18 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Pseudo_Intellectual wrote--]My entries only have half as much personality as they might (this sounds like a review, they always told me) but at least they get approved without me having to write essays debating the approvers anymore. [/Q --end Pseudo_Intellectual wrote--] I just approve them because I don't understand. Just like when I approve rankings in Finnish.
Indra was here (20755) on 2/18/2008 7:58 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Pseudo_Intellectual wrote--]My entries only have half as much personality as they might (this sounds like a review, they always told me) but at least they get approved without me having to write essays debating the approvers anymore. [/Q --end Pseudo_Intellectual wrote--]
Oooh, it's another Pseudo submission.
Skipping.
:)
Игги Друге (46653) on 2/18/2008 7:17 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Sciere wrote--]I prefer a more formal and distant overview, but we are no Wikipedia and I enjoy reading entries such as those by Pseudo with some tongue-in-cheek sentences just as much. [/Q --end Sciere wrote--] Now that I don't. I'm no stranger to some humour or wordplay in a description, as long as it still works as a medium for a description of the game. But I don't like it when the words get in the way of the message.
Игги Друге (46653) on 2/18/2008 7:15 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start beetle120 wrote--]There should be some standards on this to make everything consistent. [/Q --end beetle120 wrote--] Why? Constistency for consistency's sake? In that case, we can just publish a list of 2 000 allowed words which may be used to write the description.
Indra was here (20755) on 2/18/2008 8:00 PM · Permalink · Report
Though actually we do somewhat need some minor standards that do not effect the contributor's style of writing. Although right now, I can only think of one:
Indra was here (20755) on 2/18/2008 8:05 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Sciere wrote--]I'd add to that: except when it is a MobyLink. [/Q --end Sciere wrote--]
Title of the game with a mobylink? Linking to the same page?
edit: actually before, I was referring to the same game title being revised.
edit2: I'm beginning not to understand what the hell I'm talking about.
chirinea (47495) on 2/18/2008 8:39 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Sciere wrote--]I actually meant that the links themselves should have italics added as well, but what you say too =) [/Q --end Sciere wrote--] Should they? By "except" I understood that they shouldn't. And actually, that's how I've been doing this for ages: when it is a link, I don't use italics...
Now I'm confused! =P
Indra was here (20755) on 2/18/2008 8:48 PM · Permalink · Report
We seem to be having a degradation in communication skills as of late. But considering we're from 3 different continents, somethings bound to be lost in the translation. So:
[1] If same game title, use italics;
[2] If different game title, use italics;
[3] If different game title with link "don't use italics" or "use italics?"
chirinea (47495) on 2/18/2008 8:54 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Indra Depari of the Clan Depari wrote--] [3] If different game title with link "don't use italics" or "use italics?" [/Q --end Indra Depari of the Clan Depari wrote--] I say don't. But I'd put this rule right after the first one: the first time a different game is mentioned, it gets a link. The second time on, it doesn't.
Pseudo_Intellectual (66362) on 2/18/2008 9:44 PM · Permalink · Report
I don't think all references warrant links, which might be a mellowing of some of my earlier corrections, but rather only in cases where there is some significant overlap of subject, themes or at least gameplay mechanisms. (More often these days rather than directly naming games I compare to I just describe the common feature and make the description a link to the game I'm alluding to.)
If I said "Though it takes place in space, it lacks the enemies of Galaga and the wrap-around screen of Asteroids, but is closest to Space War in its simplified simulation of space physics and resource allocation", I would make only the last of those three references into a link. All would, however, be italicised.
But that's just my personal style! No need to push my tastes on the database! (I can do that through incremental description revision 8)
Игги Друге (46653) on 2/18/2008 8:21 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Indra Depari of the Clan Depari wrote--]
Indra was here (20755) on 2/18/2008 8:27 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Игги Друге wrote--] [Q2 --start Indra Depari of the Clan Depari wrote--]
True. We still have a lot of users that don't know how to use Mobytags...and can't be bothered to search the entire FAQ.