"A necessary part of moving game journalism, and games, to the next level." Dean Takahashi, Author, The Xbox 360 uncloaked 

Journalists, stop playing guessing games! Inside the answers to your most pressing questions await:

• Videogame, one word or two?
• Console or system?
• Xbox, XBox or X-box?
• What defines a good game review?

Fitting neatly between The AP Stylebook and Wired Style, and formally endorsed by Games Press, the ultimate resource for game journalists, The Videogame Style Guide and Reference Manual is the first volume to definitively catalogue the breathtaking multibillion-dollar game industry from A to Z. Includes official International Game Journalists Association (IGJA) rules for grammar, spelling, usage, capitalization and abbreviations, plus proven tips and guidelines for producing polished, professional prose about the world’s most exciting entertainment biz.

Exploring the field from yesterday’s humble origins to tomorrow’s hottest trends, biggest names and brightest stars, The Videogame Style Guide and Reference Manual contains all the tools you need to realize a distinguished career in game journalism, or go from enthusiast to editor today!

Download The Video game Style Guide and Reference Manual

PDF format, 1.7mb, 105pages.

Editorial Principles:

“Videogame” or “video game” – one word or two? It all depends on whom you ask, which continent you live on, and which media outlet you work for. And it’s not the kind of debate that anyone will resolve soon.

But someone had to make a choice and draw a proverbial line in the sand. So that’s what we did, because that’s what journalists and editors have to do every day – make tough decisions.We hope this guide will save you the trouble of agonizing over minutiae and let you spend more time actually writing.

Whether or not you agree with our choices, you should know that we were guided by one general principle: Journalism is about clear, concise communication. More specifically, we tried to consider the following criteria in making our decisions, listed below in order of importance:

1) Ease of comprehension for a general audience.
2) Common usage and accuracy.
3) Convenience, with respect to writer use/remembrance.
4) Official styling, as preferred by game developers and publishers.

Note that this guide was designed with mainstream readers in mind. Publications that specialize in videogames and/or technical matters will likely want to append it with individual in-house rules that suit their more specialized audiences. Terms that might be familiar to an avid gaming audience but not to a mainstream, non-enthusiast readership are labeled as jargon.

Visit The Video game Style Guide and Reference Manual Official Website

About the IGJA

The International Game Journalists Association was formed in 2004 in an effort to promote the quality and professionalism of videogame journalism. Recognizing both the rapid growth and relative newness of the medium, the IGJA seeks to support individual and group efforts to advance the art of game criticism, news gathering, writing, and reporting. Please join us at www.igja.org.

About the Authors

Kyle Orland began writing about games when he founded fansite Super Mario Bros. HQ (www.smbhq.com) in 1997. Since then, he’s worked as a freelance journalist for many publications including National Public Radio, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Gamespot, The Escapist, Next Generation, Joystiq, GameDaily, and Paste Magazine. A complete list of his published works can be found on his workblog (http://kyleorland.blogsome.com). Kyle graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in May 2004 with degrees in computer science and journalism. His favorite game of all time is Super Mario 64.

Scott Steinberg is the author of Videogame Marketing and PR (www.sellmorevideogames.com) and works as the managing director of Embassy Multimedia Consultants (www.embassymulti.com), which counsels game industry leaders on hardware/software development, marketing and promotion. He’s also a former vice president of product acquisitions for Microids and director of acquisitions for DreamCatcher Interactive/The Adventure Co. He remains gaming’s most prolific journalist, having covered the topic for 300+ outlets ranging from CNN to the New York Times, L.A. Times, Playboy, Rolling Stone and TV Guide. Other ventures include independent game publisher Overload Entertainment, copywriting company Clandestine Media and GamesPress.com, the ultimate resource for game journalists.

David Thomas (www.buzzcut.com) has spent 20 years as a newspaper veteran and teacher specializing in arts and technology criticism. A founder of the IGJA (www.igja.org), David remains an advocate for a professional approach to game journalism that doesn’t dilute the fun inherent in the medium. For the past 10 years, he has covered games for The Denver Post and his column is syndicated through King Features. He regularly freelances for The Escapist online magazine. He also teaches the history of digital media, critical videogame theory, and other game and media-related classes for the University of Colorado.

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