Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Reference library
Welcome to the WikiProject Video games Reference Library, a directory for sources to use when editing articles about video games. This library provides specialty guidance for print materials, defunct websites, and other sources that are offline, inaccessible, or otherwise difficult to find through traditional search engine methods.
What are you looking for?
- Live websites: WP:VG Google search engine
- Defunct or reorganized websites: WP:VG/RL/Online website archive
- Gaming magazines and books: #Print sources
- Academic journals, trade publications, and newspapers: The Wikipedia Library
- Television programs: #Television
- Sales charts: WP:VG/RL/Sales charts
- Search for topics here in the Reference Library. If a topic is mentioned somewhere in this Reference Library, this search will bring up those pages.
- Can't find what you're looking for? Place a request. For video game-oriented requests, place requests at WT:VG. You can also place requests for a general audience at WP:REREQ.
How to contribute
- Anyone can edit this page (or subpages) to improve the reference library. You do not need permission.
- If you have print sources to share, you can list yourself as a contact for those materials so editors may contact you with requests. It helps to list out the games and topics discussed in the source as well. To donate materials, consider sending to the Video Game History Foundation.
- Feel free to add this userbox to your userpage with the code {{User WPCVGm}}
 | This user is a member of the Video Games Reference library Project. |
Online sources
Live
- WP:VG Google search engine – Curated search engine that provides results from reliable sources. For more information, see WP:VG/SE.
Defunct
- WP:VG/RL Online website archive – Archival links for websites that are now defunct, or those that received major renovations or purged much of their old material.
- WP:VG/RL Online print archive – Many print video game magazines used to host their printed articles and reviews on the internet, but have since removed them. This page lists archival links for when they had these articles available.
Print sources
Online scan depositories
- Internet Archive
- Collections for browsing: Videogame and Computer Game Magazines, Game and Gamer Magazines, Computer Magazines
- By doing a Google search with site:archive.org/stream, you can search the text contents of scanned magazines (note: OCR is not perfect and typos frequently appear)
- Retro CDN (30,000 files)
- Sega Retro: Database of games published for Sega consoles with links to relevant Retro CDN scans. (See also: Sonic Retro)
- NEC Retro: Database of games published for NEC consoles with links to relevant Retro CDN scans.
- OldGameMags (11,000 files) One-time donation of $20 USD gives lifetime access (instructions)
- Retromags (4,000 files)
- Subject-specific collections
- 8-Bit Software: 8-bit Acorn computers
- Abandonware Magazines: French-language scans
- Amiga Magazine Rack: Amiga
- Kultboy: German-language scans
- MSX Resource Center: MSX
- Nintendo64Ever: Nintendo 64
- Out-of-Print Archive: UK magazine scanes
- Planet Virtual Boy: Virtual Boy
- Retro Scans: Portuguese-language scans
- SMS Power!: Early Sega consoles (Master System, Game Gear, etc.)
Magazines
Strategy guides
| Brand | Availability |
|---|---|
| BradyGames | RL |
| Nintendo Player's Guide | RL |
| Prima Games | RL |
| Versus Books | RL |
| Miscellaneous | RL |
Books / other
Television
| Program | Subject | Country | Years | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bits | Computer game reviews | United Kingdom | 1999 – 2001 | YouTube playlist |
| The Electric Playground | News, reviews, features | Canada | 1997 – 2015 | EPN on YouTube has playlists for several early seasons |
| GamePro TV | News, reviews, features | United States | 1991 – 1992, 1996 | YouTube playlist |
| GamesMaster | Game show with some reviews | United Kingdom | 1992 – 1998 | YouTube playlist |
| Good Game | News, reviews, features | Australia | 2006 – 2016 | ABCTVGamer on YouTube has playlists for all seasons. Also available here is a detailed list of episodes with games mentioned |
| High Score | Documentaries | United States | 2020 | Available on Netflix |
| How Videogames Changed the World | Documentary | United States | 2013 | One-off television special. Available on YouTube |
| Icons | Documentaries | United States | 2002 – 2007 | The Wikipedia article lists each episode and subject. Several playlists exist on YouTube: [1] [2] [3] |
| Thumb Bandits | Reviews | United Kingdom | 2001 – 2002 | YouTube playlist |
| Xplay | Reviews | United States | 1998 – 2022 | There are several episode playlists on YouTube: [4] [5] |
Miscellaneous resources
Cover art and screenshots
- Arcade Flyer Archive at the International Arcade Museum. Flyers for arcade and pinball machines suitable for non-free cover art on respective articles.
- BBC Micro screenshots
- MobyGames and Hardcore Gaming 101 provide screenshots in native resolution format
On Wikipedia
- WP:LIBRARY: Ideal for academic journals and some news articles
- "Video Games" at WikiProject Resource Exchange
- WP:VG/RL "Top video games lists": Searchable index of "Top XXXX" and "Best ever" video game lists.
- WP:VG/RL Sales charts
- User:84user/Sources#Sources for MUDs: Short list of academic and book sources related to MUDs
Other
- Online Books Page includes a number of links to video game-related books available free online. See subjects: Computer Games, Video Games
- Spectrum Computing: ZX Spectrum game database with links to scans of specific magazine pages where the games are reviewed, advertised or even mentioned, allowing easy finding of print sources.
- Nintendo release date lists - Contains release dates and licensees for six of Nintendo's consoles from NES to GBC.
- RPGDot developer interview archive
- GameZone PC developer interview archive 2001-2009