View source for Wiki143:WikiProject Video games/Reference library

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Welcome to the '''[[Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games|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: '''[[Wikipedia:VG/SE|WP:VG Google search engine]]'''
* Defunct or reorganized websites: '''[[Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Reference library/Online website archive|WP:VG/RL/Online website archive]]'''
* Gaming magazines and books: '''[[#Print sources]]'''
* Academic journals, trade publications, and newspapers: '''[[WP:LIBRARY|The Wikipedia Library]]'''
* Television programs and films: '''[[Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Reference library/Television and film|WP:VG/RL/Television and film]]'''
* Sales charts: '''[[Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Reference library/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.
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* '''Can't find what you're looking for? Place a request.''' For best results, post 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 [https://gamehistory.org/donate-video-game-magazines/ Video Game History Foundation].
* Feel free to add this userbox to your userpage with the code {{tl|User WPCVGm}}
{{User WPVGm}}
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== Online sources ==

=== Live ===
* '''[https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=003516479746865699832:leawcwkqifq WP:VG Google search engine]''' – Curated search engine that provides results from reliable sources. For more information, see [[WP:VG/SE]].

=== Defunct ===
* [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Reference library/Online website archive|'''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.
* [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Reference library/Online print archive|'''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 ==
* '''→ [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Reference library/Magazines|Magazines]]'''
* '''→ [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Reference library/Strategy guides|Strategy guides]]'''
* '''→ [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Reference library/Misc publishers|Books and others]]'''
==== Online scan depositories ====
{{anchor|Online scan depositories}}
* [https://archive.org/ '''Internet Archive''']
** Collections for browsing: [https://archive.org/details/videogamemagazines Videogame and Computer Game Magazines], [https://archive.org/details/gamemagazines Game and Gamer Magazines], [https://archive.org/details/computermagazines 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)
* '''[https://retrocdn.net/Category:Shared_scans Retro CDN]''' (30,000 files)
** [https://www.segaretro.org/ Sega Retro]: Database of games published for Sega consoles with links to relevant Retro CDN scans. (See also:  [https://www.sonicretro.org/ Sonic Retro])
** [https://necretro.org/ NEC Retro]: Database of games published for NEC consoles with links to relevant Retro CDN scans.
* [https://www.oldgamemags.com/forum/index.php?action=downloads '''OldGameMags'''] (11,000 files) One-time donation of $20 USD gives lifetime access ([https://www.oldgamemags.com/forum/index.php?topic=7.0 instructions])
* [https://www.retromags.com/files/ '''Retromags'''] (4,000 files)
* [http://www.digitpress.com/library/magazines/ '''DP Library (Digital Press)''']
* [https://library.gamehistory.org/ '''Video Game History Foundation Library''']
*Subject-specific collections
:* [http://8bs.com/magazines.htm 8-Bit Software]: 8-bit Acorn computers
:* [https://www.abandonware-magazines.org/ Abandonware Magazines]: French-language scans
:* [http://amr.abime.net/ Amiga Magazine Rack]: Amiga
:* [http://www.atarimania.com/list-atari-magazines.html Atarimania]: Atari
:* [http://www.kultboy.com Kultboy]: German-language scans
:* [https://www.msx.org/wiki/Magazines MSX Resource Center]: MSX
:* [https://www.nintendo64ever.com/The-Nintendo-64-Magazines,1.html Nintendo64Ever]: Nintendo 64
:* [https://www.outofprintarchive.com/magazine_catalogue_UK.html Out-of-Print Archive]: UK magazine scans
:* [https://www.virtual-boy.com/publications/ Planet Virtual Boy]: Virtual Boy
:* [https://retroscans.org/ Retro Scans]: Portuguese-language scans
:* [https://www.smspower.org/Scans/Magazines SMS Power!]: Early Sega consoles (Master System, Game Gear, etc.)
:* [http://www.stformat.com/index.html ST Format Shrine]: Atari ST
:* [https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/ Spectrum Computing]: ZX Spectrum

==Television and film==
*→'''[[Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Reference library/Television and film|Television and film]]

== Miscellaneous resources ==
=== Cover art and screenshots ===

* [https://flyers.arcade-museum.com/ Arcade Flyer Archive] at the International Arcade Museum. Flyers for arcade and pinball machines suitable for non-free cover art on respective articles.
* [http://www.pitfalljones.com/bbc/bbc-name-a.htm 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
* [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Resource Exchange/Shared Resources#Video Games|"Video Games" at WikiProject Resource Exchange]]
* [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Reference library/Top video games lists|WP:VG/RL "Top video games lists"]]: Searchable index of "Top XXXX" and "Best ever" video game lists.
* [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Reference library/Sales charts|WP:VG/RL Sales charts]]
*[[User:84user/Sources#Sources for MUDs]]: Short list of academic and book sources related to [[MUD]]s

=== Other ===
* [http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu Online Books Page] includes a number of links to video game-related books available free online. See subjects: [http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/browse?type=lcsubc&key=Computer%20games&c=x Computer Games], [http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/browse?type=lcsubc&key=Video%20games&c=x Video Games]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081013045202/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/oldergames.jsp Nintendo release date lists] - Contains release dates and licensees for six of Nintendo's consoles from NES to GBC.
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20060507164815/http://www.rpgdot.com/index.php?hsaction=10051&type=1&sid=9d2d6c438d69f7597e909f86222f478e RPGDot developer interview archive]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20090621120902/http://pc.gamezone.com/news/news1000.htm|''GameZone PC'' developer interview archive 2001-2009]


[[Category:WikiProject Video games|Reference Library]]
[[Category:WikiProject reference libraries|Video Games]]