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Video Games in Research

This guide is designed to help researchers who have questions about adding video games to their research.

Where to Find Information for Citations

PC/MAC Games

For PC/MAC games most of the needed information to cite can be found on a store site (such as Steam or GOG). There you can find the title, developer, publisher, and release date. It is important to double-check information. The "ultimate edition" of a game may have a later release date than the "original edition". For the numbered version information, it will be necessary to check the games' main screen. Keep in mind that some games will not have numbered version information and so that will be unavailable for the citation.

Console Games

For console games, most of the necessary information can be found on console store site after searching for the game. For physical copies, much of the information can be found on the case. The numbered version information may be found on the main screen of the game. Like PC versions, this information may not be available for the citation.

Phone Games

For games released on phones, the app store will contain most of the information needed to cite. This information includes the title, copyright holder, developer, and current version. It may be necessary to google the exact release date of the game since it can be difficult to find on some app stores.


Remember To Check the Games' Website!

The developers, publishers and creators of games will usually create websites for their games. Here you can find more information that can help with citations and double-check some existing information.