Hi all, looking for some input into how we should be attributing the Publisher for type-in games and games given away on magazine covertapes/disks. In the database I've saw that there's instances where the magazine itself (for example Amstrad Action) has been credited as the publisher and in other instances the magazine publisher has been credited (in this example, Future Publishing). I think it would be good to have a uniform approach here.
Magazines as Publishers?
I agree. Thats something I also thought about in the past. Personally I think that the magazine publisher is the correct way. Other sites have it often mixed as well. Magazines can change publishers which makes it more difficult.
Thanks teran, I must admit that's my preference too. In my head I'm thinking it could work similar to how we've tried to set-up budget and re-release labels by creating tags for the magazines themselves (e.g. magazine-AmstradAction), the same concept could be used for books of type-ins (e.g. book-40greatbbcgames)?
We must differentiate between those games that made their premiere via a magazine (e.g. as a type-in listing or on a cover disk/tape) or older commercial games that were re-released as bonus on a magazine cover disks/tapes/cd.
The first type of games (original magazine releases) are for me the much more important ones.
Games that were originally published via a magazine should have the magazine publisher as publisher. The programmer (mostly not part of the publishing company) should be listed under crew.
Re-released games that came on cover disks are personally not that interesting for me. This goes much into the "games releases" topic. It's a bit of a struggle with the UVL system. If we would document (re)-releases on magazine cover disks we could also put in re-releases via different websites or services. And thats a neverending maintainance work, especially when refering to external sites. Its something that I usually try not to touch.
Summary as I would do it now:
A game was originally released in a book:
Give it tag "typein" and write title of book as Editors note.
A game was originally released as type-in listing in a magazine:
Give it tag "typein" and tag "magazine" and write title and issue number of magazine in Editor Note.
A game was originally released on a covertape/coverdisk that came with a magazine:
Give it tag "magazinecover" and write title and issue number of magazine in Editor note.
Re-released commercial games on magazine cover disks are facts that I usually ignore if there is not something special with the re-release, which I would mention in editors note.
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The question is if we need a magazine-abc tag in addition to this. The advantage is that you could see in a group what games were released in a certain magazine. But is this so interesting to make its own tag-group for it? If you replace the editor note with the tag then there is no info about the issue number. So you can't get rid of the editor note with this. And if we have the editor note I normally don't need the tag because I already know about the game what I wanted to know and where to find the game. So it all comes to the question if the group is interesting for people to have as a hub to find what they want in relation to the work it is to make and maintain the group and tags. With old defunct magazines we at least speak of a finite number of titles. While I personally don't feel the need for it, as a single person I not a representative of all users and others might find it important to have. If these groups are created I suggest to create not all of them at once and put a few games in each and then leave them unfinished. Better create one group and finish it first before making the next one. Because this is some kind of group with a finite number of titles that you want to have complete in order to be helpful for people.
About book titles:
There is at least one occasion where a book-series got its own group: www.uvlist.net/groups/info/101basic
But I am sceptical about giving each book its own tag.
The first type of games (original magazine releases) are for me the much more important ones.
Games that were originally published via a magazine should have the magazine publisher as publisher. The programmer (mostly not part of the publishing company) should be listed under crew.
Re-released games that came on cover disks are personally not that interesting for me. This goes much into the "games releases" topic. It's a bit of a struggle with the UVL system. If we would document (re)-releases on magazine cover disks we could also put in re-releases via different websites or services. And thats a neverending maintainance work, especially when refering to external sites. Its something that I usually try not to touch.
Summary as I would do it now:
A game was originally released in a book:
Give it tag "typein" and write title of book as Editors note.
A game was originally released as type-in listing in a magazine:
Give it tag "typein" and tag "magazine" and write title and issue number of magazine in Editor Note.
A game was originally released on a covertape/coverdisk that came with a magazine:
Give it tag "magazinecover" and write title and issue number of magazine in Editor note.
Re-released commercial games on magazine cover disks are facts that I usually ignore if there is not something special with the re-release, which I would mention in editors note.
###
The question is if we need a magazine-abc tag in addition to this. The advantage is that you could see in a group what games were released in a certain magazine. But is this so interesting to make its own tag-group for it? If you replace the editor note with the tag then there is no info about the issue number. So you can't get rid of the editor note with this. And if we have the editor note I normally don't need the tag because I already know about the game what I wanted to know and where to find the game. So it all comes to the question if the group is interesting for people to have as a hub to find what they want in relation to the work it is to make and maintain the group and tags. With old defunct magazines we at least speak of a finite number of titles. While I personally don't feel the need for it, as a single person I not a representative of all users and others might find it important to have. If these groups are created I suggest to create not all of them at once and put a few games in each and then leave them unfinished. Better create one group and finish it first before making the next one. Because this is some kind of group with a finite number of titles that you want to have complete in order to be helpful for people.
About book titles:
There is at least one occasion where a book-series got its own group: www.uvlist.net/groups/info/101basic
But I am sceptical about giving each book its own tag.
Some really good points here that I find myself agreeing with.
In terms of the older commercial games re-released as bonus covertape/disk/CD games, I personally see these as being very similar to compilation releases (as there were usually more than one game given away at a time) - worthy of an Editor's note but not much more. And not the end of the world if it's overlooked.
With the specific magazine tags, I think you've put together a good argument as to why we probably shouldn't do it and should just leave the information in the Editor Notes section. It's consistent then with how we'd treat type-ins from a book and I absolutely agree there'd be no justification for adding tags for individual books.
Also agree with your summaries of how you'd tag for the scenarios you presented.
In terms of the older commercial games re-released as bonus covertape/disk/CD games, I personally see these as being very similar to compilation releases (as there were usually more than one game given away at a time) - worthy of an Editor's note but not much more. And not the end of the world if it's overlooked.
With the specific magazine tags, I think you've put together a good argument as to why we probably shouldn't do it and should just leave the information in the Editor Notes section. It's consistent then with how we'd treat type-ins from a book and I absolutely agree there'd be no justification for adding tags for individual books.
Also agree with your summaries of how you'd tag for the scenarios you presented.
I am of the idea, as I have been doing, to copy sources. As these could often disappear, I write more than one in "editor's notes" (or in the same description).
I almost always base myself on magazines, I have been working on old games for almost 6 months now (SOL-20 for now); but I think that despite the photos and sources, it is important to unify a criterion, which could resolve this issue.
The date of creation must be included; the author (if there is one, if not, the company that published it (or the magazine))
A general description, and the correct tags.
I almost always base myself on magazines, I have been working on old games for almost 6 months now (SOL-20 for now); but I think that despite the photos and sources, it is important to unify a criterion, which could resolve this issue.
The date of creation must be included; the author (if there is one, if not, the company that published it (or the magazine))
A general description, and the correct tags.