Grand Theft Wiki:Speculation

Revision as of 01:16, 19 September 2010 by A-Dust (talk | contribs)
In brief... When writing about unreleased games, be careful to write only fact.
If you write a quote, opinion, or estimation, make sure it is labelled as such.

Speculation on Grand Theft Wiki can be defined as information about GTA games that has not been confirmed in a game or by Rockstar Games. This includes expressing opinion, discussing possible future releases, and research into the contents of existing games (beyond what is explicitly mentioned).

Speculation is not permitted in Wikipedia articles, to maintain pure fact. However, Grand Theft Wiki recognises that many things are worth discussing, even without them being fully confirmed. However, it is insisted that for all published speculation, there is basis in fact. All speculation on Grand Theft Wiki must be clearly marked, usually with {{speculation}}.

For example, before the release of details about GTA IV, the GTA IV article contained various items of widely-reported or broadly-discussed information that had not been confirmed by Rockstar. This includes possible titles, locations, settings, characters, separation from the GTA III Era and other features. However, the speculation was based on the fact that it had been announced. This is why there is currently no GTA V page, as there is nothing to suggest it has been announced.

A conflicting page is the GTA V Wishlist, which exists even without an announcement of GTA V. This is because there has been lots of discussion about GTA V, which is what we are expressing in that article. It is a fact that many people want a return to Vice City (for example), but it would be wrong to suggest that GTA V is going to be set there.

Thus, general public opinion may be discussed, such as "many people believe" or "there are suggestions that", but there MUST be some evidence for this, whether it is forum discussions (on this wiki or elsewhere) or press articles (from other sites).

Although they may detail general public opinion, there is no room in articles for personal opinion or discussion. Discussion should take place in the Forum, and discussion of article content should be discussed on the talk page. Technically speaking, the wishlists should be forum topics, and the articles should be a factual consolidation of popular ideas.