If you are a student or a researcher who is writing a paper about video games, you may need to cite a video game in MLA format. MLA stands for Modern Language Association, which is a professional organization for scholars of language and literature. The MLA Handbook provides guidelines for citing various sources, including video games. In this article, we will discuss how to cite a video game in MLA format.
Basic Format for Citing a Video Game in MLA
The basic format for citing a video game in MLA is as follows:
Creator's Last Name, First Name. Game Title. Publisher, Year of Publication. Platform.
Here is an example of a citation for a video game:
Johnson, David. Super Mario Bros. Nintendo, 1985. NES.
In this example, David Johnson is the creator of the game Super Mario Bros., which was published by Nintendo in 1985. The game was released on the NES platform.
Citing a Video Game that is Part of a Larger Work
If the video game you are citing is part of a larger work, such as a collection or an anthology, you should follow this format:
Creator's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Game." Title of Larger Work, edited by Editor's First Name Last Name, Publisher, Year of Publication, Page Numbers. Platform.
Here is an example of a citation for a video game that is part of a larger work:
Johnson, David. "Super Mario Bros." The Best Video Games of All Time, edited by John Smith, Penguin Random House, 2015, pp. 50-60. NES.
In this example, David Johnson's game Super Mario Bros. is part of a larger work called The Best Video Games of All Time, which was edited by John Smith and published by Penguin Random House in 2015. The game was released on the NES platform and appears on pages 50-60 of the larger work.
Citing a Video Game that is Online
If the video game you are citing is online, you should follow this format:
Creator's Last Name, First Name. Game Title. Publisher, Year of Publication. Website Name, URL.
Here is an example of a citation for an online video game:
Johnson, David. Super Mario Bros. Nintendo, 1985. Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/msdos_Super_Mario_Bros_1985.
In this example, David Johnson's game Super Mario Bros. was published by Nintendo in 1985 and is available online at the Internet Archive website.
Conclusion
Citing a video game in MLA format is not difficult as long as you follow the guidelines provided by the MLA Handbook. Remember to include the creator's name, the game title, the publisher, the year of publication, and the platform or website where the game can be found. By citing your sources accurately, you can give credit to the creators of the video games you are discussing and avoid plagiarism.
