Many scholars started to refer to video games as sources in their research papers. Basically, it is because this type of media affects the life of individuals, developing new social, psychological, and other theories. Also, the American Psychological Association (APA) requires people to follow specific rules in using such types of sources. In turn, students and other scholars need to know how to cite a video game in APA to organize their scientific studies. Hence, when students and scholars use a simulation as a source in academic writing, they must cite it accordingly.
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Main Rules for Citing a Vide Game in APA
In case of an APA document, the student should capture the following elements in the citation:
- The rightsholder’s name of a video game. Basically, a rightsholder is an individual or an organization that owns the rights of a simulation.
- The year of publication.
- The title of the video game.
- The version.
- The location of the producer.
- The name of the producer.
A Reference Entry Citation
1. The structure of a reference citation is as follows:
Name of the rightsholder. (The year of publication). The title of the video game (The version) [Video game]. Location of the producer: Name of the producer.
2. An example is as follows:
Epic Games. (2017). Fortnite: Save the World (PC Version) [Video game]. Burbank, CA: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
An In-Text Citation
Basically, students and scholars can cite a simulation in the body of the text (in-text) by using two methods.
In this case, the first approach is to use a parenthetical citation, where writers place the last name of the copyrights owner (or full name in case the copyrights owner is a company) as the end of a sentence. The example is:
The year 2017 saw a great deal of publication of video games, with Fortnite: Save the World being among the most celebrated by fans (Epic Games, 2017).
Another approach is to use the last name of the rightsholder (or full name if it is a company) in a sentence and indicate the year in parentheses. The example is:
Epic Games (2017) made a mark in the gaming world when it developed Fortnite: Save the World, which has become a hit with fans.
A Footnote Citation
An example of a footnote citation would be:
Epic Games, 2017, Fortnite: Save the World (PC Version) [Video game] (Burbank, CA: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment).
Also, see the video on citing in APA.