Talk:Untitled Goose Game

The game is officially untitled.

The developers have consistently stated that the game is officially untitled, as in it literally has no title. I suggest that the article be changed to resemble something like this:

untitled, but colloquially known as Untitled Goose Game, is an untitled goose-based third person stealth puzzle game developed by House House.

With https://twitter.com/house_house_/status/1172156661127176193 as a reference.

--sheeldz (talk) 08:26, 23 September 2019 (UTC)

I propose consistency with other untitled-work pages but still containing an opening sentence that meets the (name, developer, publisher) standard of every other video game article:

The untitled second video game developed by House House, commonly known as Untitled Goose Game, is a stealth puzzle game published by Panic. Players control a goose who bothers the inhabitants of an English village. The game was released on September 20, 2019 for Windows, macOS, and Nintendo Switch.

As reference examples for treatment of untitled works with common names, I suggest looking to Led Zeppelin IV, Untitled Korn album, Untitled Martin Scorsese project, Untitled (Blink-182 album), which mostly (and sometimes, only) refer to "the album", "the film" in the article body, except to explain the common name. It would not be wrong to only refer primarily to "the game" within the body of this article. Contrast with the distinct case of creative works that have the title "Untitled" e.g. Untitled (Rothko) which are then referred to as Untitled within their articles.

Inopinatus (talk) 01:12, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

No, this is Wikipedia, we go by common names. And further it's not like there's no name on the game's catalog pages or loading screen, compared to, say, the Korn album. There is a title here, which has an odd history but its the title nevertheless. --Masem (t) 01:37, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

I'm not debating the article title though. The title is correct, because as you say, for titles we go by common names. I'm proposing changes to the lead and the body of the article. Inopinatus (talk) 22:17, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

I like how you phrased it, so I'm up for that. I think we can still keep calling it "Untitled Goose Game" in the rest of the article as long as we explain somewhere that people refer to it as "Untitled Goose Game". I feel like that would be more pleasant to read then replacing it by "the game" everywhere. Stefvanschie (talk) 09:29, 2 October 2019 (UTC)

I fully agree with initially calling it “the untitled second game by developer House House”, but then referring to in throughout the rest of the article as “Untitled Goose Game”. It makes the most sense, because it is Untitled SirPlerple (talk) 21:59, 17 October 2019 (UTC)

To point out the two IGN articles that are being used to claim there is no title for the game [1] clearly has the game named "Untitled Goose Game", from a quote from the dev: "The only title we ever even remotely considered was ‘Some Like it Honk,’ because we thought it was funny, but I don’t think [we] ever seriously considered using it. Untitled Goose Game just has such a nice ring to it.". The second link is an IGN review, so not an official statement, and even then, they clearly are calling the game "Untitled Goose Game". Yes, they're stating the game is untitled, but they're clearly refering to it as "Untitled Goose Game" and House House clearly does too, outside of one Tweet, which is not sufficient to override RS sourcing. --Masem (t) 14:28, 5 November 2019 (UTC)

We mention that the game is untitled, yet for the remainder of the article we refer to it as Untitled Goose Game, that way we both mention that the game is untitled, yet continue to refer to it like every other RS does. But while we're at it, we might as well compile a list of sources that state it as the game's title and sources that explicitly state it is untitled.

• ArsTechnica: Titled
• GameRevolution: Untitled
• IGN: Mixed
• Rock, Paper, Shotgun: Mixed
• VG247: Untitled

These were reliable sources I could find that specifically stated titled/untitled. There were some edge cases here and there, which I haven't included (e.g. a source stating "untitled goose game" in lowercase, are they referring to the common name of the game or are they saying that it is untitled?). I don't see why the review one shouldn't count though. Sure, it's not an official statement, but it's still a post from a reliable source - even if it's in a review. The information we extract from a post should not necessarily have to be the main topic of the post. I still stand by my opinion that we should mention in the lead that it is untitled and refer to it everywhere else as "Untitled Goose Game". While the amount of sources I found isn't as much as I hoped (I've gone through most of the reliable sources on WP:VG/S with exception of non-English sources because of possible incorrect translations), there are definitely reliable sources that state it as untitled, so I see no reason to not, at the very least, state this once on the actual page. Stefvanschie (talk) 19:27, 7 November 2019 (UTC)

• There is no reason to have this highly bloated opening phrase stating that the game is unofficially untitled. If it's really that notable, then simply add an EFN template explaining it; it should not be in prose (at least in the lead/opening sentence). ~ Dissident93 ^(talk) 18:37, 28 November 2019 (UTC)

Spoilers?

So, what do you do about spoilers? Revealing the final twist in the tale of this game is about the worst spoiler I’ve ever seen, but it seemed a bit harsh to the author just to delete it all. I played and loved this game, but finding out how it ends was especially memorable.

-) Oliver Low (talk) 21:05, 15 May 2020 (UTC)

WP does not hide spoilers for released games, see WP:SPOILER. --Masem (t) 21:11, 15 May 2020 (UTC)

Gameplay doesn't have to reveal every single aspect of the game. Since that does ruin the surprise at the end, and no reason to include it, no sense to have it. I'd like more opinions please. Dream Focus 18:39, 16 May 2020 (UTC)

"Ruin the surprise" should never be an argument for removal. If people really are trying to avoid spoilers for something, they shouldn't really be reading wiki articles about it. ~ Dissident93 ^(talk) 20:08, 16 May 2020 (UTC)

Wanting to read about the gameplay of a game doesn't mean you want to have the surprise cute ending ruined. This isn't like reading the plot section of a book or game or show where you know its going to tell you everything, so you need to stop reading it if you don't want to know. This is something you read to find out what type of game it is, and don't expect that to be in there. Games usually have the Plot section separate from the Gameplay section. Dream Focus 15:13, 17 May 2020 (UTC)

Usually yes, but when there's no effective plot (as with this game) we keep them merged rather than have a tiny tiny plot section (eg we don't separate the plot of Pac-Man from its gameplay).

To this point there are two factors though is that from one side, how much this "really" ruins the game , but the other is how many RSes have actually gone and noted it? I don't recall many sources actually discussing this point so its actually fair game to say its not needed to appreciate the work overall (compared with, say, the ending of the BioShock which has been the subject of detailed discussion). --Masem (t) 15:21, 17 May 2020 (UTC)

GAN

I've nominated this for Good Article, it's and iconic game and well written. -MyCatIsAChonk (talk) 20:13, 18 January 2023 (UTC)

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Untitled Goose Game/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Unexpectedlydian (talk · contribs) 18:09, 22 January 2023 (UTC)

Hey MyCatIsAChonk, I'll be reviewing this article using the table below. Comments to follow soon (if I can't get round to it today, I hope it will be within the next few days). I note that you are one of the most recent contributors to the article but not a major contributor (if we're going by proportion of the total edits!). Not a problem if you are familiar with, or willing to become familiar with, the content and sources. I also see you've pinged the talk page which is helpful. Looking forward to starting! Unexpectedlydian^♯4talk^‽ 18:09, 22 January 2023 (UTC)

Hey there, I do realize I haven't edited the article much, but after checking through the citations and the prose itself, I didn't see much room for improvement; credit for the most contributions goes to @Stefvanschie, @Masem, and @Angeldeb82. I am familiar with the article, so if there are any changes you need to be made, I can try to improve it ASAP. Thanks for reviewing! -MyCatIsAChonk (talk) 19:34, 22 January 2023 (UTC)

Hi @MyCatIsAChonk, I have completed the initial review with a few comments/suggestions in the table below. Overall it is a really well-written article which isn't far from being a GA. Thank you everyone for your on this. Do let me know if you have any questions! Unexpectedlydian^♯4talk^‽ 22:13, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

I've made all the changes you suggested, and some others as well. Are you willing to re-review it, or should I re-nominate it? Thanks! -MyCatIsAChonk (talk) 23:13, 26 January 2023 (UTC)

@Unexpectedlydian MyCatIsAChonk (talk) 17:23, 27 January 2023 (UTC)

@MyCatIsAChonk Perfect, thank you! No need to re-nominate. I have crossed off all of the completed changes in the table below. Thanks for addressing the comments so quickly. Very happy for this to be promoted to GA now, well done :) Unexpectedlydian^♯4talk^‽ 22:37, 27 January 2023 (UTC)

@UnexpectedlydianThanks for reviewing! MyCatIsAChonk (talk) 23:28, 27 January 2023 (UTC)

Rate	Attribute	Review Comment
1. Well-written:
	1a. the prose is clear, concise, and understandable to an appropriately broad audience; spelling and grammar are correct.	Lead Untitled Goose Game originated from a stock photograph of a goose that a House House employee posted in the company's internal communications. I'd maybe start this sentence with "The idea for Untitled Goose Game originated ... Gameplay such as stealing certain objects or tricking humans into doing certain things. I'd suggest removing the duplicated "certain" in this sentence. Development and release Wikilink Postman Pat, Fireman Sam, and Brum (TV series). iam8bit is also publishing the game's soundtrack on vinyl record for release the same day. Update tense. A portion of the score was also released on vinyl by Iam8bit In this sentence, you don't need to wikilink iam8bit, and it shouldn't be capitalised. Reception In general, I think this section is a bit too heavy on quotes. I'd suggest cutting them down a bit. For instance, the Game Informer review quote could be as follows: Game Informer praised the game for its silliness and creativity, but felt that the game was shallow and repetitive, stating, "Untitled Goose Game is a great concept, and ends in the same charming way it started ... Most people will play it for the silly premise, complete it in a few hours, and go on their merry way without touching it again."
	1b. it complies with the Manual of Style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation.	Lead Maybe add something about the music in the lead. Layout Y Words to watch None identified Fiction Gameplay details presented appropriately within context. List incorporation Table is appropriately presented.
2. Verifiable with no original research:
	2a. it contains a list of all references (sources of information), presented in accordance with the layout style guideline.	Citations and sources are in the appropriate places.
	2b. reliable sources are cited inline. All content that could reasonably be challenged, except for plot summaries and that which summarizes cited content elsewhere in the article, must be cited no later than the end of the paragraph (or line if the content is not in prose).	With help from WP:VG/S, I am happy that the sources used are reliable in the context of the article. Source check I will start by checking approximately 10% of sources, and will continue if I come across any problems. Fox, Chris (2 October 2019) Y Lee, Dami (23 September 2019) Y Macy, Seth G. (4 October 2017) The goose deposits the bell into a ditch full of several other bells it has stolen. There are several hidden optional objectives, many of which require traversing multiple areas or completing an area within a time limit. Can't see this in the source? Lum, Patrick (30 October 2018) Y Couture, Joel (17 February 2020) Y Andriessen, CJ (20 September 2019) Y Wallace, Kimberley (20 September 2019) Y
	2c. it contains no original research.	Gameplay section is presented without citations, which is fine for a readily-available basic description of the game.
	2d. it contains no copyright violations or plagiarism.	Copyvio detector flags a 94.7% violation with some dodgy website. I imagine they've recently copy-pasted from Wikipedia. Otherwise, it flags attributed quotations. I am happy from spot-checks that there is no copyvio, close paraphrasing, or plagiarism.
3. Broad in its coverage:
	3a. it addresses the main aspects of the topic.	Happy that the main aspects of the topic are addressed.
	3b. it stays focused on the topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style).	Article does not go into unnecessary detail.
	4. Neutral: it represents viewpoints fairly and without editorial bias, giving due weight to each.	Article is presented neutrally.
	5. Stable: it does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute.	No evidence of recent edit warring. Article is stable.
6. Illustrated, if possible, by media such as images, video, or audio:
	6a. media are tagged with their copyright statuses, and valid non-free use rationales are provided for non-free content.	Valid fair use rationale is provided for image.
	6b. media are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions.	Image is of cover art so is appropriate. You could add a caption into the infobox to specify it is the cover art.
	7. Overall assessment.

Did you know nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Bruxton (talk) 20:10, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

(

• Comment or view
• Article history

)

• ... that the idea for Untitled Goose Game came from a stock photo of a goose posted into the developer's internal communications? Source: Tweet by a lead developer at the game developer, House House: https://twitter.com/mjmcmaster/status/763596145452912640
  • ALT1: ... that the Untitled Goose Game was not originally meant to have music, but they changed their mind after the trailer received praise for using Debussy's prelude Minstrels in a "reactive" way? Source: https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/358217/Road_to_the_IGF_House_Houses_Untitled_Goose_Game.php
  • ALT2: ... that the developers of the Untitled Goose Game used the targeted mission structure of the Hitman games because, "By removing the violence from it, we just let the situations exist as a joke,"? Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-49852317
  • Reviewed: Template:Did you know nominations/Ye Olde White Harte

Improved to Good Article status by MyCatIsAChonk (talk). Self-nominated at 23:56, 27 January 2023 (UTC). Note: As of October 2022, all changes made to promoted hooks will be logged by a bot. The log for this nomination can be found at Template talk:Did you know nominations/Untitled Goose Game, so please watch a successfully closed nomination until the hook appears on the Main Page.

• Added italics in ALT1, changed the link in ALT2 from Hitman to Hitman (franchise). GoingBatty (talk) 20:30, 29 January 2023 (UTC)

General: Article is new enough and long enough
New enough: Long enough:

Policy: Article is sourced, neutral, and free of copyright problems
Adequate sourcing: Neutral: Free of copyright violations, plagiarism, and close paraphrasing:

Hook eligibility:

• Cited: - not for the first hook.
• Interesting:

QPQ: Done.

Overall: @MyCatIsAChonk: Good article. But I'm not seeing the first hook be supported by the source. Onegreatjoke (talk) 01:37, 4 February 2023 (UTC) @Onegreatjoke: The lead section is not cited, but the fact is mentioned down in under "Development and release": The game originated from a stock photograph of a goose that an employee posted in the company's internal communications, which sparked a conversation about geese. The citation is for a Tweet from the lead game dev at House House (the company that made Untitled Goose Game).

@Onegreatjoke: Are there any other changes you'd like me to make? MyCatIsAChonk (talk) 13:26, 5 February 2023 (UTC)

Since the previous reviewer hasn't responded for a few days, I'm going to give it the holy tick. I prefer the ALT2. BorgQueen (talk) 07:18, 8 February 2023 (UTC)

@BorgQueen: Now that I think about it, this has some seriously good potential for an April Fools hook. If it's not too late in the game, here are some proposals:

ALT3: ... that geese make good protagonists?

Source and context: The protagonist of the game is a goose; the idea came from a stock photo of a goose posted in the game dev's Slack chat. Source is a Tweet by a dev at the company: https://twitter.com/mjmcmaster/status/763596145452912640.

ALT4: ... that Debussy is still hip?

Source and context: The music in the game is derived from a Debussy prelude. Verge article: https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/23/20879792/untitled-goose-game-nintendo-switch-debussy

ALT5: ... that geese can be hitmen too?

Source and context: One of the games that was used as inspiration was the Hitman franchise for its targeted-mission style (as shown in the original ALTs). Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-49852317

An image of a goose would make sense for 3 nd 5 (here's some possibilities: one and two). If it's not too late, I think this would be really great. MyCatIsAChonk (talk) 02:57, 9 February 2023 (UTC)

• Amusing, sure, if you're willing to wait until April. BorgQueen (talk) 04:44, 9 February 2023 (UTC)

  @BorgQueen: Would you mind moving it to the April Fools page? Is there a specific way I should do it? MyCatIsAChonk (talk) 14:57, 9 February 2023 (UTC)

  • @Cielquiparle and Theleekycauldron: What do you guys think? BorgQueen (talk) 15:15, 9 February 2023 (UTC)
    • @BorgQueen: we have lots of leeway on April Fools' Day for hooks, but stating jokes or quotes in wikivoice isn't usually something we screw around with. theleekycauldron (talk • contribs) (she/her) 07:38, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
      • @Theleekycauldron: Respectfully, I don't feel that any of the April Fools' ALTs are twisting quotes; the only one that could possibly be close to that is ALT5, but that's a generalized statement in the article, not a quote. MyCatIsAChonk (talk) 01:27, 23 February 2023 (UTC)
        • The issue isn't that we're twisting the quote, MyCatIsAChonk, it's that we're repeating a quote without saying it's a quote. theleekycauldron (talk • contribs) (she/her) 03:41, 23 February 2023 (UTC) hey, my apologies for being curt. I was frustrated about something in the meatspace, and it's totally not fair that I radiated that out here. if we could find another quirky part of such a funky game, that'd be great :) theleekycauldron (talk • contribs) (she/her) 04:06, 23 February 2023 (UTC)
          • @Theleekycauldron: It's all good; I've struck through the ALT0 through ALT2 because they're not April Fools' hooks, and ALT5 because of the quote issue. ALT3 and ALT4 are spinning the nature of the game. Personally, I prefer ALT4, but I do realize that it's less about the game and more about the music of it. Thoughts? MyCatIsAChonk (talk) 14:53, 23 February 2023 (UTC)
            • @MyCatIsAChonk: don't ALTs 3 and 4 also express opinions in wikivoice? theleekycauldron (talk • contribs) (she/her) 10:00, 1 March 2023 (UTC)
              • @Theleekycauldron: In my opinion, "Debussy is still hip" is not a very wikivoice-like statement. Though, I do understand how ALT3 is, so I struck through it. MyCatIsAChonk (talk) 16:46, 1 March 2023 (UTC)

MyCatIsAChonk, thanks for striking ALT3. Could you explain how ALT4 doesn't express an opinion? (By default, a statement is made in wikivoice unless we attribute it to someone else). theleekycauldron (talk • contribs) (she/her) 20:43, 1 March 2023 (UTC)

@Theleekycauldron: Comparing it to the criteria under WP:VOICE, ALT4 is not an opinion (while I don't consider it a fact, I believe it's a rephrasing of a fact, the fact being that Debussy's music is still used today), it's not seriously contested, it's not a definite fact, not judgmental, and doesn't give undue weight to something. MyCatIsAChonk (talk) 21:48, 1 March 2023 (UTC)

This DYK nomination needs a hook that can get approved. Not too late for April Fool's Day consideration but it has to pass. Cielquiparle (talk) 13:00, 14 March 2023 (UTC)

@Theleekycauldron: Is there anything else you think should be changed? MyCatIsAChonk (talk) 16:04, 15 March 2023 (UTC)

I think "hip" means "cool"/"trendy" more than it means "current", the latter being more tonally charged. So, unfortunately, I stand by my dissatisfaction with ALT4 unfortunately, but let me see if I can't scare up a hook. theleekycauldron (talk • contribs) (she/her) 08:17, 18 March 2023 (UTC)

This is really tortured, but:

• ALT5: ... that the ganders taken at Untitled Goose Game were mostly positive?

I think this would be a standard quirky hook, rather than an AFDay. theleekycauldron (talk • contribs) (she/her) 08:27, 18 March 2023 (UTC)

@Theleekycauldron: At this point I'd just like it to get on the main page, so yeah, that's good. MyCatIsAChonk (talk) 12:23, 18 March 2023 (UTC)

@MyCatIsAChonk: How about:

• ALT6: ... that Untitled Goose Game escaped being called Some Like It Honk?

Cielquiparle (talk) 11:44, 3 April 2023 (UTC)

@Cielquiparle: That's good with me. MyCatIsAChonk (talk) 12:09, 3 April 2023 (UTC)

Could a new reviewer please approve ALT6...? It's intended as a quirky hook and we have a shortage of them right now. Cielquiparle (talk) 14:54, 3 April 2023 (UTC)

General: Article is new enough and long enough
New enough: Long enough:

Policy: Article is sourced, neutral, and free of copyright problems
Adequate sourcing: Neutral: Free of copyright violations, plagiarism, and close paraphrasing:

Hook: Hook has been verified by provided inline citation
Cited: Interesting:

QPQ: Done.

Overall: Approve ALT6. BorgQueen (talk) 09:21, 5 April 2023 (UTC)

I think per MOS:ORDER external links need to be after references. Bruxton (talk) 20:09, 7 April 2023 (UTC)

FAC

Hey everyone, I've nominated this at FAC. I've taken @Alexandra IDV's contributions into consideration, and got approval for the nomination from her talk page. MyCatIsAChonk (talk) (not me) (also not me) (still no) 22:05, 10 April 2023 (UTC)

viral

It's strange that this article doesn't mention that Untitled Goose Game was popular because became viral on social media. — VORTEX³⁴²⁷ (Talk!) 09:03, 27 May 2023 (UTC)

Can you find reliable sources that specifically go into detail about its virality? soetermans. ^{↑↑↓↓←→←→ B A TALK} 09:05, 27 May 2023 (UTC)

From a quick search, Vox has a paragraph on it and it has been called a "viral sensation" by other articles (but they don't go into detail). I don't believe it should be discussed extensively but right now the article only mentions the trailer going viral. There should be a sentence about the actual game going viral as well, making it popular.— VORTEX³⁴²⁷ (Talk!) 14:44, 27 May 2023 (UTC)