SmashWiki:SmashWiki is not official
Template:Proposed policy SmashWiki is in no way directly related to or controlled by Nintendo or Nintendo of America, or any game developer who's content is discussed therein (these parties will be collectively referred to as "Nintendo" for the remainder of this document). SmashWiki is a branch of Wikia and as such, is held accountable only to the standards and practices set by Wikia (as well as any additionally standards and practices agreed upon by the users). The only way in which Nintendo could directly control the content of this wiki is through a legal injunction (of which there have been none) or through showing a copyright violation that transcends fair use.
By the fact that this wiki is not official, we are not bound to simply repeat information endorsed by Nintendo. We are free to document any content that is deemed of encyclopedic value to the wiki and which does not violate international copyright agreements. As an example, Nintendo does not endorse Super Smash Bros. tournaments. However, these have become such an ubiquitous part of the Smash community, it would be wrong for this wiki not to cover them. In this case, we are not bound by what Nintendo may have wanted, but instead by what is. The same holds true for advanced techniques. Nintendo may have never intended wavedashing to be included in Melee, yet it would be a sever absences if this wiki did not cover it. In short, this wiki is not bound to cover what Nintendo thinks should be the game content, but what the community shows is the game content. If the community eventually proves that Brawl is a broken game to the point of boring competition (this is purely hypothetical), then that is the content of this wiki whether Nintendo endorses it or not.
The main area in which this policy will draw attention is in the naming of moves that are never covered in the game manuals or the game itself and have been given names by the community. For example, when the Dojo went online, its names of certain moves (most notably "strong" down/up/side) conflicted with the standard practices of the Smash community. These moves were traditionally referred to as "tilts." In a case such as this, the wiki should not be forced to change all instances of "tilt" to "strong." Tilt is still the most commonly used term for the move, although strong has come to be equally understood and both terms are equally descriptive. In a case such as this, either term can be used, although a manner of consistency should be kept within each article and within a set of related articles. Also, both terms should be on the same page, with the more commonly used term (not necessarily the "official" term) as the main title and the other as a redirect. The more interesting case is "Ukemi" v. "tech." Tech has always been the term used for the technique. Ukemi also came from the Dojo. However, to someone not versed in martial arts, the word "ukemi" is meaningless. Tech may be just as meaningless, but it has come to be the accepted jargon for the technique(s). In this case, tech should be the word primarily used, with "ukemi" being noted as the "official" name on the tech page. It is irrelevant here that Nintendo says the official name is ukemi; the word that the Smash community knows and recognizes is tech.
Dos and don'ts
Do
- Do make references of both the "official" name and the community accepted name if they are different
- Do use the name that is most commonly accepted. If two terms are equally used, be consistent
- Do write content about things outside of Nintendo's expectations or sphere of influence
Don't
- Don't remove a term just because it isn't "official"
- Don't use an unknown term just because it is "official"
- Don't remove content on tournaments, tiers, etc. just because they aren't endorsed by Nintendo
- Don't construe this policy to say that fan-fiction is inherently acceptable.
