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When mentioning the title of a video game, would it have to have quotation marks before and after it? Around published works, yes, but would video games also count as published works?

Would it be written like this:

I stayed home and played "Halo."

Or would it be written like this:

I stayed home and played Halo.

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  • It isn't for a formal piece of writing, maybe just a text, for say. I like to write everything as proper as it should.
    – Boba
    Commented Apr 19, 2017 at 19:36
  • As is so often the case, there is no single right answer; this is largely a matter of style. Adhere to the discipline of your editor, publication, or organization, or in the absence of a house style, observe the guidance of the style manual of your preference.
    – choster
    Commented Apr 20, 2017 at 17:41

2 Answers 2

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The CMoS advises italics for video games, so:

"I stayed home and played Halo."

If italics are not available, you can use slashes:

"I stayed home and played /Halo/."

EDIT: Requested references:

From Wikipedia:

In media where italicization is not possible, alternatives are used as substitutes:

  • In typewritten or handwritten text, underlining is typically used.

  • In plain-text computer files, including e-mail communication, italicized words are often indicated by surrounding them with slashes or other matched delimiters. For example:

    • I was /really/ annoyed.
    • They >completely< forgot me!
    • I had _nothing_ to do with it. (Commonly interpreted as underlining, which is an alternative to italics.)
    • It was *absolutely* horrible. (Commonly interpreted as bold. This and the previous example signify italic in Markdown.)

From Lifewire:

To use italics in plain text email messages:

Put a slash character before and after the /italicized passage/.

From PCMech:

For bold, surround with asterisks:

She sells *seashells* by the seashore.

For italic, surround with forward slashes:

The rain in Spain falls /mainly/ on the plain.

For underline, surround with underscores:

I'm a mother pheasant plucker; I pluck mother pheasants. I'm _the most pleasant_ mother pheasant plucker who ever plucked a mother pheasant. Signed, Ophelia Bhutt.

Note: without the plain text formatting, some of these examples were automatically formatted by the SE engine.

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  • And when italics isn't an option?
    – Boba
    Commented Apr 19, 2017 at 19:35
  • Use slashes to indicate italics. Or I suppose you could use single quotes: "I stayed home and played 'Halo.'"
    – Davo
    Commented Apr 19, 2017 at 19:37
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    It isn't for a formal piece of writing, maybe just a text, for say. I like to write everything as proper as it should.
    – Boba
    Commented Apr 19, 2017 at 19:43
  • @sumelic - I've edited sources into my answer.
    – Davo
    Commented Apr 19, 2017 at 21:36
  • @Davo Why the code formatting in your answer? Especially as you're quoting other sources that also doesn't use source code formatting, but adding it for some reason.
    – Hugo
    Commented Apr 20, 2017 at 5:34
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Use whatever style you use for other similar published works, like films, books and newspapers.

Typically, italics are used:

"I stayed home and played Halo.

But some style guides don't use italics at all:

"I stayed home and played Halo.

I'd advise against using slashes (eg. /Halo/) as it looks odd, like something you might have found on Usenet 30 years ago.

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  • 1
    You gave an answer in the duplicate thread.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Apr 19, 2017 at 22:16

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