Template talk:Infobox character

Use
Should this template be used on character pages or on certain character pages? I've added it to my sandbox, which is a partial re-write of the Salvatore Leone article, not yet finished. So what do you think of the template? A-Dust 18:21, 11 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Ihe point of an infobox is to condense a lot of the most commonly-wanted information into an easy-to-read format. So for a game or important character or mission it outlines the vital statistics so people can quickly look at the page, get the information, and go elsewhere. If there are only a couple of sentences on the page, then an infobox is actually going to take up more space, and is totally pointless (as it only takes a few seconds to read it). Only use infoboxes where they actually help. Gboyers talk 20:10, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

Too big?
As I mentioned on Talk:Niko Bellic/infobox, I think this template contains far too much information for an infobox. It's meant to be a quick reference for vital information, rather than a complete table of all data about the subject. I propose that home, affiliations and vehicles are removed from this. If they are important, they should be put in the article. There could be a section for vital statistics, perhaps with a table (maybe a new template for that). I just don't think it belongs in the "important vital basic information" box, and makes an infobox too large. Gboyers talk 19:11, April 10, 2010 (UTC)

Suggestion: Gender
Current code: Suggested code: Use:
 * Online-Player (can be of either gender, decided by the player)

Nationality (vs Ethnicity)?
I have a long-standing problem with this field and its usage on the wiki, it is a field that is a constant source of edit conflict. The current field title/tool tip is too wide and often mis-interpreted.

Now, we need to be careful, as this discussion can potentially stir up a hornets nest of political debate and racism. Although the games are set in the USA and parody American culture, the wiki should not have to adhere to terminology concerning ethnicity and heritage common in the USA. To the best of my knowledge, no other countries use divisive terms like Italian-American, Irish-American and, most common and obviously, African-American to refer to nationals of their own country the way the USA does.

Quite a healthy discussion on the topic can be found on Mallorie's talk page regarding the status of Puerto Ricans.

In terms of the purpose of an infobox on a wiki, we are just trying to summarize information about a character so a reader can easily see it at a glance. Notwithstanding the provision of a screenshot image portrait of the character, where it may or may not be obvious, racial heritage (ethnicity) could be one characteristic that we include.

Nationality/citizenship (where they were born) is a different fact and I feel the information could be split into two fields to avoid ambiguity.

Nationality field
Where the character was born and/or naturalized. Almost synonymous with. Replaces (re-uses) existing pob (Place of Birth) field.

Heritage field
Their racial or /Ancestry. Replaces (re-uses) existing nationality (Nationality) field.

Examples

 * The McReary family.
 * Maureen McReary (Nationality = Irish [confirmed], Heritage = Irish/Gaelic)
 * Mr. McReary (Nationality = Irish [assumed], Heritage = Irish/Gaelic)
 * Derrick McReary (Nationality = American [confirmed], Heritage = Irish/Gaelic)
 * Gerald McReary (Nationality = American [confirmed], Heritage = Irish/Gaelic)
 * Francis McReary (Nationality = American [assumed since oldest siblings both born in USA], Heritage = Irish/Gaelic)
 * Patrick McReary (Nationality = American [assumed], Heritage = Irish/Gaelic)
 * Kate McReary (Nationality = American [assumed], Heritage = Irish/Gaelic)
 * Others
 * Trevor Philips (Nationality = Canadian [confirmed], Heritage = English/Anglo-Saxon [assumed via Mother's accent])
 * Yusuf Amir (Nationality = Emirati [confirmed], Heritage = Egyptian/Arab)
 * Carl Johnson (Nationality = American [confirmed], Heritage = African-American)

This let us allow editors to make some assumptions (if not otherwise expressly stated in game) on character ethnicity based on obvious racial modelling and surname origin but stick to known facts for nationality. Smurfy: illuminate - communicate - spectate 09:16, July 10, 2018 (UTC)

Duplicate Parameter Error

 * Warning: Template:Infobox character is calling Template:Infobox character with more than one value for the "name" parameter. Only the last value provided will be used.
 * Warning: Template:Infobox character is calling Template:Infobox character with more than one value for the "cellphone" parameter. Only the last value provided will be used.'''