The Great Collection Database Project Thread

[JustRob]

Ok...here goes.

I was sitting here, drawing out ideas for a cool excel spreadsheet to catalog my (still anemic) collection. I couldn't come up with any kind of structure or design I thought would stand posterity. So, like any good geek, I came here and started looking through the multiple threads on the subject. Seems aside from a few of you with no-specific requirements, no one could find a single cataloging system they truly loved.

My girlfriend saw me and ask what I was doing. After going through it, she came up with the greatest idea I'd ever heard, and the newest reason I have or wanting to marry her...

Why not make our own. Not just ours, but *OURS*, as in the community of collectors.

The idea has the following goals in mind:

1) Create a database, custom defined by the community to include whatever information we could possibly ever want on a game. Expand upon that to include hardware, peripherals, accessories, whatever. This would include images of EVERYTHING. Box scans, cart scans, manual scans, gamer/collector action shots, etc. The database would be fully relational and indexed so that any bit of information within it can be accessed in any way imaginable. The trick to this would be keeping it 100% user-submitted and created entries, ala wiki-style community entry. This way we can hopefully avoid trademark/copyright problems as everything would be by design, community created.

2) Create an online front-end for the database. This would turn all the submitted info into the biggest encyclopedia of classic gaming knowledge available.

3) Now, the part that's of interest to all of us, the personal collection front-end. To create a cross-platform (maybe java?) client-side front end for the database. This app would be the first point of contact for everyone. Load it up, enter your collection either based on existing items in the database, or add your own entries and expand the knowledge contained for everyone. Once you have your collection in your private catalog on your own computer, you can sync it up with the community collection profiles on the site and share it with the world. What you see on your computer is exactly what everyone else will see when they look up your own collection on the site. The app would of course be the main point for submitting the content for the database.

4) Create a community voting system to decide which specific items of submitted content become the "default". Perhaps an option somewhere to choose anything in the database to be used for specific entries; scans, images, reviews, descriptions, etc. Definitely an option to use your own scans or info for whatever entries you want within your own collection listing.

So...what do you all think? I'll likely try to do this on my own regardless, but I want this to be a community project. Please, comments, suggestions, jeers, advice. If the idea flys, I'd like to setup a base for the development as soon as possible.

[Maxx]

If I'm not mistaken, DigitalPress has done this in the past. After a month of blackout and a few upgrades, it was gone forever.

I know you can do this at IGN.com, BUT those are for small collections. I've got over 1300 games! The way they have it to upload your collection, it would take me countless hours for me to upload my collection. I've got 420 xbox games alone.

I think it would be a great idea, but a headache to someone. I would love a complete list AND be able to show off my list to others AND show everyone what I would trade. I would however like to expand on your idea and mention catagories I would like to see.

Want; Have; Trade----Box; Ins; Game

420 xbox titles and I can't tell you the 5 games I need Instruction books to.

[JustRob]

Talking with my girlfriend, we've smoothed out the concept a little more. This project would basically exist in two parts.

1) The database. Pure and simple a repository of knowledge for as many games etc the community would like to submit. Getting a little grandiose in my thinking but should I find a way to make even this part work, I would like to think of it as a gift to the gaming community.

2) The front end. Collection/profile editor and submission center. Nothing need be saved locally except for a local backup for syncing to the main database just in case.

The category ideas are exactly the kind of input I'm looking for.

Each entry would basically be a linkable item in the database. Clicking, highlighting, checkboxing whatever would simply link that entry to your collection profile and the database/server deal would take care of the back end.

[Maxx]

Checkboxing but something that stands out once you've checked it.

Also what would help me out tremendously would be a sort at the top. I have my spreadsheets, and I can sort, but what a pain in the ass when I accidentally save it that way.

[JustRob]

Suggestions noted.

I'm thinking of putting together a community suggestions type page up. Somewhere to collect the thoughts of the collectors out there on what *they* would like in a database system.

[anagrama]

VGR (vgrebirth.org) pretty much do just that already.

[Dark_Sol]

exactly

[FABombjoy]

Nearest as I can tell, every online collection system still fails when it comes to the minute details of cataloging. I actually drew up the schema for a collection database that supported the "anal-retentive" collector, but I kind of realized that I woudln't have the time & desire to program the whole thing singlehandedly.

[Mangar]

This will never work unless it's an extension of a stand-alone database program, that "uploaded" it's contents to a central internet hub. It will also never work unless the stand-alone database is clearly superior to any and all other alternatives currently available. IE: So good that people WANT to use it for their own collection and participate. For example, check out this piece of software for comics. http://www.comicbase.com

If there was ever a video game collection program on-par with that, that also uploaded the results of every collection to a centralized website. Then it would work.

[shoes23]

Check out rfgeneration.com

[s1lence]

Yeah, Rfgeneration has been doing that for a couple years now.

[OatBob]

...another vote for rfgeneration.com here
The databases feature games and systems from all regions and all home console and handheld systems. All entries are user submitted (and staff approved) so nothing is forgotten, and credit is given for all contributions so no one is forgotten.

Additional features include a forum, personal blogs, and collection tools.

Other paces of note:

As stated earlier, VGR (http://vgrebirth.org) also has a collection feature, as does IGN (http://club.ign.com/b/list/custom?&owner=&lid=100105). Though IGN's pricing and rarity guide is far from the same quality as the one here at DigitPress (http://www.digitpress.com/DP/cmf/search.cmf). The leading databases for variants are Satakore (http://www.satakore.com), Nintendo(AGE) (http://www.nintendoage.com), and AtariAge (http://www.atariage.com) for Sega, Nintendo, and Atari games, respectively. The Killer List of Videogames (http://www.klov.com) has the arcade machine niche pinned down.

[JustRob]

I checked out vgrebirth. It's nice, but not as expansive as I'd want it to be.

RFGeneration is pretty damn close to what I was envisioning, but not quite there.

Mangar, that type of system, the stand-alone linked to the central database is exactly what I have in mind. Yes, the database would have to cater to a million different ideas of what information to maintain, but that's fine. Why not let it have every stupid little piece of info someone wants to include in it? The stand-alone front end would serve as a filter to what the individual actually wants to see related to something in his collection.

Assuming it can get a good bit of collector support in terms of entries, it could be that one tool we've all been looking for. A front-end to the db written in say, java, could be ported to every system known to humanity. Hell, this could even become that one smartphone/pda deal we've all dreamed of. Why not...

This also allows the opportunity for collector-specific info to come from the db. How about an accurate rarity guide based on the number of occurrences of a particular item across all the collections linked to the db? This would need a nice large chunk of source material, but it'd be accurate within that cross-section at least. Why not an average purchase price of an item? Add your game or whatever to your collection, sync it to the db, make sure you put in there how much you paid for it, and the db could provide a good model for what that particular item is going for. MUCH better guide than ebay. Well, less variance anyway.

If anyone can contribute to the db, and everyone has the option of showing only what they want on their own collections page/linking/whatever, then why can't this be something awesome?

Other sites have tried to do this, but I haven't seen goals as ridiculously grandiose and all-encompassing as these. If even a fraction of these ideas make it into some useable form, then it's still a benefit to the hobby.

Any ideas?

[JustRob]

Anyone? Or is this just a pipe dream for me?

[erehwon]

One program that I was interested in was the Open Media Collector's Database (http://opendb.iamvegan.net/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page). It gets information on material from places like amazon, but they really don't have a good option for older games. Some one posted the idea of a plugin for it that got information from moby games, but no one's done anything on that idea. If it had that plugin it would be perfect for me since I'd be able to catalog all my other stuff as well.

[Vectorman0]

Anyone? Or is this just a pipe dream for me?
If rfgeneration and vgrebirth aren't enough for you, then it is going to be a pipe dream until you make it.


For me, all I need is the DP list to get and idea of what I need. Then I can just browse forums to find more specifics regarding variants or something I might want more info on. With NGPC, one of the systems I collect, there really isn't any resource for variants, so it's basically up to the three crazy collectors who actually care to get together in a thread and list what they know of.

[captain nintendo]

If rfgeneration and vgrebirth aren't enough for you, then it is going to be a pipe dream until you make it.


For me, all I need is the DP list to get and idea of what I need. Then I can just browse forums to find more specifics regarding variants or something I might want more info on. With NGPC, one of the systems I collect, there really isn't any resource for variants, so it's basically up to the three crazy collectors who actually care to get together in a thread and list what they know of.


I agree.

As far as RFGeneration goes, there is a forum where you can make suggestions about the database. We have had plenty of user ideas actually end up being used.

Announcements and Feedback forum (http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?board=5.0)

[JustRob]

I had my girlfriend read through these responses and she checked out all the sites mentioned. She agrees for the most part that rfgeneration is pretty damn good. She still has that nagging itch of a coding geek that won't go away.

So, heres the question. What can be done to improve upon the already existing tools for databasing and collection display? What is missing that you woud love to see?

Would a stand-alone app that could connect to some database for collection management and display still be accepted and used? Is something like that even needed?

Let me know. She's itching to work on a collecting related project and so am I.

[JustRob]

Has anyone checked out Kaotic Games?

http://games.kaotic.ca/

Looks pretty close to what I was thinking of. Any opinions?

[anagrama]

Any opinions?

Not bad, but their database of 7000 games falls some way short of VGR's 40,000+.

[RevQuixo]

Always late to the party I see. I think both RFGeneration & my site VGRebirth both aspire to be all encompassing databases for game information, but the reality is that both of our sites have been open for years (Mine for going on 5) and there isn't exactly an overwhelming crush of people submitting information and certainly not enough people with the wherewithall to vet all the information for accuracy.

Now that being said, if you or your gf, JustRob feel like you can contribute/overhaul/add functionality to VGR to move closer to where you think we need to be, I'd be receptive to hear it.

[skylark]

I've made a couple dozen or so contributions to VGR, and it's pretty easy to do. I just wish more people would write reviews. It would also be nice to filter searches for reviewed games. But I can't think of anything more I want that it doesn't already do.

[RevQuixo]

I've made a couple dozen or so contributions to VGR, and it's pretty easy to do. I just wish more people would write reviews. It would also be nice to filter searches for reviewed games. But I can't think of anything more I want that it doesn't already do.

Yeah that's on my short list for improvements..searching for reviews.

Just need to find me an unburnt out asp coder...I've gone through a couple already.

[Joe West]

Hey, How about Game collector....................

[RevQuixo]

Well considering Game Collectors checkered past about syphoning information from websites without permission and the fact that you have to pay for the software...

pass.

[Marriott_Guy]

I definitely recommend RF Generation, though the other sites that are listed are also great tools/resources. The DB at RFG is continually expanding and growing to meet the needs/requests of it's member pool and has an active community contributing to it's growth.