Question for those who alphabetize their media...

[Emperor Megas]

Hi guys, I have a(nother) question about how you alphabetize your media. Gaming media in particular, but feel free to include other media as well if you want.

What I'm wondering is when there's a title that has a creative or trademark credit before the name, do you file it under the credit, or the name?

For example, would you file Disney's Aladdin for SEGA Genesis under 'D' or 'A'? Also, do you do it one way for some games and not others? Like all games with "Disney's" before the title grouped together in the 'D' section, but games with "Tom Clancy" in the title are filed under the names of whatever the games and series they are.

I've asked about alphabetizing media before, but I don't remember if this was asked, and I was lazy and didn't use the search feature to check, so excuse me if this is repetitive.

I tend to alphabetize starting with the trademark, but I often reconsider if I should do it based on the actual game titles.

[o.pwuaioc]

I do a mix of things, depending on what's easiest for me. I like to keep sets together, so things get moved around. For example, I have both Castle and World of Illusion under M for Mickey Mouse, and Lightening Force is definitely placed right after Thunder Force III. Disney stuff as a whole isn't sequential, so Disney's Aladdin goes under Aladdin. If they're related but not sequential, I go by title, so Super Mario 64 is under S, and Mario Kart 64 is under M.

[Aussie2B]

Just do it however works for you and you can remember.

I just go off of the first letter, period. If a title starts with "The", it's under "T". If it starts with the developer's/licensor's/whatever's name, it's under the first letter of that. Yeah, it feels a little awkward for some, but I don't feel like having to remember any exceptions. For Japanese games, I alphabetize according to the Roman alphabet, either according to what it's supposed to be if it uses foreign words (so, for example, Phantasy Star would be under "P" not "F", even though a direct transliteration of the katakana would be "Fantashii Sutaa") or the first letter of the romanization of native Japanese titles.

[The Adventurer]

Zoda's Revenge: Startropics 2, and Zelda 2: The Adventures of Link are the MOST annoying sequels

[Tanooki]

I go by title. The only time I suppose I'd go by trademark if it was legitimately part of the actual title of the game that throws itself up on the screen. Aladdin on the SNES isn't that, it's on the sticker (top/face) and title screen 'Disney's Aladdin' so I have it under D.

[The 1 2 P]

I go by title. The Splinter Cell games are in the "S's", not the "T's" for Tom Clancy. I do offer leniency for games in a main series that aren't all a part of a sub series. For instance the original Xbox has a ton of Star Wars games. While they are all listed under the "S's", the order in which they are in depends on which one's I bought first. But direct sequels like Knights Of The Old Republic 1 and 2 are stacked right next to each other.

[celerystalker]

I don't use any hard and fast rule. I alphebetize by what the game is commonly called among my friends, as they're the ones it's there to help locate games.

[buzz_n64]

I categorize my media by genre first, then by series. I can't do it alphabetically because many video game series do not fall in line alphabetically. I kind of think of my collection like a library or video store.

[Koa Zo]

I categorize my media by genre first, then by series. I can't do it alphabetically because many video game series do not fall in line alphabetically. I kind of think of my collection like a library or video store.
This is what I've typically done.

Long ago I would organize by genre, then alphabetically.
More recently I'd gone to alphabetization, but ran into issues like the original post asks about, and also instances where a game series changes it's name significantly, like the afore mentioned The Legend of Zelda, and then Zelda II The Adventures of Link.
So generally I stick with genre, then generalized alphabetization and game series grouping. (but something like Panzer Dragoon and Panzer Dragoon Saga messes that up)

Disney games do often present challenges for alphabetizing. To maintain unity I use "Mickey Mouse, Castle of Illusion" then "Mickey Mouse, Land of Illusion" etc. But then there are time I'm looking for Castle of Illusion and I can't find it at first.

And then there's the whole issue of organizing Portuguese and Japanese and Korean games.

edit:
On second thought, my standards shift like the wind...
There are times when I like games from certain publishers or developers all grouped together. On Genesis/Mega Drive, I may group all the Treasure games together... on Saturn I have all the Sega Ages releases together which makes sense anyway, but I also like to have all the Ving published games grouped together also.

Of note though, I never have my whole collection unpacked and on display at once - seasonally or whenever I rotate my systems and libraries, so that has a lot to do with organization etc.

[Steven]

I don't count THE.

For example, any THE ADVENTURES OF games are filed under "A" for Adventures.

The Mask is filed under M for Mask.

Disney games I do not file under "D" because I rarely see people calling these games "Disney's Aladdin" plus it doesn't sound "right" to me for whatever reason, even though it is a Disney property.

[Emperor Megas]

I've always disregarded 'The' as well, and assumed most did. When I make lists I put 'The' behind the title, so The Legend Of Zelda would be written Legend Of Zelda, The

[Tanooki]

I should add with the THE stuff, I ignore it too. On my game list I'll do (The)Legend of Zelda and throw that under L.

[BlastProcessing402]

Things like Disney tacked on the front would get ignored. Epic Mickey would go under E, not D

but

Tecmo Secret of the Stars would go under T (if I had the misfortune to have that game, anyway)

I don't know why, but that's how I'd do it.

[Emperor Megas]

Where would you file the game XIII?


In the front with the numbers (like 13)
In the T's (like thirteen)
Behind Xenosaga, treating the Roman numerals like the alphabets X-I-I-I

[Tanooki]

It's still number 13 so with the numbers would make sense

[Edmond Dantes]

Now, I have to explain that when I organize, I tend to go as much for utility as anything. For me, what matters isn't "the game's actual title" but rather "what's displayed on the spine of the case/top of the cart label/whatever is gonna be visible on my shelf or in my drawers."

For example, Spy vs. Spy on NES actually has MAD on the top of its cartridge label. I never understood why, but nevertheless, to me it wouldn't make sense to put it with the S games because it would always be jarring, and besides I can tell what game it is anyway, so I always put it with the Ms.

As for games like "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six," for me it depends on how prominent the "Tom Clancy" part is. If its barely there, then I put it under R. If however its the same size and just as noticable on the box/cd spine as the game's actual title, then I put it under T's. If I owned Disney's Aladdin, then the same rule would apply. In fact I do own another Disney game--Disney's Ariel the Little Mermaid--where I follow that rule.

That said I've been known to make exceptions from time to time, because nothing I do can ever be consistent. I actually think Rainbow Six is one such case. Another case that sometimes pops up is... I like to keep games in a series together as much as possible. So if (for example) Rainbow Six 1 had "Tom Clancy's" in it, but Rainbow Six 2 and 3 did not (and as I don't own them, I can't say for sure whether they do or not), then I would put the first R6 in the Rs so it would be with its brethren.

I probably just caused more confusion than clarity. Still, lemme know if this made any sense whatsoever.

[fahlim003]

I organize games based on when I receive the item. It has made the most sense for me since day 1 as it provides context in scope of the collection outside of a spreadsheet. I didn't keep track of everything on a list as keeping items sorted according to when they were received did that for me. With gaming sites providing databases in more recent times to keep track, they do the work for me in terms of alphabetical organization (see: gamefaqs).

The exceptions to the rule:
- seperating NTSC-U/C from NTSC-J for Sega Saturn due to form factor differences
- original Game Boy since any coherence to acquistion date is long forgotten
- SNES since most are cartridge only and keep in containers

[celerystalker]

Where would you file the game XIII?


In the front with the numbers (like 13)
In the T's (like thirteen)
Behind Xenosaga, treating the Roman numerals like the alphabets X-I-I-I


If the game was pronounced "thirteen," I'd go in the numbers before the letters begin. If it were pronounced "X three" for whatever reason, it'd go in the letter X for organization.

[Tanooki]

My take on it like I said before it's 13, therefore it's a number. If someone had a lacking education that roman numerals never came up in some early math or history course, or even a later history (HS/college) course I feel bad for you as it's like the basics. M=1000, D=500, C=100, L=50, X=10, V=5, and I=1. XIII=13.

[Aussie2B]

I would put XIII at the beginning, before the A's, like every other game that starts with a numeral of some kind. I'd only alphabetize a number as it is spelled out if it's spelled out (so it'd have to actually have "Thirteen" on the spine). And I would never read a roman numeral like "ex-eye-eye-eye", so I would never put something that starts with the roman numeral for ten under X. :P

[Emperor Megas]

FWIW, the spine on the game case reads XIII, but the front cover actually reads thirteen XIII.