Sites like havওe become synonymous with compiling movie and series info with user opinion. They take all the hundreds and thousands of movies and television shows and put them into o🍎ne database users can access. Databases have become a handy resource to find out more about your favorite films or latest series.

But what about video games?

If we look at every ꦑsingle video game ever made, from triple-A titles to indie games to hobbyist experiments to forgotten classics, we’re looking at over a million games. And that’s a number Game Rant is aiming to tackle, game by game, with . This project is vast and ongoing, but they love the doors it opens for connecting with our readers.

Just have pati🀅ence with them. It’s a lot of doors.

How Big Is The Database Project?

At the time of this writing (as in sitting here at the computer, typing these words), there are around 10,000 games within the database. By the time this article is actually published, there will no doubt be more. Addi🐎ng games to Game Ra𒊎nt’s database is not just a work-in-progress. It’s a forever work-in-progress.

Luckily, they have a dedicated team whose sole focus is keeping the database up-to-date. That involves adding new games as they come out or are announced, retroactively adding older games they might have missᩚ꧑ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚed, updating specifications on individual games, organizing database pages so they don’t look empty, scouring every corner of the internet for reliable trailers or game screenshots for ancient titles, and spending a lot of time in spreadsheets.

Their database team is more than just the five people we interviewed, but here’s a pe🧔ek at the highs and lows of database upkeep!

What is the most difficult thing about working on databases?

• : Other than there being tens of thousands of games that we need to create pages for, the most challenging thing about the database project has been tracking down screenshots and official descriptions for older games. These days, high-resolution press assets are readily available, but that’s not really the case when it comes to games from the eighties and nineties. I’ll often find myself having to play through parts of a game to grab usable screenshots or transcribe the blurb off of the back cover of the box, which is every bit as tedious as it sounds.
• The most challenging aspect when building databases is finding information about retro games, or games that only released in Japan. Both situations require you to do a lot more digging, sometimes even using Google translate to get the information you need.
• Keeping track of the sheer volume of work each day was surely the most difficult thing (for me) about working on GameRant's databases. There are so many pages to create, so staying organized and ensuring nothing gets slipped is definitely a challenging task. You're working on different games with their own set of details, so maintaining a roadmap of what's done and what's left was extremely crucial. Also, we have to put every small yet crucial piece of information into the tags before creating the database pages. It's like putting several pieces of a puzzle together before you get to see what the actual picture looks like. Thankfully, everyone on the team did a phenomenal job, making it much easier for me and the rest of the team to get the database live on the site. I can't even imagine doing this alone. It was the team effort that made the task manageable and streamlined the entire process of creating databases. Honestly, it feels surreal that we have published over 10,000 video games to rate and review on GR. Seeing the database live on the site really makes all that hard work worthwhile for me.
• From a logistics perspective, the hardest part of working on the database is just the sheer volume of games out there, quite a few of which do not have much of a presence online. There is quite a bit of lost gaming media out there, especially from the industry’s early years, and it can be challenging to find information on NES, Genesis, or PS1 titles that have been somewhat lost to time. Beyond just the games themselves, stuff like old box art can be near-impossible to find at times, which is a shame.
• 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:David Duffy: The thing that causes the most frustration is undoubtedly finding good quality assets. It's important they only come from official sources, and you can't rely on a Google search for anything older than a few years. Many press kits don't feature key art in the right orientation, for example, so I've taken to making my own using official assets. The same applies to screenshots, so I've taken to capturing some myself just so we can add that value for users.

What is something you're most proud of when it comes to working on databases?

• Tom: For a lot of the people working on it, I think the database project has been a real labor of love. The work itself is fairly menial, but knowing that we now have one of the most comprehensive video game databases on the internet makes it all worthwhile. I’m proud of the extra lengths that we’ve gone to to ensure that our database is accurate and as engaging as possible for our readers. I know it probably sounds a little cliché, but this really is one of those “by gamers, for gamers” kind of things.
• Emma: Since it can be nearly impossible to find the official descriptions for old or foreign games, as well as the launch trailers for them, it is very gratifying when you are able to hunt down that information and create a complete database.
• Shiv: GameRant's DB is one of the most innovative and massive initiatives that I've been a part of, so I couldn't be more proud. I didn't know what the database pages would look like after getting published, but now that they are live, I can say that it's a work of art, period. There were a couple of instances when my friends in the industry reached out to appreciate the GR database. And, well, being able to say, "Hey, I helped create those!" was such a proud moment for me. Of course, there's a lot of complex technical work in the background, but the end result truly sweetens the site’s experience for gamers. I know the database is something that gamers and readers of the website genuinely appreciate, and I just feel lucky to be part of such a miraculous task.
• Mark: This project has put into perspective gaming’s extensive history, and the thousands upon thousands of developers, publishers, and creators who have participated in transforming the industry into what it is today. Decades' worth of effort, successes, and failures, nearly all of which left their mark on at least one player. While a small contribution in comparison, the database aids in preserving gaming’s legacy to an extent.
• David: Easy - seeing the hard work everyone has put in realised in the form of complete, aesthetically pleasing and informative tags on a page. The database is something that sees many different uses by many different types of people, whether that's a completionist looking to catalogue everything they've played or a parent checking an age rating before buying their kid a game. Another great thing about the database is that the tags we create aren't exclusive to Game Rant, but potentially used across . That could be our other games verticals, like TheGamer or DualShockers, entertainment sites such as Screen Rant and CBR, or even Simple Flying if they happened to write about games! They offer something extra to fans of video games, and that can only be a good thing for everyone.

Favorite Game?

• Tom: When it comes to my favorite video game, I’m torn between the first two Shenmue titles. When I was younger, I was drawn in by the exploration and sense of adventure that provides, although as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to appreciate the feeling of community and belonging that only the first game can offer. Both are incredible, but I think Shenmue 2 holds up a little better due to its faster pacing and the addition of the wait mechanic.
• Emma: I’m a sucker for Zelda games. But a lesser known series that I really enjoy is the series. They have familiar JRPG aspects, but the thing that hooked me the most is the alchemy part of the game. Alchemy, or "synthesis", ends up feeling like a big puzzle - requiring you to carefully combine the right ingredients in the right places in order to get the best quality and desired outcomes. You'll easily spend half of your playthrough crafting new items, tools, weapons, and gear that will help you better explore the game or excel in combat.
• Shiv: has my heart. Not only did I play the game multiple times, but I also made my wife play it even though she isn't a gamer. I remember sobbing like a baby during the final moments of the game. And I don't know if it makes me a bad husband, but I was expecting my wife to shed a few tears as well after witnessing the final conversation between Ellie and Joel. She didn't, though —guess she is tougher than me! Regardless, TLOU Part 2 is one of the greatest stories I have ever experienced. It goes without saying that the title offers one of the best gameplay experiences, but the story of Part 2 reminds me why I love gaming so much.
• Mark: My passion for gaming faded a bit during the early days of the PS3, and it remained that way until came out in 2011. FromSoftware’s game was such a fresh experience at the time, and I immersed myself completely in its world, lore, combat, and pretty much everything for months on end. Dark Souls is the most “important” game for me, and I don’t believe that will ever change. If Dark Souls brought me back into gaming, then cemented my love for the medium. I’ve spent so much time with this game, Yharnam might as well be my home away from home at this point. The Victorian architecture, intense combat, nightmarish bosses, and even the dreaded Chalice Dungeons – there is pretty much nothing I would change about Bloodborne.
• David: Take your pick from (the original, tag complete), Neo Turf Masters (tag incomplete, something I am going to rectify first thing in the morning!), and The NewZealand Story (we don't have a tag, WHAT?!). A special mention goes to one I did today, a game called Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden. It's an absurd indie JRPG that calls itself a sequel to both Barkley, Shut Up and Jam! (a Sega Genesis game featuring the legendary basketballer) and Space Jam (the Michael Jordan movie), set in a future world where basketball has been outlawed. It's a cult classic and hidden gem, and I love that we're being complete enough with the database to include games like this.

How Does An Ongoing Project Like A Database Work?

Next month in May, according to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:TheGamer’s Vi♐deo Game Release Date Calendar, there are 19 big-name games coming out. If we were to take that as an average, that’s 228 g▨ames every year. That doesn’t take into account the numerous game announcements that pop up during event season or something as (purportedly) simpಞle as a game coming to a new platform.

So how 𓃲does the database team keep on top of everything? With help, of course.

Most everyone who works for Valnet’s Odyssey Group (focused on gaming) has an abiding passion for video games. And with so many people all in one spot, we have a beautiful resource for keeping tabs on games: ea💃ch other. If one of us notices there’s something incorrect with an existing page or that we’re missing a game entirely, we can let the database team know.

So if someone from Odyssey were to be a huge fan of PowerWash Simulator, for example, they could keep the database team up to speed on all specification changes nee🐲ded for its page.

It is an awful lot to keep track of, but it’s worth it for the end goal. We want readers to be able to log onto the database and fi൲nd any game they want. Want to rate and review this game you played when you were five? We aim to have it. Want to look up a rando title you found on Steam last week? We aim to have it.

The Valnet Dev Team Behind The Database

This whole project would not have been possible without the minds behind꧋ the tech. While GR’s dedicated database team exists to keep it up-to-date, it’s thanks to Valnet’s dev team and analysts that it functions at all.

Fabio Del Greco is Valnet’s Lead Fu🎃ncti🅠onal Analyst, and we got the chance to ask him about what it was like developing the database.

“It was definitely a challenge to make sure we categorized and presented the available content for each game in a way that is easily digestible for readers, without being 🧸a burden on the GR team [to maintain]. Each game could have dedicated pages for videos, guides, news, and thread discussions. Manually managing these organizational elements, for a game library as vast as GR was🔯 tackling, would have been a nightmare. We wanted to be sure we didn’t burden [the database team] with the mundane tasks, so they could spend more time playing games and writing for our readers.”

Fabio and his team’s work at the beginning of the project, despite being difficult, has paid off. “Now, activating a database for a game is a one-time action and it will automatically grow/🅰change as the team writes their content.”

This is why we love our tech team. Th𒊎ey’re looking out for our time expendi♌ture!

In terms of what Fabio and his team are most proud of when looking at features they’ve included in the database, he immediately points to the design of the video game cards. “We’ve made them in a way that they are a🅘utomatically kept up to date with the centralized information from the Game Rant database. No matter how old an article is and across the websites in our network, when the staff on GR update information about a game, it is reflected everywhere.”

This entire project has necessitated collaboration across various internal 🙈Game Rant departments and external Valnet brands, and Fabio expresses his appreciation of the endeavor, saying “It was fun to collaborate with the Game Rant staff. To work with passionate people is always a welcome opportunity in the IT world. (This project in particular, since we could watch the progress and achievements on a daily basis, as the database of games grew.) There would have been easier alternatives to get information, but we know that automated solutions don’t always provide the most reliable results. I’m proud to have helped the team, as they undertook sourcing all the information in the database, by hand, going to the official game websites and storefronts to curate the information. It was not an easy project, but it was definitely worth t💎he effort.”

And of course, we didn’t miss the opportunity to ask Fabꦬio what his favorite video game is 🐻while we had the chance. His answer is mind-blowing yet expected for someone as awesome as he is.

“Favourite game is a tough title to give out. , I think it is a representative culmination of everything I love about vide✤o games. It’s taken over 300 hours of my time, oꦺver two thirds of which were spent in Act 1 and dozens of new characters. The game that defined me would be X-Com: UFO Defence on MS-Dos at the age of 5 (which I had no business playing).”

What Can You Do With The Game Rant Database?

Game Rant's database pages, as stated previously, are part of an ongoing projec♓t, but at the time of launch, there’s a lot you can do with them.

You can browse through game details, like developer, publisher, release date, etc. Each fully-filled database page comes complete with a game card that showcases this info in a parsable format. You can also get directed to platforms where you can play these games (if applicable) using the “Where T🌠o Play” button.

With ag꧋ed games this might prove more spotty, but each database page should also have a gallery of official screenshots from the game that you can scroll through. And beneath that, you can read the game’s description and watch official trailers.

Further down, you can find sectionsꦫ for relevant guides, news articles, and 𒀰lists that may have included the game in a ranking.

But the real magic happens with rating and reviewing the game. For any game included in our database, you can leave a starred rating out of ten and write a review, summing up your thoughts on it in a brief blurb or going full-on multi-paragraph in-depth. Your choice. And once you’ve reviewed a game, your review gets included in the final section of a database page, collated with all reviews♑ other readers have 🌺written themselves.

Welcome To Game Rant's Database!

With over 10,000 games ready to rate and review in Game Rant’s newly launched database, this is a major win for their team. It’s taken a lot of work to get to this point, and it’s going to take 𓆉even more to maintain it. But it’s well worth the effort. This database provides so many ways (around 10,000) GR can connect with the people who come to their site every day and share their love of games. So yeah, they’re more than ready to open these doors.