# Introducing My Game Library There's a new section on Max Frequency—[[My Game Library]]. It's a database of my entire* physical video game collection with detailed information and related materials tailored to each title. Check out my page on *[[The Legend of Zelda - A Link to the Past|The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past]]* as an example. <div class=iframe-container> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/3XWFg0wcokw?si=WNDm38v2NM_BWpmq" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> --- On my [[About]] page, I have this paragraph toward the bottom. > You can see previous work I’ve done in the Archive folder. You can also check out all the [[Gear]] I use. I even keep an extensive spreadsheet of my physical video game collection (Google Sheet template provided by [HumanMan42 via reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/gamecollecting/wiki/collectionspreadsheet)). The spreadsheet is *robust*. There are loads of consoles—basically everything. It does what spreadsheets do and tallies up values across everything. I have enjoyed using it for the last six years. I used to share it publicly too, but then decided it contained too much personal information to just leave flapping out in the digital wind. Here is, in general, what that spreadsheet looks like. ![[250523_Google Sheet Collection SNES.png]] Here's the thing though...I never *loved* using it. Google Docs, while great for collaboration, is not a great tool on mobile. The sheet is buggy at times, like when adding new consoles or date formatting. The friction to adding new entries is higher than it ought to be. There's an unknowable amount of cruft lurking under the rows and columns that I will never be rid of if I keep using it. Plus, it's a *spreadsheet*. They are only beautiful to mathematicians, every corporation in North America, and [Tatsuo Horiuchi](https://youtube.com/watch?v=OrwBc6PwAcY). Here's the *other* thing though...I am particular. I've kept a pulse on [[How to Keep Track of Your Ever-Growing Video Game Collection|game collection tracking apps and sites]]. I didn't love any options six years ago and I don't care for many options nowadays. I didn't want a website because those could go away at any moment. Apps have this blockhole of data with no real way out. That's why I stuck with the sheet. Faults and all, it was mine. Also during this span of time, I have been [[How to Backup and Play Your Games and Saves on Delta for iPhone (or any Emulator)|backing up]] my [[Preserving and Rediscovering My Game Collection|physical collection]] with a rivaling level of detail. I'd dump my copy of the game, it's save data, and save box art images, guides, and other relevant information. ![[250523_My Backup of FF3.png]] So all this time I have been looking for a new place to put all this information. Some sort of hub or database that I controlled what was shown and *cared* about. And last year, I decided to just build it myself in [Obsidian](https://www.obsidian.md). Here's how it works and looks. ### Your View[^1] ![[250523_Your View_a.png]] Right at the top of each page is going to be a big ol' fat image of the game's box art. Want the back too? Just click the dropdown callout "Back of Box." ![[250523_Your View_b.png]] Odds are, these were pulled from the legendary [Cover Project](https://www.thecoverproject.net). I pull separate the front and back, resize a smidge, and then compress because I am very limited on space on this website thanks to Obsidian Publish's 4 GB total limit.[^2] Inside the callout is the top level info about the game; title, developer, publisher, and release. Right beneath all that are two links. Up first is a link to the game's user manual. I wanted these to be PDFs I uploaded, but again, that hosting limit. I try to link to official resources, but when all else fails, there is the Internet Archive. Then there is my personal save data. Cause why not? Have fun with it! It was totally inspired by the file names of GRAMPS and FARTTR on my copy of *A Link to the Past*. Up next we have the story bits. I whip up three sentence summaries/facts of the games. I think this helps me remember the gist and what is important *to me*. Under "Acquisition" is the story (if there is one) of how I came to own the game. Some are cut and dry, others are short tales of [[Super Mario RPG - Legend of the Seven Stars#Acquisition|legendary finds]]. Related to acquisitions are my memories of the game. Just small tokens of my fading gray matter so that I can remember childhood (or adulthood) delight. I round out the page with Related Posts, Versions, and Miscellaneous. Related posts are just that—posts on Max Frequency that talk about said game in some manner. When I make the page, I'll add the current posts and then try my best to link as I continue to write. This might be a good reason to implement the [Local Graph feature](https://help.obsidian.md/plugins/graph) on the blog.[^3] Versions is for any other editions, remasters, remakes, or digital copies that I own of that game. This helps me know how many tangible versions I may own of a game.[^4] Miscellaneous is a section meant for resources *not* in my vault/site. Articles, videos, podcasts, etc. that I find quite important and enjoyable about said game. I think the sections for *[[Final Fantasy III#Miscellaneous|Final Fantasy III]]* and *[[Super Metroid#Miscellaneous|Super Metroid]]* are good examples. Maybe they'll help you find a neat thing about a game you love or are curious about. ### My View I see just a *little* bit more than you do on the website—properties. ![[250523_My View_a.png]] These properties let me have the granularity of the spreadsheet in a non-spreadsheet-y manner. They are pretty straightforward...at least to me. 😅 - Aliases - Used for interlinking in Obsidian. Helps find other terms that you would associate with the file name, i.e. *Super Mario 64* = *SM64*. - Console - Hardware the game is for - Developer - What development team made the game - Publisher - Who published the game - Genre - What is/are the genre/s for the title. These are self-defined. - Tags - Genres also live here as tags and subtags. I also include other relevant tags, i.e. #Nintendo/N64 or #Zelda/LttP . - Release and Purchase Dates - When the game came out and (if I have the info) when I bought the game. - Purchase Price and Current Value - Similar to dates, how much did I pay for the game at the time and how much does the market value it at now. - Pricecharting - A direct link to the Pricecharting page for the game for quick reference and updating of Current Value. - Condition - What is the condition of the game in my collection? For example, loose is no official box or manual. - Manual and Box - Check boxes for if I have the manual and a box for it. This could include aftermarket boxes, like the [[Upgrading My SNES Cartridge Collection|BitBoxes]] I use for my SNES collection. - Played and Beaten - Another pair of toggles for if I have played the game and if I have beaten the game. - Playtime - If I have it, the playtime I spent in the game. - Last Updated - A simple date property to know when the page was last updated. You don't see these because there is not an efficient or official way to show document properties online...at least for now... ### Future Ideas and Tools The core idea behind making this database inside my Obsidian vault was to link to all my articles and notes about whatever game in my collection. Like a bridge between an article I wrote to a review I wrote a year before to a podcast I did three years later. These Game Library entries are the spoke to the wheel that is my creativity surrounding games. I have these real-time [[Publishing My Game Notes|Game Notes]] that I've been uploading as I beat games for about a year now. These are codified thoughts on a game as I played it in the moment. Maybe I don't write a review about *[[Super Mario Galaxy 2]]*, but I sure did take [[Super Mario Galaxy 2 Notes|extensive notes]] when I played it for [[The Spirit of Super Mario Galaxy – A Video Essay]]. That link to *Super Mario Galaxy 2* is also a good point to address how extensive the library is at the moment—I just have the SNES games done. I'm going console by console. I originally wanted to wait and do it all at once, but why wait? I think some public facing is good to keep me honest and consistent. I'll use you to get my projects done. Same concept as the notes, I track what I play and what days I play in my daily note. Once the games are in Obsidian as notes, I can immediately link to them and then have these touch points to when I played them, for how long, and have a better framing for the various seasons of my video game playing life. What's really exciting (and encouraged me to get back into gear with this project) is the new [Bases](https://help.obsidian.md/bases) feature in Obsidian. > Bases is a core plugin that lets you turn any set of notes into a powerful database. With bases you can organize everything from projects to travel plans, reading lists, and more. ![[250523_Bases.png]] We're back at the spreadsheet? [[here-we-go-again-gta-san-andreas.gif|Here we go again]]. But wait! This is so much better. Because it is optional. It is automatic. It is tailored to my data. It is all connected. Much better. But most of all, Publish support. The current roadmap for the plugin mentions both other visual layouts like cards, lists, etc. *and* support for Obsidian Publish, which is what [[The Max Frequency 2024 Redesign|I use to run this whole blog]]. That means I can surface this property information to you all someday, presumably in some interactive way. I super, duper like that idea. --- Like I said earlier, I have just my SNES collection complete. I'm working on Nintendo 64 at the moment. My plan is to do at least one of these entries a day. Once a system is completely logged, then I will move it over to the site for you all to see. I am quite excited by this initiative. It's undeniably helpful to me and how I write about games. I think it has potential to be helpful for you to discover and delight in my writing. I think this is a natural way for information, connections, and surprise to crop up in your life while you read Max Frequency. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go write about *[[The Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time|The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]*. [^1]: Gradient not included [^2]: Currently, Max Frequency sits at 542.3 MB in its totality. [^3]: I just wish I could figure out how to place it at the bottom of the page and not the right-hand side so it could be visible on mobile. [^4]: Lord help me when I get to *The Last of Us*.