Looking for a simple way to catalogue your video game library? Then Bruji’s Gamepedia is the perfect affordable solution for you. Gamepedia is a Universal Mac OS X application (requires OS X 10.3 or better) that lets you organize and track your entire gaming library with ease. But what exactly makes Gamepedia different in comparison to other cataloguing software? The answer lies in the software’s cost and functionality.
Gamepedia is a Mac-only program developed by Bruji, an independent software developer who specializes in the creation of organizational software. Bruji is responsible for the popular DVD cataloguing program DVDpedia. The developer also offers CD and book itemizing software. All of Bruji’s applications carry the familiar iLife look and feel that has been popularized in iTunes and iPhoto.
Getting your collection in Gamepedia is very simple; all you need to do is either enter the game title, or type in the game’s UPC barcode. The program then scours through various Amazon web sites to gather your game’s information. The process is made even simpler if you own an iSight camera, as you simply point the game’s UPC code towards the camera and it instantly searches for your game info. If, by chance, your game isn’t recognized, you can manually add it to your database.
When entering game information manually, you are given the opportunity to type information within different tabs. The first tab, dubbed “Main”, is your basic entry field where you can enter information such as the game’s title, release date and personal rating, among other things. You can also add advanced info such as the game’s difficulty level, system requirements, high score, etc. One of the neatest features of Gamepedia is its ability to add links to individual entries in your gaming library. The program also lets you browse through screenshots from within the application itself.
With Gamepedia, you can also create various collections the same way you’d work with a playlist in iTunes. For example, you could create a new collection and rename it with the name of a particular console, then drag and drop individual games from your library into that folder. This is also a great feature for people who lend titles to friends or family – simply create a new collection, rename and start managing.
Speaking of lending, Gamepedia works in tandem with your OS X address book to help manage the titles you lent out. You can select a particular borrower from your address book and tag the video game he or she has borrowed from you. If the person doesn’t return the game after a certain time, you can send an email to that person reminding them that the title needs to be returned. You can also use Gamepedia to track the borrowing habits of your friends, or view the borrowed history of a particular title.
Gamepedia gives you the ability to create a custom wish list of games that you would like to own. You click on the “Add” button, enter the title of the video game you’re looking for, select the platform and the game is automatically added to your wish list. If the title you wish to obtain is unreleased, and has a street date attached to it, Gamepedia will automatically indicate how many days are left until the title hits store shelves.
The most interesting aspect of Gamepedia is its export capabilities. With a few mouse clicks, you can create a fully customizable web page that can be uploaded to your .mac account. You can also use Gamepedia to export your video game library, or wish list, to your iPod, which gives you the ability to glance through your collection at any time.
Gamepedia is definitely one of the best cataloguing solutions for your video game collection. Not only is the software easy to use, but it also offers many exporting options so that you can share and view your collection anywhere at any given time. A demo version of Gamepedia is available at http://www.bruji.com/gamepedia with the full version selling for $18USD.