What Is a Game Database and What Can You Find in One?

Updated

A game database is a searchable archive of game-related media and metadata, not a store or a walkthrough site. It typically indexes manuals, videos, music, maps, adverts, artwork, and system information, and lets you browse by system, maker, genre, year, publisher, or developer. Games Database (gamesdatabase.org) is one example: it describes itself as "the biggest source for retro game manuals, gameplay videos, music, maps, adverts, TV commercials, artwork and system information," and its archive lists 50,680 videos, 19,064 music files, 21,602 manuals, 5,266 game adverts, 848 TV commercials, and 130 systems.

What a game database actually contains

The content is reference material about games, not the games themselves. On Games Database, the archive is organized into these media types:

  • Manuals — scanned or digitized instruction booklets
  • Videos — gameplay footage, including a "Watch a random game" option
  • Music — soundtracks and audio files
  • Maps — level and world maps
  • Adverts — print advertisements for games
  • TV commercials — broadcast promos
  • Artwork — cover art and promotional images
  • System information — details about the hardware platforms themselves

It also holds structured metadata: publishers, developers, genres, and release years, so a single game entry can connect to its maker, platform, and era.

How browsing and search work

Games Database offers two paths: quick entry points and full indexes.

Quick browse dimensions (each with a "More" link to the full index):

Dimension Example entries
System Arcade, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo SNES, Nintendo NES, Sega Genesis, Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Sega Master System
System maker Commodore, Sony, Sega, Mattel, Bandai, Bally, Genesis Microchip
Category Platform, Adventure, Strategy, Puzzle, Racing, Shoot'em Up
Publisher Sega, Brøderbund Software, Nintendo, Konami, Activision, Atari
Developer Graven Image, Carl Saracini, Candle Light Studios, Albino Frog Software
Year 2009, 2008, 2010, 2007, 2002, 1994, 2000

There are also "All Videos," "All Music," "All Manuals," "All Maps," "All Adverts," and "All TV Adverts" index pages for deeper discovery. A "Most viewed games" section shows what visitors are currently browsing — for example, Super Mario Bros. (1985, Nintendo NES), Sonic The Hedgehog (1991, Sega Genesis), Dig Dug (1982, Arcade), and Mass Effect 2 (2010, Microsoft Xbox 360).

To find something specific: pick a dimension (say, System → Sega Genesis), then narrow by maker, genre, or year. The site also integrates Google search for direct lookups.

How it differs from a walkthrough site or a store

  • A walkthrough site tells you how to beat a game. A game database tells you what exists and preserves its surrounding media.
  • A store sells you a game. A game database catalogs it — manuals, adverts, music, and system specs — regardless of whether it's still sold.
  • A wiki is community-edited and often sprawling. A database like Games Database is a structured archive with fixed browse facets (system, maker, genre, year).

When a game database is the right tool

Use one when you want to:

  • Read the original manual for a retro title you own or emulate
  • Identify which system, publisher, or developer a game belongs to
  • Find period advertising or TV commercials for research or nostalgia
  • Listen to or locate a game's music
  • Check system information for a platform like the Atari 2600 or Commodore 64

It is not the tool for buying games, getting cheat codes, or finding current hardware prices — the archive covers classic media, and pricing or purchase options aren't part of what it documents.