What Kinds of Game Videos Can You Watch in a Game Database?

Updated

A game database like Games Database hosts gameplay videos as part of a broader retro media archive, alongside manuals, music, maps, adverts, and TV commercials. You can browse videos by system, maker, genre, publisher, developer, or year, or jump straight into a random game. The archive currently lists over 50,000 videos spanning 130 systems, from arcade cabinets to home consoles.

What Counts as a "Game Video" in This Archive

The video section is one media type among several. On Games Database, the archive separates:

  • Videos — gameplay footage and recordings tied to specific game entries
  • Music — 19,064 music files
  • Manuals — 21,602 scanned manuals
  • Adverts — 5,266 game adverts
  • TV commercials — 848 TV commercials
  • Maps and artwork — indexed separately

So when you open a game's entry, the video is one piece of a larger media set. A single title can have a manual, music tracks, box artwork, magazine adverts, and a gameplay video all attached to the same record.

Gameplay recordings

The core of the video library is gameplay footage attached to individual game entries. These are organized by the game's system, publisher, developer, genre, and release year, so a video for Super Mario Bros. (1985, Nintendo NES) sits in the same filter structure as a video for Tekken 6 (2009, Microsoft Xbox 360).

TV commercials and adverts

TV commercials are catalogued as their own media type (848 entries), separate from gameplay videos. If you're looking for period marketing footage rather than gameplay, that's the section to browse. Game adverts (5,266 entries) are print or static advertising, distinct from both.

How to Browse and Filter Game Videos

The archive is built around faceted browsing. From the main entry points you can filter by:

Filter Examples from the archive
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 (genre) Platform, Adventure, Strategy, Puzzle, Racing, Shoot'em Up
Publisher Sega, Brøderbund Software, Nintendo, Konami, Activision, Atari
Developer Graven Image, Candle Light Studios, Albino Frog Software, Bionic Games
Year 2009, 2008, 2010, 2007, 2002, 1994, 2000

Each filter links to a "More" index for deeper discovery, so you can drill from a broad system list into the full set of systems, or from a short publisher list into the complete publisher index.

Step-by-step: finding a specific game's video

  1. Pick an entry point — system, genre, publisher, developer, or year.
  2. Narrow with a second filter (for example, System = Sega Genesis, then Publisher = Sega).
  3. Open the game's entry to see its attached media, including the video.
  4. Use the "All Videos" index if you want to browse the video collection directly rather than through a game record.

Watching a random game

The archive includes a "Watch a random game" option that loads a random entry with its video. In the sample shown, it surfaced Armaeth - The Lost Kingdom for Microsoft DOS. This is useful when you want to sample the archive without deciding on a title first.

What You'll Actually Find: Example Titles

The "Most viewed games" snapshot shows the range of what visitors browse, which gives a sense of the video library's spread:

  • Arcade: Mighty Monkey (1982), Dig Dug (1982), Donkey Kong (1981), Prop Cycle (1996), Bubble Memories: The Story Of Bubble Bobble III (1995), Snow Bros. 2 (1994)
  • Nintendo NES: Super Mario Bros. (1985), Battle City (1985)
  • Sega Genesis: Sonic The Hedgehog (1991)
  • Commodore 64 / Amiga: Zombi, Airborne Ranger, Oscar, Carl Lewis Challenge
  • Modern consoles: Mass Effect 2 (2010, Xbox 360), Skate 3 (2010, Xbox 360), Tekken 6 (2009, Xbox 360)
  • Xbox Live Arcade: Phantasy Star II (2009), an untitled entry

The spread runs from 1981 arcade titles to 2010 console releases, so the video archive isn't limited to one era.

Videos vs. Other Media: What's the Difference

If your goal is to see the game played, use the video section. If you need documentation, the manual section is the right place — manuals are scanned documents, not footage. Music files are audio only. Maps and artwork are static images. TV commercials are short marketing clips, which may or may not include gameplay.

A practical way to decide:

  • Want to see how a game plays? → Videos
  • Want the original instructions or controls? → Manuals
  • Want the soundtrack? → Music
  • Want box art, maps, or print ads? → Artwork, Maps, Adverts
  • Want period TV marketing? → TV commercials

Common Questions

Is there a cost to watch? The archive presents itself as a search-and-browse source for classic game media. The available page information doesn't state pricing or login requirements, so check the site directly before assuming open access.

Can I browse without picking a game first? Yes — the "All Videos" index and the "Watch a random game" option both let you start from the video collection rather than a specific title.

How current is the archive? Entries in the snapshot range from 1981 to 2010, and the year filter lists 2009, 2008, 2010, 2007, 2002, 1994, and 2000 among its entry points, so coverage is retro-focused rather than current-generation.