Does Anyone Else Sort Their Games By Genre?

[oldgamerz]

(PART OF THIS POST WAS COPIED AND PASTED FROM ANOTHER THREAD)

I do and I think this is a good idea. I know where the kind of games I want to play are



My collection is mostly sorted out with genre and type of games instead of having only the same console games in the same spot

I have a small but deep bookcase 1 foot and some inches wide. with 6 levels about 1 foot and a half deep. the bottom shelf has a heavy placeholder to keep this bookcase from falling over.

and one shelf fits 2 rows of DVD type games

 one shelf is dedicated for 1st person shooters. (mostly PS2 and PS3 FPS games)

 another shelf is for compilation games and arcade ports. also storing some Nintendo 64 cartridges for easier access.

Another shelf on the same bookcase has stacks of loose Sega Genesis game cartridges

My sports N64 and NES games are all together lined up inside a small shelving unit inside the doors of my Entertainment center. vary convenient

I have a big cardboard box to put my RPG and Miscellaneous games in.

My PS1 PS2 and PS3 golf collection is in one single wood DVD holder on top of my entertainment center. most of my other shooting, and action games, for all consoles are in a detached dresser drawer. sitting on my entertainment center. I have a lot of sports games inside a old fruit market storage box this box is tough and vary convenient for me

My Xbox games are separate from all the rest. my video game accessories are separate but in the same location like most video game collectors

[kashell]

Sort of. My favorite series (Tales of) has it's own area in the game room. Everything else is sorted by system and alphabetically.

[hatkid]

I used to sort alphabetically without organizing by system. My brother kept complaining about it so I changed it to alphabetical by system. I kind of wish I did that sooner but I did like how I had it before.

[ignition365]

I used to sort alphabetically without organizing by system. My brother kept complaining about it so I changed it to alphabetical by system. I kind of wish I did that sooner but I did like how I had it before.

My brother used to do that with DVDs and Blurays, drove me up the wall.

I don't.  I do the normal by system then alphabetical.

I've considered moving to by system, by beaten/unfinished/unplayed, then alphabetical.  More or less so I could have a visualization of what I've beaten and haven't beaten for given platforms.

[bunnybear]

They’re separated by system, but otherwise alphabetically.

[snyderec3]

Like most people, alphabetically by system - though I also separate CiB and Cartridge Only as well.

My wife keeps the DVDs/Bluerays sorted by genre and it honestly drives me a little nuts, but she spends more time in the living room than I do, so I let her do it her way.

[emporerdragon]

Alphabetically by system as well. Anything else just feels disorganized and ugly.

Occasionally, when I'm doing a backlog dive, I'll partially pull out all the unfinished ones so I can visually see what I actually need to play, but that's about it.

[ferraroso]

Yeah, I also organize my games alphabetically (actually, in KANA ordering as most of my games are Japanese).
For me, the problem with sorting games by genre lies in the fact that many games are impossible to be fitted into only one specific genre. To this day, in the case of 2D games, I'm not sure on what is the exact difference between the genres of platformer and action, for example.
And it also depends on the way someone classifies different genres. As an example, here in Japan, adventure is usually only used for point-and-click adventure games specifically such as Myst and Cyberia while, at the same time, if you take a look at the shooting games section of any video game (or TV game as our hobby is called around here) store in the country, you'll find Space Invaders, RayStorm, Time Crises and Doom all in the same shelf as they all involve shooting in a way or another.

[hoshichiri]

I do the traditional system/alphabetical with CIB separated as well. My fiancé has a much smaller collection, and he sorts by series- so everything from Final Fantasy, for example, is together. Games (regardless of console), soundtracks, DVDs, all in the same place. The series themselves are not alphabetized- they're arranged so favorites that he uses more are more accessible, and the rest is pushed into the harder to reach shelving, sorted by fit to try and keep series from being split across multiple shelves. I cannot fathom how he finds anything in that mish-mash, but it works for him and at least it makes for visually interesting shelving.

[Warmsignal]

I order everything by console, and sort the games either chronologically (release date oldest to newest), by developer/publisher, or by similarity of genre depending on the console. I don't do the alphabetical thing because it groups games together that bare no similarity other than same first letter in the title which to me isn't really significant, and if you want to be a stickler about it, can often separate games within the same series and defeat the purpose of the sorting.

If you know your libraries well enough, then these other methods of sorting can make seeking a game out just as easy.

To this day, in the case of 2D games, I'm not sure on what is the exact difference between the genres of platformer and action, for example.
And it also depends on the way someone classifies different genres. As an example, here in Japan, adventure is usually only used for point-and-click adventure games specifically such as Myst and Cyberia while, at the same time, if you take a look at the shooting games section of any video game (or TV game as our hobby is called around here) store in the country, you'll find Space Invaders, RayStorm, Time Crises and Doom all in the same shelf as they all involve shooting in a way or another.

I would say that action alone isn't any kind of genre per-say. Games that are purely centered around action/re-action are what I'd call "arcade" games or action/arcade, like Pac-Man. The "action/adventure" sub-genre is a mix of classic adventure game story with "action" game play and controls, and yeah sometimes those games can have some platforming in them. Platformer on the other hand, is usually focused heavily on jumping to platforms, onto enemies, into items or collectables, etc. Sometimes there's a bit of "story" to them as well so, not all genres are entirely distinct I guess.

Technically shooters are all similar enough. I think it's fair to group all games together where shooting is the primary game mechanic, you might separate the first person from the third but they all belong in the same segment.

[tripredacus]

I used to sort alphabetically without organizing by system. My brother kept complaining about it so I changed it to alphabetical by system. I kind of wish I did that sooner but I did like how I had it before.

My brother used to do that with DVDs and Blurays, drove me up the wall.

I had thought about it for movies, but my concern is that I do not think it would be an efficient use of shelf space.
However I do already do that for certain things. I do not keep sports, music or non-linear cartoons in my main arrangement, they are kept on separate shelves.

For video games, that kind of idea can only make sense with a large, playable collection. I had (at one time) kept all sports (and then all baseball and hockey) games organized separately, but such arrangements really make you realise there are things in your collection that you don't care about. So in that aspect, it can help you thin out some stuff you don't really want.

[oldgamerz]

I read and remember what some of the members said on here, (in another thread) that they have a hard time picking a video game to play. right away

I now leave a paper sign taped on the front of my shelves and cupboards and crates telling me where all my racing games are located as an example. I found out I am more satisfied and find my exactly what I'm in the mood for. faster with every game sorted by genre  sometimes being regardless of it's console. I am happy with it this way,

Like I have all my fighting and wrestling games mixed inside a open/close rack in my entertainment center, however I keep my most of my PS1 PS2 and PS3 and Xbox golf games together in their own personal DVD crate.  like I said before.

My Halo series Collection is inside a small bite sized crate where I put all my Xbox and Xbox360 Halo games.

I recommend this for some of you interested,  I know I cannot find anything that I know I want to play, When everything is alphabetical or strict by console only. So I re-arranged my game room one night and I love it today. It's really is not messy looking at all for me at least, and best of all I no longer struggle to find a game I'm in the mood for.

I still sort by console, but I customized my entire collection where even if I never heard of a game before, yet when I held it last I saw it was a racing game or a first person shooter or a sports game (etc), it's all in one spot

(edit) I rearranged since I last posted on this thread and I found that I have more space than I thought I had in my game room

[oldgamerz]

I order everything by console, and sort the games either chronologically (release date oldest to newest), by developer/publisher, or by similarity of genre depending on the console. I don't do the alphabetical thing because it groups games together that bare no similarity other than same first letter in the title which to me isn't really significant, and if you want to be a stickler about it, can often separate games within the same series and defeat the purpose of the sorting.

If you know your libraries well enough, then these other methods of sorting can make seeking a game out just as easy.

To this day, in the case of 2D games, I'm not sure on what is the exact difference between the genres of platformer and action, for example.
And it also depends on the way someone classifies different genres. As an example, here in Japan, adventure is usually only used for point-and-click adventure games specifically such as Myst and Cyberia while, at the same time, if you take a look at the shooting games section of any video game (or TV game as our hobby is called around here) store in the country, you'll find Space Invaders, RayStorm, Time Crises and Doom all in the same shelf as they all involve shooting in a way or another.

I would say that action alone isn't any kind of genre per-say. Games that are purely centered around action/re-action are what I'd call "arcade" games or action/arcade, like Pac-Man. The "action/adventure" sub-genre is a mix of classic adventure game story with "action" game play and controls, and yeah sometimes those games can have some platforming in them. Platformer on the other hand, is usually focused heavily on jumping to platforms, onto enemies, into items or collectables, etc. Sometimes there's a bit of "story" to them as well so, not all genres are entirely distinct I guess.

Technically shooters are all similar enough. I think it's fair to group all games together where shooting is the primary game mechanic, you might separate the first person from the third but they all belong in the same segment.

Also you can make your own genre up as well, so you can remember

[Warmsignal]

I order everything by console, and sort the games either chronologically (release date oldest to newest), by developer/publisher, or by similarity of genre depending on the console. I don't do the alphabetical thing because it groups games together that bare no similarity other than same first letter in the title which to me isn't really significant, and if you want to be a stickler about it, can often separate games within the same series and defeat the purpose of the sorting.

If you know your libraries well enough, then these other methods of sorting can make seeking a game out just as easy.

To this day, in the case of 2D games, I'm not sure on what is the exact difference between the genres of platformer and action, for example.
And it also depends on the way someone classifies different genres. As an example, here in Japan, adventure is usually only used for point-and-click adventure games specifically such as Myst and Cyberia while, at the same time, if you take a look at the shooting games section of any video game (or TV game as our hobby is called around here) store in the country, you'll find Space Invaders, RayStorm, Time Crises and Doom all in the same shelf as they all involve shooting in a way or another.

I would say that action alone isn't any kind of genre per-say. Games that are purely centered around action/re-action are what I'd call "arcade" games or action/arcade, like Pac-Man. The "action/adventure" sub-genre is a mix of classic adventure game story with "action" game play and controls, and yeah sometimes those games can have some platforming in them. Platformer on the other hand, is usually focused heavily on jumping to platforms, onto enemies, into items or collectables, etc. Sometimes there's a bit of "story" to them as well so, not all genres are entirely distinct I guess.

Technically shooters are all similar enough. I think it's fair to group all games together where shooting is the primary game mechanic, you might separate the first person from the third but they all belong in the same segment.

Also you can make your own genre up as well, so you can remember

Yeah, sorting games by genre/similarity I think is a very practical method and more conducive to actually playing them, rather than feeling intimidated by them or having a potential title of interest become lost in a sea of names. Alphabetical is better only if you often know exactly what you want to play.

[oldgamerz]

Again I highly recommend this for all collectors who want to play their games and know exactly what they are in the mood for instantly. Since I don't have a proper display I sort by genre instead technically you could sort alphabetically and also by genre as well

How many of you are willing to sort by genre and stick a paper to your shelves telling you what genre a specific section of your collection is?