"Unknown" or descriptive title?

[Alex]

We have a number of unknown titles that need to be added to the database. We've been discussing how to categorize them - for example, should we group them all in a single "Unknown" category? Or give them descriptive titles for similar games like we did for "Taiwan 1"? Or should we have multiple "Unknown" categories grouping them by style ("Unknown 1", "Unknown 2", etc)? What do you all think?

[Pitfall Harry]

I think that lumping them all together as a single "Unknown" doesn't tell anybody anything they don't already know.

 

Categorizing games of uncertain manufacturer with descriptive names is the best idea. "Taiwan 1" is certainly more descriptive than "Unknown 1." When people speak of Taiwan 1 they will have an easier time remembering which subset of the unknown they are talking about without reaching for reference pages.

 

If you get too carried away with identifying and categorizing minutia, you'll wind up with something as complicated and unsatisfying to use as the Label Variations List. It would be a disservice to the collecting community for the de facto online authority to overcategorize that which is still unknown.

 

 

Ben