Use Google to Organize Your Classic Games

[jbanes]

Fair warning: If you don't have a GMail or other Google account, this tip may not be as useful to you. However, GMail has open registration now, so you can always open an account.

 

As most of you are aware, Google has released a mini office-suite in the form of Google Docs. This suite includes a pared-down Word Processor and a basic Spreadsheet program. If you're looking to replace your existing copy of MS Office or OpenOffice with it, don't even bother. However, it does have some redeeming qualities.

 

Specifically, Google's Spreadsheet application is an ideal method of cataloging and/or sharing a list of your collection. While it doesn't have as many features as Excel or OpenOffice, it does have several that make it more useful:

• Share your spreadsheets with certain people or everyone!
  
• Collaborate on improving the data. You can even chat about it in real time!
  
• Your data is automatically managed and backed up by Google's servers.
  
• Import your existing Excel Spreadsheet (Though you may have to redo charts)
  
• Export the data to a variety of formats including Excel, OpenOffice, PDF, CSV, and a plain-ole' text file
  
• Simple interface makes it easy to format the data
  
• Revision Tracking allows you to go back in time
  
• Ability to "publish" specific snapshots as publicly viewable documents
  
• Easy to resort your data.
  
• Auto-saving prevents your work from being lost because of a crash.
  

I've temporarily shared out a sheet I'm working on to give you guys an idea of what it looks like:

 

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p1J...XBcMyzgCC_KCiMw

 

If you don't have a Google account, you can see the "published" version here:

 

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p1J...XBcMyzgCC_KCiMw

 

Some possible uses I see for this:

• Keep track of all your games by system (obvious)
  
• Import your existing spreadsheet to share your collection with others. If you want to "sanitize" the data, you can always delete the columns you don't want others to see. (e.g. Price paid, estimated value, seller, etc.)
  
• Share a wishlist of games with friends, family, and neighbors. (e.g. I've been sharing out a wish list of Wii games I want.)
  
• Get a pretty PDF list of your game related data. (e.g. A classic game wish list to take with you to the MGC.)
  
• Track classic game prices, and even collaborate with others on gathering the info.
  

Any more ideas on what this could be useful for?

 

To create a sheet like my example, follow these steps:

1. Create a new Google Sheet and give it a name to activate auto-save.
   
2. Rename the tab to the system you want.
   
3. In row #1, create a few header items.
   
4. Highlight your header items and set the text to bold, background to black, and foreground to white
   
5. Start entering data on line 2. If you run out of rows, right click and select "Insert Below"
   
6. Click on the "Sort" tab.
   
7. Freeze the top row to prevent it from getting sorted. This will also allow it to repeat on each page if you print it or export it to a PDF.
   
8. Click on a cell in the column you want to sort by. The text in the toolbar should reflect your selected column. (e.g. "Sort by Column A")
   
9. Click on "A-Z" to sort in ascending order.
   
10. Click on "Add Sheet" and repeat for the next system.
    

Edited May 21, 2007 by jbanes

[+remowilliams]

This is definitely cool! Even has a chat window to discuss the documents with viewers.

[jbanes]

FWIW, remo showed me a rather sizable spreadsheet that he had uploaded to Google Spreadsheets. As with my work in progress sheet, it was a catalog of all his systems and games. Besides making my own collection look piddly in comparison (even counting all the stuff that hasn't yet been cataloged in the spreadsheet), it tested Google's software with over 30 tabs of sheets. (!) Each sheet had dozens to hundreds of entries on the games for the system. So it seems stable enough.

 

Of course, his spreadsheet didn't have much formating. So I'd love to hear other experiences on how well it imported your spreadsheet. Did it maintain the formating? Did you lose any data? Did it crash? Is the performance acceptable? I look forward to hearing from you guys!

[shadow460]

I may try this with my own spreadsheet once I get it finished and tabbed. Mine was made with Open Office 2.1, so the purpose of me adding it to Google would be for online sharing.

[jbanes]

I may try this with my own spreadsheet once I get it finished and tabbed.

Maybe this will help?

 

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p1J...XBcMTEJB5MhDoJg

 

Use "File > Copy Spreadsheet" to import into your own workspace or "File > Export > XLS" to export to Excel.

[Lord Helmet]

I use google spreadsheets to catalog my games. Its really convenient to save it online, that way I can update it or get info off of it anywhere I am that has an internet connection.

[ewing92]

I was messin around with it a bit, and i just wanna say thank you for letting me know about this, i know it is going to be very useful for me, especially since i can access it anywhere with my PSP.

[kevincal]

I don't mean to hijack the thread , but I use www.rfgeneration.com for keeping track of my classic games. It's a really cool site and the staff is really good just like here.

[+remowilliams]

I don't mean to hijack the thread , but I use www.rfgeneration.com for keeping track of my classic games. It's a really cool site and the staff is really good just like here.

Yeah, looks like a cool site - but there is no way in hell I'd be putting my stuff up there without some kind of import feature.

[cyberfluxor]

Thanks for the link! I heard about this last year and never cared to check it out. I of course read up on some of the features and well, I'll use it. And actually I was building spread sheets of my games earlier today and had been doing it for a few weeks (because I had data entry). I guess this is another reason to just push towards filling out my collection. I posted a bunch of my Nintendo games:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pA9...kWXNA&gid=9

[jbanes]

I posted a bunch of my Nintendo games:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pA9...kWXNA&gid=9

That looks very professional! Good work!

[cyberfluxor]

I posted a bunch of my Nintendo games:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pA9...kWXNA&gid=9

That looks very professional! Good work!

Thanks.

I just put up my Saturn collection. I worked on that spread sheet for almost 2 hrs last night! Rarities were taken from the DP guide but a lot of the developer information I had to search around for, most found on wikipedia.

Saturn:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pA9...WXNA&gid=11

 

That's going to be my standard layout. I have pricing information on my personal spreadsheet to keep track of how much I've paid for things, all of which doesn't need to be public. LOL

 

Also I organize systems in the tab by North American release dates.

Edited May 28, 2007 by cyberfluxor