PC Adding PC games to the Database

[twistedsymphony]

So I would like to expand the CE database to include PC games...

I don't collect PC games personally and that combine with the difficulty in categorizing PC games is what has really prevented me from adding them to the DB.

So I would like to open this up for discussion... there are three big questions.

1. How to we categorize the "PC" Platform
There are a number of ways we might do this...
1. is by Operating system consider "Windows 7" games a different platform than say "Windows XP" games, of course there is also the issue of cross-compatibility. which platform do we file that under?

2. another method is by media... I see a lot of games with a "PC DVD" logo, that could be a platform, while older games might be "PC CD" and older games "PC Floppy" or something along those lines. But what about games that were released in both DVD and CD or maybe had both in the same box? how do we classify those? Is there an official validation procedure a game must go though to hold the "PC DVD" logo? if so, does anyone know what it is? Are there any games that were released on thumb drives or flash media that we'd be missing out on?

3. another option is based on existing official "platforms" such as "Games for Windows Live" I like this option because it's a clearly defined platform... unfortunately very few games are included under this umbrella. which means using it wont really solve the problem here.

4. no classification at all, all PC games are just "PC Games" and that includes everything way back since the 80s.

2. How do we decide what is included and what is not?
Clearly PC CE releases that get cross platform releases with consoles should be included, as should big name publisher CE releases such as those from Blizzard, Sega, Ubisoft, etc. But what about all that shovel-ware? Do we want to include "Monopoly 2011 Gold Edition" that goes for $10 at Walmart? I don't think so... but how to define where that line is drawn... what separates a valid CE release from one that doesn't belong in the Database?

3. Do PC CEs have regions?
Obviously the PC is a region free platform, but a US collector might not care about a European release...or how do we differentiate between the European and the US release of a PC CE if they have the same name but completely different content?

Do we want to assign arbitrary regions? or do we want to just assume all PC games are "international" and not assign any regions at all?