Purchase Date

[Cobra]

Something I have added to the description field of each of my games is Purchase Date.
But just now thought it would be really good as an actual field that you could sort your collection by.

I'm not sure about anyone else, but I have always liked viewing my collection in order of purchase so I know what games I have had the longest.

[NES_Rules]

I think it would be really cool feature; one could see how there collection has progressed since a certain date.
But what happens when you buy two of the same game? Or you buy the box, manual, game at separate times?

[Cobra]

But what happens when you buy two of the same game? Or you buy the box, manual, game at separate times?

That is a good question actually, and I'm not sure what will happen about that.

[Sirgin]

But what happens when you buy two of the same game? Or you buy the box, manual, game at separate times?

That is a good question actually, and I'm not sure what will happen about that.

A solution might be to only have the option to fill in a date for game first purchased at (date here).

It's a good compromise having one date but not making the collection page seem too cluttered with a bunch of dates for "game", "manual", "box", etc.

[logical123]

Or!!! Perhaps a release date? Yeah! That would be cool! A field for release date.

[Sirgin]

Or!!! Perhaps a release date? Yeah! That would be cool! A field for release date.

Hmmm, I don't know. Will that add alot over the field for release year that's already there?

[logical123]

just extend the release year. Call it release date, and have it in the day month year format.

[Tan]

just extend the release year. Call it release date, and have it in the day month year format.

You mean for database info? If you do then you have to consider multiple release dates for different parts of each region and/or retailers.

[logical123]

But of course. You could tailor each region in the same way that a Canadian game may have a different Part # than its American counterpart.

[Tan]

But of course. You could tailor each region in the same way that a Canadian game may have a different Part # than its American counterpart.

If a Canadian game has a different part number, it gets a separate entry in the database. Otherwise 95% or more of all games sold in Can/US/Mex are North American games. Even though I may buy the exact same game that comes from the same factory as you, I may have a different release date up here or if I bought it in Mexico City. Same applies with European region wide games. So many countries fall under that banner with so many street dates for releases governed by import, ratings and retailers.

Not to mention online shopping release dates versus brick & mortar ones within the same country.

Wouldn't it be easier if you just typed [11/20/07 - $69.99] in your comment box?

[logical123]

But of course. You could tailor each region in the same way that a Canadian game may have a different Part # than its American counterpart.

If a Canadian game has a different part number, it gets a separate entry in the database. Otherwise 95% or more of all games sold in Can/US/Mex are North American games. Even though I may buy the exact same game that comes from the same factory as you, I may have a different release date up here or if I bought it in Mexico City. Same applies with European region wide games. So many countries fall under that banner with so many street dates for releases governed by import, ratings and retailers.

Not to mention online shopping release dates versus brick & mortar ones within the same country.

Wouldn't it be easier if you just typed [11/20/07 - $69.99] in your comment box?

Of course. I'm not talking about a purchase date. I don't think it would be a good solid 'field' to have. But release dates, on the other hand, could be cool. You could, for the games that have no different regions, but different dates, select the country, then input the date. On the game page, it would look like:

Release date(s)-
USA: 10 January 1997
CAN: 15 December 1997
MEX: 09 March 1998

ETC. You get the point.

[Cobra]

Well, we already have a partial release date, we have the release year. So games can already get sorted by this. However as for purchase date (the topic of this thread after all) does not exist, so there is no way to sort your collection by order of purchase.

Sirgin's strategy may be the only solution, just having your initial purchase date.

[Tan]

Of course. I'm not talking about a purchase date. I don't think it would be a good solid 'field' to have. But release dates, on the other hand, could be cool. You could, for the games that have no different regions, but different dates, select the country, then input the date. On the game page, it would look like:

Release date(s)-
USA: 10 January 1997
CAN: 15 December 1997
MEX: 09 March 1998

ETC. You get the point.

Then you'd have to add variations like:

Amazon.com - 9 January 1997
Best Buy - 11 January 1997

Because there are always multiple instances of release days now and one is as important as another. I.E. the NES being sold in New York 4 months before the rest of the country, the INTV being sold in California in 1979 or how confusing a broken street date would make the "official" release date look. See you have the placeholder release date used for tracking and media purposes, the day the game is stocked and sold and finally the day you bought it which of course doesn't apply here.

Of course the trivia section has great potential for this kind of extra info as well so feel free.

[Sirgin]

Sirgin's strategy may be the only solution, just having your initial purchase date.
I think the purchase date idea is a better and more feasible idea of the two.

Well I just thought of it as a compromise between having something and having too much dates making everything look like a mess.

Then you'd have to add variations like:

Amazon.com - 9 January 1997
Best Buy - 11 January 1997

Lol that's a bit rediculous in my honest opinion. Who is going to track all of that? And it won't be easy to review these submissions either.
The release date thing is pretty doable for older games (IF you can find the correct info, that is!) but not for current games. Like Tan pointed out, there's too many places you can buy games from now.

You'd end up with:

USA: regular stores - 10 January 1997
        Amazon.com - 9 January 1997
        Best Buy - 11 January 1997
CAN: regular stores - 15 December 1997
        Canadian website - 17 December 1997
MEX: regular stores - 09 March 1998
        Mexican website - 10 March 1998

I can think of 4 reasons not to do this:

1. I don't see what value it adds over the release year field that exists now. Do you really need to know whether a game was released in March or May 1987? Isn't it enough to know it was released in 1987?
2. Submissions would be (too) hard to review resulting in errors being accepted.
3. It would look very ugly on a game page.
4. I don't see how you could make it fit in the "my collection" page. Obviously, it would replace the "year" collumn but it would take up more place so how would that get squeezed in there?

[Cobra]

Not to mention it isn't easy to track down exact release dates for games long dead, believe me, I know, I do it for GameDB.com