Back2OldGames could have been «just another download site». The client wanted something more ambitious: making the hunt for old games a game in itself. Badges, quests, ranks, credits: a full gamification layer on top of a huge catalog of classics.
The challenge: community + catalog + nostalgia
The portal had to serve three things at once: a catalog browsable by platform (from the ZX Spectrum to the PSX), game entries with real editorial reviews (scores for graphics, sound, story and gameplay) and a community with forums, groups and personal profiles.
The game layer
We built the gamification with a system of badges, quests, ranks and credits: downloading, commenting, completing your profile or hunting down a hidden classic earns points and unlocks pins. The weekly leaderboard does the rest: people come back daily «just to see how they're doing».
- Game entries with an editorial review and average score (the Republic: The Revolution review is already a minor classic)
- Search by member, group and post as well as by game
- A branded preloader («our bits are loading the page») that the community adores
- Aggressive caching: the catalog is heavy, the browsing isn't
Gamification only works if the underlying content is already worth it. First we built the best catalog we could; the badges came later. The other way around, it would have been an empty sticker shop.
The gamification keeps our members hooked. It runs smooth as an emulator on a good day.
Jack The Mayor, Editor-in-chief of Back2OldGames
