Board Game focused social media - a few problems
Hey all, first post here on IH!
I've been working a bit on an idea I've had - a check-in based app (think something like Untappd, Goodreads) focused on board games. The basic idea is that you're able to say when you're playing a game, what game it is, who you're playing with, etc. You can also rate the game and write any thoughts about it. This serves both as a "post" that your friends can see, and also as a reminder for yourself of what game you played and how you felt about it (something I often can't remember myself).
I do feel pretty good about the idea (but happy to hear thoughts on that as well!) but today I realized two things that might be an issue for me:
The first is that BoardGameGeek, which is probably the most well known board game website, already has a feature that allows you to log plays. Now, I think I'm able to make this better, since BGG is more of a database of information with social features, whereas this would be primarily a social media app. But I didn't know this existed until today, so that worries me a bit.
The second issue that I think is a bigger deal is that you can't use the BGG API for commercial purposes. They're the largest database of games/game information (min/max players, publishers, categories, etc) and my initial plan was to use their API to grab information about the games, and store that info to use it in my app. I assume that what I'm trying to do falls under commercial use, so that doesn't seem like it will work. Getting information about a ton of board games seems like a daunting task, and from what I can tell, there aren't any good alternatives for that data that isn't tied to BGG, so I'm looking at possibly manually entering all of that information, or looking at another method to try and source that data.
I guess those concerns are pretty specific to my idea, but what I'm wondering is - is this a show stopper for the idea? I haven't worked too much, so it would be pretty easy to just dump my progress, but I could definitely be blowing this out of proportion. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
Tough one. I am an avid gamer and I log all my plays in BGG. It isn't a great interface, but it works. For me, sharing that I played games with the general public is ... not important. And if I would want to do so, I'd do it using a photo on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter where 'friends' are. I log all my games because I want to analyse how much I play and where, and there bgg api ... well. It isn't great, but I made a site that will do a lot of the analysis for you.
Sorry to be a downer. I love games so glad to hear people working on related stuff. Just not sure this is one that does it for me.
What I need is a way to find places and people to play with...
No, thank you! This is still valid feedback. I think talking to more folks who use the BGG logger seems like a good step to take.
Hey there, welcome to Indie Hackers! Your idea for a board game check-in app sounds interesting, and it's great that you're seeking feedback and addressing potential challenges early on.
Regarding your concerns:
Competition with BoardGameGeek (BGG): While BGG does have a play logging feature, it's primarily a database rather than a social platform. Your app could differentiate itself by focusing on the social aspect, such as connecting with friends, sharing experiences, and fostering community discussions around board games. Consider what unique value propositions your app offers compared to BGG and how you can leverage those to attract users.
Use of BGG API for Commercial Purposes: This is a significant hurdle, as relying on the BGG API for game data is not feasible for commercial use. However, there are alternative ways to source game information, such as scraping data from publicly available sources (e.g., game publishers' websites), crowdsourcing data from users, or partnering with game publishers directly. While manually entering data is more time-consuming, it may be a viable option for getting started, especially if you focus on a curated selection of popular board games initially.
In summary, while these challenges present obstacles, they may not necessarily be showstoppers for your idea. Consider how you can differentiate your app from existing platforms, explore alternative methods for sourcing game data, and validate your concept by gathering feedback from potential users. With determination and creativity, you can overcome these challenges and build a successful board game check-in app. Good luck!
It's been a while since you've penned the thread. If the subject is still open for you, I'd suggest you avoid any thoughts concerning dumping a project you've already started. I think your ideas are worthy of giving them a try and being consistent in your actions. I've felt on my skin the taste of disappointment because of a lack of perseverance in obtaining certain pursued outcomes. Now I'm trying to create this kind of random picking wheel board games https://tools-unite.com/tools/random-picker-wheel, and I'd be grateful for feedback. Peace to everyone!
Do you have a landing page explaining your concept. I feel like this is more of an app helping with the logging part.
I'm not a gamer but something that lets you log and visualize your life very easily is definitely something worth doing.
Not yet, sadly. Working on throwing up a blog post explaining the project in more detail. The logging part is definitely part of it, but I think the social features also provide value - it’s also a good way to see what your friends are playing, and be able to get recommendations and such from them.