Open Video Game Data

Open Video Game Data aggregates curated video game lists from journalists, critics, and the community into a single ranked dataset.

Overview

• Goal: collect curated lists in one platform.
• Contribution: users can submit their own lists or transcribe reputable ranked source lists.
• Ranking: the site computes aggregate rankings for each final list or category.

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React + Vite in client/
• Backend: ASP.NET Core Web API (.NET 8)
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Authentication: Google Identity Services + JWT Bearer
• External API: IGDB
• Hosting: Render for the API, GitHub Pages or custom domain for the frontend

Local Setup

1. Clone the repository.

   git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/OpenVideoGameData.git
   cd OpenVideoGameData

2. Install .NET 8 SDK and Node.js 20+.
3. Configure backend environment variables in Properties\launchSettings.json or in your shell:
   • PGSQL_CONNECTION
   • IGDB_CLIENTID
   • IGDB_CLIENTSECRET
   • GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID
   • JWT_SECRET
4. Build and run the backend:

   dotnet build
   dotnet run

5. Install and run the frontend:

   cd client
   npm install
   npm run dev

Backend default local URL: https://localhost:5124

Frontend default local URL: http://localhost:5173

Frontend Environment

Create client/.env.development with:

VITE_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_google_client_id
VITE_API_BASE_URL=https://localhost:5124

Authentication Flow

1. The React frontend opens the Google sign-in popup.
2. Google returns an ID token to the frontend.
3. The frontend sends the token to POST /api/auth/google.
4. The backend validates the Google token and issues its own JWT.
5. The frontend stores the JWT and sends it in Authorization: Bearer <token>.
6. The frontend can verify the current authenticated identity through GET /api/auth/me.

Database Migrations

If you plan to modify the schema:

dotnet tool install --global dotnet-ef
dotnet ef migrations add YourMigrationName
dotnet ef database update

Rules for Submitting Critic Lists

• Must represent a journalist or critic opinion, not a personal list.
• Must be enumerated and ranked.
• Must not be based on another aggregate list.
• Maximum of 15 games per list. If the source has fewer than 15, include the full list.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a branch for your change.
3. Commit and push.
4. Open a pull request with a clear summary.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.