Game Index
The game index is arguably the most important part of byte1ife, it being a gaming website and all. It contains information on most things game-related as you could probably assume. Users can use the index to build collections of the games they own in real life, which makes it easier to find similar gamers to play with. One thing to take note of is that the entire index is managed by the very users of this site. You too can contribute, but your privileges may be limited until you earn more Karma.
Browsing
On the main page of the Game Index, there are several ways to begin browsing. You can:
- Browse by selecting criteria in the sidebar.
- Use the search box to find a game (or expansion, DLC pack, mod, remake, etc.) you're looking for.
- Choose a game from the Just Released, Latest Additions, Upcoming Games, or Random Games sections.
Contributing
Ignoring karma limitations, there are many ways to contribute, including (but not limited to):
- Suggesting games that aren't currently listed in the game index.
- Writing your own review of a game.
- Uploading in-game screenshots.
- Participating in Events.
- Commenting on Reviews or Images.
Participating in Events
Now that you've gotten a hang of what the game index is and what it can do, perhaps you should try arguably one of the greatest features on byte1ife - Events! If you're wanting to play video games (like the rest of us) just go to the game of your choice's page. Then, click the Events tab near the top of the page. You should then see a blue button labeled Create Event. Navigating to this page and completing the form will allow you to create your own byte1ife Event. Otherwise, instead of clicking Create Event, look below under the Active Events or Upcoming Events sections. You can join any of these unless the Event Owner has changed the Event to private.
Reviews
Once one or more users write a review for a game, a byte1ife User Score will appear in the game page's sidebar. It is a simplified way to see what the community thinks of a game. It is calculated by averaging all user review scores for the game. Staff reviews are not given any preference; they are simply mixed in with the other reviews and are calculated into the average exactly the same way. byte1ife has not ever - and will not ever - accept any money or compensation for better review scores.
As you can see, you can definitely write your own reviews. To do so, first go to the main page of the game you'd like to review, then click on the Reviews tab near the top of the page. You should then see a blue button that says Write Review. Navigating to this page and completing the form will allow you to publish a game review to byte1ife.
In-Game Screenshots
If you'd like to upload Images and earn some Karma in the process, simply go to the main page of the game you've taken screenshots of, then click on the Images tab near the top of the page. You should then see a blue button that says Upload Image. A small window will appear with a few basic options, most importantly the Browse button. This will allow you to choose an image from your device to upload.
If you'd like to see more options with your Images, try viewing one of your Images then looking below it for the Edit Information button. It will allow you to specify more details which will help others that are browsing through the Image Index.
Low Spec
Low Spec is one of many Traits being tracked in our Game Index. Low Spec games must meet a certain criteria:
- Recently released computer hardware is not required to run the software. Can run on a Core 2 Duo or older.
- Often times can run on a computer with integrated CPU graphics, no graphics card necessary. Requires 512 MB of VRAM (Video-dedicated RAM) or less to run.
- Requires 2 GB of RAM or less.
- Requires 2 GB or less of storage space.
