I used Gemini to scan and organize 400 physical games to avoid an app's subscription

I have over 400 physical games across every platform I own, and I stack them in containers to manage space.

With so many games, I forget whether I own a particular game and on which platform.

I came across a new iOS app that scans all my games and catalogs my collection. It was the answer I was looking for to organize my games.

But after seeing the app's subscription model, I decided to build my own solution.

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By  Anu Joy

Gemini helped me catalog over 400 physical games and saved time

Using AI to build a database

I considered creating a Google Sheets document to catalog every game, but that would take days considering my busy schedule.

I came across an iOS app called Cibby that scans physical games and catalogs them in the app.

The app also lets me export the list to an Excel sheet I can use offline or in Google Sheets. I started scanning my games and realized the free tier only lets me add up to nine games.

After a brief chuckle, I knew that I wasn't going to subscribe to an app service to catalog my physical collection. It felt scummy and left a bad taste in my mouth.

The subscription cost didn't sit well with me, and I was determined to find a solution to organize my games without opening my wallet.

That's when I remembered Gemini can convert images into lists, and I wondered if it could create tables.

To my surprise, it was possible.

I was excited because I wouldn't have to deal with Cibby's exorbitant recurring fees and be locked into a platform. I could do it myself and save money.

It was a basic yet effective solution. I didn't have to scan barcodes or use a third-party database. What's cool is that I could keep an offline list and add to it as I acquired more games.

So I grabbed a few games and started scanning the front and the spine of the cases.

After I had 20 to 40 games stacked together and taken a few pictures, I uploaded the images to Gemini's chat with the following prompt I derived from Gemini:

Please scan this photo of my game collection. Identify all the games you see and put them into a clean Markdown table. Focus only on readable text. Include columns for Game Title, Platform/System, and Developer/Publisher if visible.

Gemini will create a table after extracting all the text, which you can export as a CSV-ready list to Google Sheets. If you plan to replicate this, I advise doing it in batches, since getting a clear image of all 400 games isn't viable.

I also ran into minor issues that were easy to fix.

Gemini screwed up some of the game titles because some images weren't clear. For Gemini to scan everything accurately, I needed to use clearer pictures with the text visible.

To improve Gemini's scanning, here are some things I made sure to follow:

• Take pictures in good lighting.
• Avoid glare as much as possible, especially on title names.
• Overlapping spines and damaged boxes may require removing the cover for clearer scans.
• Take shots from multiple angles.

The Free tier for Google Gemini has rate limits and quality differences; I used the method above with a Google AI Plus subscription.

If you are on the free tier, you can work around it by uploading images via different sessions, for example, from your phone or the web client.

I also recommend asking Gemini to summarize the growing list with each batch you add. When needed, I asked Gemini to duplicate the file with updated information, so I'd have a backup.

When I checked the results, I was surprised to see Gemini had structured my games into a searchable table with all the fields I requested.

I was happy with the result, and Gemini saved me a lot of money because I was close to subscribing to Cibby.

If I'd built my games' database manually, it would have taken days instead of an hour. For once, Gemini delivered what I was hoping for.

While this experiment worked as I intended, I also inadvertently solved one of my problems.

Remember when I said that I would constantly forget which game I owned and on which platform? Well, Gemini solved that too.

Since I've connected Gemini to Google Sheets and other apps, I can ask it whether I own a game right from my phone's home screen.

Here's the prompt I use with my voice:

Do I own Nier Automata on the Nintendo Switch? Access and check the Physical Games Collection file in Google Sheets.

Gemini could tell me whether I own the game and on which platform without me having to access the file.

I also created a separate Google Keep list called "Games Wishlist" and asked Gemini to add games to the list if I didn't own them.

I used Gemini scanning for games, but you can use it for anything

Scan DVDs, books, and plenty more physical items

While building my database, I realized this process has more uses than just scanning games.

You can use it to scan DVDs, music CDs, vinyls, books, medicines, coins, or toys.

Sure, scanning coins or other types of physical items may require Google Lens for better identification and visual cataloging, but it should work.

I own quite a few fantasy series in physical form, and I used Gemini to summarize them so I can get back into reading.

When AI services like Gemini launched, I was skeptical about their capabilities. But I never knew I'd use them to track, organize, and maintain hobby databases.

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By  Jon Gilbert

A new hope for physical collectors

Tracking everything you own as a physical collector can be a major pain point. But thanks to some ingenuity, I was able to avoid the anxiety.

I avoided an app's expensive subscription model by asking Gemini to replicate the same feature.

I didn't waste an entire weekend cataloging games, and I still achieved what I wanted.

Next, I'll repeat the same process for hundreds of books I own.