Tool to organize your games.

[joshisfop]

I'm sick of having all my games crowding my desktop so I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions of a program that organizes all your games and shows cover art and launches them. something like they have in the lan centers?

Also, I tried a program called "Game Launcher" but It ended up deleting all the games.

 

[Herr_Koos]

I do as a matter of fact.. It's called Windows 7.

 

[Herr_Koos]

But, if you don't have Windows 7, here's a cheap-and-easy alternative. I also hate having a desktop full of icons, so I simply created a folder on the desktop called (you guessed it) Games, and then moved all my game shortcuts in there. You can do the same with applications. It moves them one click further away, but it's worth it to get rid of the mess that is the average desktop.

 

[13thmonkey]

register them with steam, new folder is simplest idea.

 

[Herr_Koos]

register them with steam, new folder is simplest idea.

Only if you bought it off Steam.

 

[isamuelson]

Only if you bought it off Steam.

Actually, no. You can add non-steam games to your steam list as well. There's an "Add non-steam game" button in the games list that allows you to add non-steam games already registered on your machine to the Steam list. If the game doesn't show up in that list, then you can manually browse to the executable and add it to Steam that way. That's what I've done. I can launch all my games from within Steam.

Or, go your route which is add the games to the folder (including Steam games) and if it's a steam game, it will just launch steam first (if you don't already have it running, but I have Steam launch when Windows starts) and you're off and running!

 

[Herr_Koos]

Ah! Didn't know you could do that. Personally, I wouldn't go the Steam route, since anything launched via Steam takes ages to start up, at least in my experience...

 

[JDV28]

EW, no steam!
use a folder, give it a controller icon so it looks good and then you're set, i gotta organize my desktop too..

 

[Herr_Koos]

I like way Windows 7 does it, I must admit. It shows a nice big preview of the box art, allows you to check online for updates (although this doesn't seem to work for older games), and even gives you some (mostly useless) stats like when last you launched the game, etc. It's not perfect, but it's a nice touch, and infinitely better than icons scattered all over the desktop.

 

[SpinachEater]

I put them in a folder called "games" on my desktop but then linked the folder in my task bar so it pops up as a game menu on the right side.

You just right click the tray, select "toolbars" and then "new toolbar" and then select your folder that has the games.

 

[isamuelson]

Or just drag them into the Games folder itself. That's something else I do as well if it's not added there.

 

[exilor]

Well I'm actually working on a solution to the same problem by creating a whole experience around your PC Games. Its an open source project I've been working on for a few years now, still in Alpha but should be pretty serviceable for your needs: auroragamehub.com