Incentive System for LaunchBox Games Database Contributors

📋 Summary

Introduce an incentive or gamification system to encourage users to contribute metadata, artwork, and moderation efforts to the LaunchBox Games Database. Contributors could earn progress, badges, or unlockables for verified submissions — fostering engagement, quality, and community pride.

🎯 Feature Overview

• Contribution Rewards:

  • Earn points for approved submissions (e.g., new games, media uploads, metadata fixes).

  • Bonus points for completing entire platform sets or filling missing data fields.

• Progress Tracking:

  • Visual progress indicators such as collectible “badges,” “ranks,” or “completion bars.”

  • A personal contribution dashboard showing stats like:

    • Submissions accepted

    • Platforms contributed to

    • Top categories (e.g., art, metadata, moderation)

• Community Recognition:

  • Leaderboards for weekly/monthly top contributors.

  • “Featured Contributor” highlights on the LaunchBox Games Database website.

  • Optional display of badges or contributor level in user profiles.

• Unlockable Perks (Optional):

  • Cosmetic rewards within LaunchBox or the website (e.g., themed profile frames or icons).

  • Early beta access or special recognition titles for top contributors.

  • Exclusive theme or startup video downloads as thank-you gifts.

🛠 Example Use Case

• A user uploads missing box art and descriptions for an obscure Sega Saturn title.

  • Their submission is approved.

  • They earn 25 contribution points and a “Preservationist” badge.

  • Their progress bar fills another piece toward completing the “Saturn Library Archivist” rank.

📦 Benefits

• Encourages more active and consistent database contributions.

• Strengthens the community and fosters a sense of ownership over the database.

• Improves overall data quality, completeness, and accuracy.

• Adds a fun and rewarding layer to an otherwise technical task.

💡 Notes

• Contributions should be verified by moderators before points are awarded to maintain data quality.

• System could integrate seamlessly into existing LaunchBox accounts and profiles.

• Incentives would remain non-monetary and community-driven, focusing on recognition and contribution tracking rather than competition.