Add Proper Play Mode Metadata to the Games Database

📋 Summary

Add dedicated Play Mode metadata to the LaunchBox Games Database so games can be categorized by how multiplayer actually works.

❗ Problem

LaunchBox can display Play Mode locally, but the Games Database does not appear to store detailed Play Mode values for regular game entries.

Instead, Play Mode is generally inferred from broader metadata such as whether a game is cooperative or how many players it supports.

This makes it difficult to accurately track and search for specific multiplayer types, such as:

• 3-player simultaneous

• 4-player simultaneous

• 2-player alternating

• Competitive player-versus-player

• Cooperative multiplayer

💡 Proposal

Add Play Mode as a proper editable metadata field in the LaunchBox Games Database.

Supported values could include:

• Single player

• 2-player simultaneous

• 3-player simultaneous

• 4-player simultaneous

• 2-player alternating

• 4-player alternating

• Cooperative

• Player versus player

These values should be available for database contributors to submit, edit, and correct.

🧩 Use Cases

• Find all 4-player simultaneous games on a platform

• Separate co-op games from competitive multiplayer games

• Improve metadata for platforms where multiplayer details are currently vague

• Let contributors correct missing or incomplete multiplayer information

📦 Benefits

• More accurate multiplayer metadata

• Better filtering and playlist creation

• More useful Games Database search results

• Improved community data over time

⚠️ Considerations

Play Mode values should have clear definitions so contributors apply them consistently. Broad values like “Multiplayer” may still be useful when exact behavior is unknown.