Playnist aims to be the Goodreads for games

For many, tracking the media they consume has become an intrinsic ritual.

Goodreads was founded in 2007 to provide a platform for bibliophiles to catalogue their libraries and discuss their favourite titles, which in turn inspired the creation of Letterboxd in 2011 for film lovers.

While there are game tracking sites like Backloggd and Infinite Backlog for players to catalogue their never-ending piles of played/unplayed titles, it’s hard to find a platform that unites the community-first approach to tracking like Goodreads.

This was something content creator Emma Nicole noticed as she was tracking her reading milestones, realising there was a major gap in the market.

“Goodreads and Letterboxd gave us the format, but we’ve tailored it to fit the experience of how gamers play, connect, and discover”

“As a Goodreads user, I felt like my gaming experiences were not being celebrated in the same way my reading ones were,” Nicole tells GamesIndustry.biz. “There are a few existing tools out there, but nothing that personally enticed me to use them or felt like it represented me. That’s when I realised there was a clear gap, and Playnist was born.”

The core tools of Playnist are familiar. Like Goodreads does for books, Playnist enables users to discover, track, organise, and share their experiences and thoughts on the games they play.

Nicole notes that while the foundation of Playnist isn’t new, she and the team have “adapted [the tools] for how gamers actually share experiences today”.

“For example, reviews on Playnist aren’t just ratings. As a content creator for the last four years, I noticed that viewers really appreciate the unique perspective that a creator offers. Creators can provide direct comparisons, context, or their personal journey with a game, and that kind of perspective is way more valuable than a single rating. Playnist is designed to amplify those voices.”

Nicole also wants users to be able to curate their own aesthetically pleasing place to house their favourite games.

“Creating a digital archive of your games will be very visual and exciting,” she enthuses. “Our first focus is nailing the core offering, then expanding into features the community is looking for. Platforms like Goodreads and Letterboxd gave us the format, but we’ve tailored it to fit the experience of how gamers play, connect, and discover.”

A safe space for underrepresented gamers

Aside from filling a gap in the market for players wanting to track their games, Nicole emphasises that the main focus of Playnist is establishing a space for underrepresented gamers and genres.

“Playnist comes from my own experience in the industry, both as a creator and as a player, where I’ve witnessed how communities have been neglected,” says Nicole.

“Too many mainstream platforms treat moderation as an afterthought, and some players end up avoiding entire games or spaces because of it.

“In our communities, games are such a meaningful part of our lives, and everyone deserves to feel represented and comfortable sharing those experiences. One of our core goals is to make Playnist a space to celebrate gaming experiences, so it’s essential that players can feel safe while doing that.”

While Playnist is for everyone, there is a specific focus on keeping margnalised gamers safe, as well as fostering a community-first platform.

“Playnist is built for gamers who want a more meaningful and community-driven way to track and share their gaming experiences,” says Nicole. “Game discovery is powered by people – where you can connect with friends, other gamers and creators, whose opinion you trust.”

The platform is working with “a group of trusted voices in the gaming community” known as Playnist Ambassadors, which is comprised of content creators, community leaders, and moderators.

They will have first access to the platform prior to the launch of the public beta in December.

Focused approach to moderation

Between now and its beta launch, Playnist is prioritising how it will moderate the platform to ensure safety and visibility remain its top priority. “That’s a key difference from most existing platforms,” Nicole emphasises.

“Moderation won’t be an afterthought on Playnist, and it’s something we’ve built into our foundation from the start. We see platforms only deal with it once a problem spirals, but for us it’s a top priority.”

Nicole says there are “several layers” to the platform’s moderation, with three clear goals for it to follow from launch:

• Clear community guidelines from day one
• Proactive tools and a reporting system that make it easy for users to flag issues
• Dedicated moderation as Playnist scales

“Most importantly, our design decisions also support a safe space, as content and reviews are encouraged to be thoughtful and intentional, rather than designed for shock or virality,” Nicole notes. “As the community grows, our moderation will grow with it, but it will always remain central to how we build Playnist.”

“Moderation is something we’ve built into our foundation from the start. We see platforms only deal with it once a problem spirals, but for us it’s a top priority”

As a community-driven platform, connection is encouraged. But Nicole stresses that she and the team were “really deliberate” about how users could communicate with each other on Playnist.

“We do not seek to be a social platform that feeds into endless scrolling, virality moments, or current trends,” she says.

“Instead, we are a platform that favours value. Content is produced with intention: where discovery and game recommendations come from people you trust, and game reviews are encouraged to be meaningful. We want every experience on Playnist to provide value to users.”

Nicole explains that Playnist wanted to take a more bare bones approach to integrating familiar aspects of social media, such as being able to follow friends and creators, upvoting, and reacting to comments.

“All of this is to provide users with the best experience, personalising their feeds and showcasing the most inspiring content on the platform [instead of] doomscrolling.”

Spotlight on neglected genres

By fostering a safe environment for users to engage with one another, Nicole is hopeful that the connections forged on the platform will help shine a light on neglected genres that are often overshadowed by mainstream games.

“Playnist is built for gamers who want a more meaningful and community-driven way to track and share their gaming experiences, and a big part of that is providing a space for genres like cosy and casual games,” Nicole explains. “[These genres] are often neglected and buried under generic categories and poor discoverability on other platforms.

“By giving those genres visibility, we naturally create a home for likeminded gamers who share those passions – gamers who are creative, passionate, and share similar interests.”

She continues: “Game discovery on Playnist is powered by people – where you can connect with friends, other gamers and creators, whose opinion you trust. We’re working closely with a group of trusted voices in the gaming community [known as Playnist Ambassadors] who are already known and trusted for their perspectives.

“Creator-led discovery is hugely valuable and we recognise how influencers and creators can inspire their communities.”

Future of Playnist

It’s early days for Playnist, but that hasn’t stopped Nicole from envisioning a solid roadmap for the platform well into the new year.

Nicole explains that as the platform grows, new features will be implemented including profile customisation and custom collections, as well as a mobile app.

“[Playnist aims to] give gamers one central, intentional place to track, share, and connect, without all the noise”

“The community will be an integral part in learning the wants and needs of the platform, so we’re excited to see how Playnist evolves with them,” she says.

As Playnist establishes itself as a central hub for users to track, share, and analyse the games they play, Nicole hopes the platform will provide players with “a sense of pride and celebration around their gaming”.

“The feeling of looking back at your library and remembering when you played a certain game, or seeing what your friends are into right now. Those are powerful moments,” she says.

“I’d love to see communities that are formed on social media find a home here, but I’m just as excited for new ones to form directly from Playnist. It’s not about replacing those other spaces, but giving gamers one central, intentional place to track, share, and connect, without all the noise.”