[XenCustomize] Video Game Threads: Forum & Thread Types 2.3.0

XenCustomize Video Game Threads for XenForo 2​

Turn your XenForo forum into the ultimate destination for gamers with XenCustomize Video Game Threads!

This powerful add-on introduces dedicated thread and forum types designed specifically for video games, complete with ratings, detailed metadata (developer, release date, price), categorized genres and platforms, and a professional hero-style header. The add-on also empowers your members to create personalized Game Shelves (e.g., "Playing", "Backlog," "Completed"), fostering a rich, organized, and interactive experience for gaming enthusiasts in your community.

This add-on is 100% community-driven. Your members create and enrich game threads with their own descriptions, screenshots, trailers, and reviews. This guarantees unique, organic content tailored to your forum, while giving you all the structure and features of a professional video game database.

Sponsored by @rovielran

Key Highlights​

Game-Centric Thread & Forum Types – Built specifically for video game discussions
Game Cover Image – Upload, replace, delete, or auto-assign from attachments
Integrated Rating System – Let users rate games with live updates
List & Grid Views – Browse games in clean list or modern grid layouts
Structured Game Data – Platforms, release date, developer, genres, and more
Sticky Sidebar – Game cover, community shelf stats, and user actions stay visible
User Game Shelves – Organize games as “Playing”, “Completed”, or “Backlog”
Community Shelf Stats – See how many users are playing or completed a game
Community-Driven – Games are added and curated by you and your members
Advanced Filtering & Sorting – Filter by platform, genre, rating, developer, release date
Consistent Game Display – Covers and ratings appear across the platform
SEO Friendly – Includes Schema.org VideoGame LD+JSON structured data

Notable Features​

Dedicated Game Types & Structure​

• Dedicated Game Thread Type: Unique thread type for games with structured fields for developer, status, release date, price, genres, and platforms.
• Dedicated Game Forum Type: Organize game discussions in a focused gaming hub with list or grid browsing.
• Automatic Data Preparation: Converting a forum into a Game Forum preps threads with game-specific data.
• Data Cleanup: Switching forum type back removes game-specific data automatically.
• Flexible Forum Type Conversion: Seamlessly convert any discussion, article, question, or suggestion forum into a Video Game Forum.

Community-Driven Content​

• Games are added and curated directly by your members.
• Members can enrich threads with their own short descriptions, trailer links, screenshots, and reviews.
• Unique, organic content without relying on external APIs.

Game Rating System​

• Users can rate games directly from the thread view (1–5 stars).
• Display average rating and rating counts in forum lists, grids, search results, and thread view.
• Supports quick rating without page reloads.
• Ratings dynamically update when users add or remove their ratings.
• Admins can enable/disable ratings, configure quick rating, and control placement.
• Ratings are securely stored with user, value, and date info.

Rich Game Data & Thread Display​

Store and showcase key game information:

• Game Title & Short Description
• Developer (e.g., Nintendo, Rockstar Games)
• Release Date
• Status (Released, Early Access, In Development, Announced, Cancelled)
• Price (e.g., $59.99, Free to Play)
• Genres (e.g., Action, RPG, Shooter)
• Platforms (e.g., PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Switch)
• Download & Trailer URLs
• Game Rating & Rating Count
• Game Cover Image

Lazy-Loaded Video Trailers​

Enhance your game threads with high-quality video content without sacrificing page speed.

• Performance-First Architecture – Trailers use a custom lazy-load system that only loads the heavy YouTube iframe when a user actually clicks to play.
• Smart Thumbnail Integration – Automatically fetches and displays high-resolution YouTube cover images as placeholders.
• Professional UI – Features a custom-styled play button with smooth hover animations and a sleek 16:9 cinematic aspect ratio.

Game Cover Image Management​

• Upload custom game covers (GIF, JPEG, PNG, WebP supported).
• Easily delete or replace covers.
• Recommended dimensions: 500x500 pixels.
• Auto-detects and sets first-post attachments as game covers when moved into a Game Forum.

Consistent Game Display Across the Platform​

Covers, ratings, and key info are visible in:

• Game Thread View
• Game Forum (List & Grid Views)
• Search Results
• User Game Libraries

Unique Game Thread View Design​

• Immersive Hero Header – A modern, high-impact layout featuring the game title, rating, developer, and quick-action library buttons.
• Smart Sidebar Integration – A dedicated sidebar block that houses the game cover, interaction buttons, and community statistics.
• Community Shelf Stats Grid – Visual display of community engagement (e.g., "15 people want to play," "42 people have played") to show game popularity at a glance.
• Enhanced Info Block – Key metadata like release date, status, and price visible at the top for immediate information retrieval.

Forum Display Style & Browse​

• List View: Rich detail display — cover, status, developer, release date, rating, summary.
• Grid View: Visual browsing — cover, rating, quick scanning.
• Filtering: Filter by Genre, Platform, Developer, Rating.
• Sorting: Sort by Rating, Recently Added, Release Date, or Title.

Personalized User Experience​

• User Game Libraries:
  • Want to Play – Games users plan to try.
  • Played – Games users have completed.
• Community Shelf Stats: “X people want to play,” “X people have played.”
• Integrated creation form for adding new games.
• Dedicated button for creating new game threads.

Integrations & Administration​

• SEO-ready Schema.org LD+JSON structured data.
• Full XenForo Feature Support:
  • Thread Prefixes
  • Custom Thread Fields
  • Thread Prompts
• Fine-grained permissions for game features.

With XenCustomize Video Game Threads, you'll build an engaging, structured, and visually stunning gaming hub where your community doesn’t just discuss games — they play, share, and connect!

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Compatible XF Versions​

• XenForo 2.3.x
• XenForo 2.2.x

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Screenshots​

Add Game Forum Type


Game Forum: Display styles (List & Grid)


Add/Edit Forum: Allowed Thread Types – Games


Nodes – Game Forum


User Group Permissions


Admin Options


Change Forum Type – Game


Change Forum Type - Game - Display Style (List view & Grid view)


Game Forum – Grid View


Game Forum – List View, Filter menu, Filter game block


Game Thread View (showing hero header, cover, rating, meta data, and game description)


Game Thread View (showing hero header, cover, rating, meta data, and game description)


Add Game Thread (creation form with developer, platforms, genres and other game data)


Game Thread – Upload/Delete Game Cover


Game Thread – Choose a Shelf for this Game


Your Account – Your Game Shelves (Want to Play / Played shelves)