The Birth of the Tournament Maker Application: TheGameWatchers
The story behind TheGameWatchers: how a group of friends playing EA FC and PES on PlayStation nights turned notes-app scoreboards into a full tournament maker app.
For years, my friends and I loved getting together to play games like EA FC and PES. We would gather around the PlayStations with a large group of friends and play matches for hours.
From Free Picks to Random Teams
At first, everyone chose the team they wanted. Later, to make the games more competitive, we started using the random team selection feature in the game. We played matches with randomly selected teams and kept track of the results in the notes app on our phones. We also created a league table to determine who won the most matches and who became the champion.
Drawing Teams From a Bag
We continued playing this way for some time. Then, inspired by major tournament events, we decided to choose the teams by drawing them from a bag. We mixed the selected teams in a closed bag, and everyone picked a team in turn. We recorded the results in the notes app and created a detailed archive.
From Notes App to Application
After a while, managing and recording everything became difficult, so I wanted to automate the process. This is how TheGameWatchers was born. Over time, we also added new features, such as overall statistics and a list of all-time champions.
If you enjoy getting together with friends and playing PlayStation matches in a tournament-style format, this application is perfect for you.
Getting Started
First, you create a group in TheGameWatchers and share it with your friends using their email addresses. Gmail accounts are required. This allows everyone to access the group. Your friends must log in to the application to see the group. Email notifications and invitations are not available yet. :)
Next, you enter the players' names in the Users section and prepare the fixtures. Finally, you select a league and create the tournament.
Enjoy the game!