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Олександр КузьменкоGameDev Eng
11 July 2025, 11:46
2025-07-11
“I’m a little worried that the server will hold up and that AWS won’t ruin me.” How a Ukrainian gamer with IT experience created a service for tracking gaming statistics GRAVK
Recently, a Ukrainian gaming enthusiast with the nickname N1kk0 introduced the GRAVK service, which allows gamers to manage their game library, track statistics, and create lists. dev.ua talked to the project developer and found out how tired he was of IT, but later found a «second wind», how much the number of registrations for the release exceeded his expectations, and why a dog appeared in the GRAVK logo.
Recently, a Ukrainian gaming enthusiast with the nickname N1kk0 introduced the GRAVK service, which allows gamers to manage their game library, track statistics, and create lists. dev.ua talked to the project developer and found out how tired he was of IT, but later found a «second wind», how much the number of registrations for the release exceeded his expectations, and why a dog appeared in the GRAVK logo.
GRAVK developer background
«Friends, the release of the project, which I have been planning for a long time and actively developing for the past six months, has taken place. I have already implemented a lot of unique things, and there are still a lot of ideas. Drop in, join if you wish, or manage your statistics in private mode», — N1kk0 reported on X (Twitter).
In a comment to dev.ua, he said that he has been playing video games since the mid-90s, and started with the ZX Spectrum and Sega.
«I’ve always been interested in following various statistics, especially since around 2009, when I joined Steam and LastFM. I play a lot and watch a lot of movies. And if IMDB was disappointing with its limited functionality (it’s trite, it’s convenient not to share even a rating on social networks), then everything was sad with games in general. I remember using Raptr for a while, this application was quite good at automatically pulling up current game data from different platforms. But, unfortunately, it closed,» the gamer notes.
N1kk0 noted that he initially wanted to make a tracker for movies and TV series, but at some point he noticed the Letterboxd service. It attracted him with its functionality and a community that «appreciates auteur cinema.»
«It’s also not perfect: it’s overloaded in some places, the logic of the content isn’t very comfortable in others. However, it inspired me even more to create something similar. And I decided to focus on video games. I planned for years, jotted down various ideas, but never got around to developing them,» the IT guy admits.
He said that he had been working in web development for a long time, where he started with layout, then PHP, but he got tired and «rebelled from IT for three years» and «spent freelancing.»
«Somewhere in 2020-21, I was inspired again by trying React. Because my main job is frontend, and I need and want to develop more broadly, I started playing around with Node.js and minimal development a little bit. And at some point I decided to combine this with my long-standing dream of creating a game project,» the IT guy said.
Screenshot from the GRAVK service
How GRAVK works
N1kk0 positions GRAVK as a platform for tracking video games. It allows players to build their collection, lists of completed and wanted games, track progress, share achievements, and discover new games.
«Regarding the name: I was thinking of something concise and something about games and tracking in the name — that’s how it turned out — „Gravk“ (played — barked). The name also contains the word „gav“, which is why the mascot became a playful dog,» the developer explains.
Currently, the service offers a basic catalog with filters, including a search for games with Ukrainian localization. Players have access to profiles and social elements: subscriptions, feed, likes, etc., as well as the ability to add games as purchased, completed, played.
In addition, GRAVK allows you to mark whether all achievements have been obtained and whether the user has played the project on Steam Deck. There is also the ability to rate games and leave reviews. There is an opportunity to conveniently share your profile — upload a screenshot of the section without unnecessary elements. And the generation of three types of game lists (regular, ranked and the so-called tearlist) is available even for unregistered users.
«There is an option to transfer your games from Steam. This module is still in beta: it doesn’t always match everything and doesn’t always update everyone’s last time they played. Privacy settings and various Steam restrictions affect this. However, on average, 80-90% of games can be added as purchased and updated with hours played. This will speed up the process of filling out your profile a little,» says N1kk0.
According to him, existing game trackers didn’t suit him in terms of functionality; they were either overloaded, inconvenient, or lacking something. N1kk0 noted that he needed minimalism and «interesting specific features» that were not available in analogues, such as the ability to conveniently share a profile and individual sections.
«That is, first of all, I developed the project for myself: I constantly thought about how to make it convenient for me to manage my game story,» assures the developer GRAVK.
Impressions from the release and plans for the future
The project interested Ukrainian players and attracted attention on social networks.
«I just registered last night, and what can I say: this is a stupid world-class competitor growing in this area. I’m very pleasantly surprised,» noted one of the X users (Twitter).
«It’s very convenient that you can immediately integrate your Steam profile and download a list of almost all games. I’m already gradually filling out my profile, join me,» wrote another.
At the release, GRAVK encountered an influx of users that the developer had not expected, causing registration to become temporarily unavailable until the limit from the AWS mail service was increased.
N1kk0 says the number of users has «far exceeded» his expectations. «Now I’m a little worried that the server will hold up and that AWS won’t ruin me. Over 300 users signed up in the first day,» he noted.
👥 GRAVK 1.1.0 update
— Added a user page with search and the ability to subscribe immediately — Removed unnecessary notifications during tracking — Optimized activity navigation
We planned to celebrate when we had 100 users, but there are already almost 400 of you 😳 Thank you! 💛 pic.twitter.com/b8ZtBMtALW
According to the IT expert, he is currently engaged in «polishing and improving» and is reviewing all comments and promptly trying to implement critical changes. Three days have passed since the release of GRAVK, and during this time the service has received three updates that improve search and other site functionality.
«It’s nice that people like it too. We’ll develop it then. I know that there’s still a lot to be polished, I listen to all complaints and wishes. In addition, I still have a lot of ideas that I want to implement over time,» says the developer.
He said he plans to introduce more social elements and general statistics.
«Displaying reviews and ratings on game pages. Maybe leaderboards and achievements. More integrations and automations. I will also try not to lose minimalism with rich functionality. And when we have everything polished, I will start developing a mobile application,» the IT specialist says about his plans.
N1kk0 added that he has not yet considered monetizing the project, but has ideas for implementing «some kind of light premium» to cover the costs of the server and related services. However, for now, he is focused on improving GRAVK to make the platform as user-friendly as possible.
Краса та меланхолія кінця світу. За що світ полюбив The Last of Us?
2 вересня 2022 — дата виходу ремейку The Last of Us, який отримав назву The Last of Us Part I. Доцільність випуску повного ремейку, який робили з нуля для не настільки старої гри ще стоїть під питанням. Але заслуг першоджерела він не зменшує.
Адже 2013 року The Last of Us стала справжнім одкровенням для ігрової індустрії. Один із останніх ексклюзивів для PlayStation 3 остаточно вивів студію Naughty Dog у «вищу лігу», заодно продемонструвавши всьому світу, як можна робити ігри з акцентом на наратив. І на честь релізу рімейку ми вирішили згадати оригінал, який назавжди залишив слід у ігровій індустрії.
Професії у геймдеві. Хто такий левел-дизайнер і як ним стати?
Ми продовжуємо нашу рубрику, присвячену професіям у геймдеві. Тема нового матеріалу в ній — левел-дизайн. Його вважають підвидом геймдизайну, але все-таки практично кожна студія хоче окрему людину на позицію левел-дизайнера. Адже у цій спеціальності вистачає своїх нюансів та особливостей.
Розібратися з ними всіма нам допоміг досвідчений левел-дизайнер зі студії Fractured Byte Дмитро Нестеренко. Також він веде свій блог Game Designer Notes про геймдизайн в цілому, в якому розбирає багато цікавих нюансів розробки ігор.
