Ever wondered what it takes to build a gaming reviewing platform — but solo?
Over the past 2 years, I designed and developed The Gamer Bros, a full-stack gaming hub where users can:
- Create their own gaming profiles.
- Write reviews for any PC or console game.
- Wishlist titles they want to play.
- Participate in threaded forum discussions.
This was more than a side project — it was a deep dive into scaling modern web apps using React, Next.js, Firebase, and Redux.
Tech Stack Overview
- Frontend: React.js + Next.js for SEO and performance
- State Management: Redux Toolkit
- UI Library: Material UI (MUI)
- Backend: Firebase (Firestore, Auth, Cloud Functions)
- Hosting: Firebase Hosting + Vercel for hybrid routes
Key Features
- Dynamic game profiles with wishlist, library, and progress tracking.
- Rich-text reviews with rating, spoilers toggle, and shareable links.
- Threaded comments like Reddit — infinitely nested.
- Responsive design tested across multiple browsers/devices.
Biggest Challenges
Real-time scaling with Firestore
Optimizing query performance and paginating large game libraries without hitting read limits.
Nested comment rendering
Creating an expandable threaded forum structure using recursion while maintaining speed and readability.
Dynamic SEO meta rendering
Implementing dynamic
tags for review pages using next/head for better discoverability.User state management
Syncing real-time auth, game data, and profile info with Redux and Firebase listeners — without breaking hydration in SSR.
Try it yourself
The Gamer Broz website
Check out the platform live — browse reviews, wishlist games, or create a gaming profile.
Screenshots from the website
User Profile Dashboard
Game Details Page
Game Review Writing Page
Game Search Page
And many more fun stuff... live on the website.
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