How to calculate time spent playing games?

Headshot Haven is an original demo project designed as a comprehensive system for automatic collection, processing, and analysis of real-time gaming activity data.

The project was created out of the need to build a tool that not only monitors player activity, but also:

• Integrates with multiple data sources – PlayStation Network, Steam, Xbox Live
• Automates the entire ETL process – from fetching data via API, through transformation, to reporting
• Analyzes behavior patterns – detects trends, anomalies, and user preferences
• Uses machine learning – forecasts future activity based on historical data
• Delivers real-time notifications – Discord API integration

TECHNOLOGIES USED

• Automation: Python, VBA, Power Query
• Database: MySQL
• API Integrations (incl.): Steam, PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Discord, Microsoft Graph
• Machine Learning: Facebook Prophet, XGBoost
• Visualization and analysis: MS Excel
• Notifications: Discord (automatic notification system)

The system automatically tracks and reports playtime, giving players real insight into how much time they spend on individual titles. This makes it easier to:

• notice which games consume the most time,
• better manage free time,
• set limits or goals (e.g. less time grinding, more on new games),
• share progress with others and have healthier conversations about gaming.

On Discord you will receive:

• notifications when a session starts – what, where, and since when the player is playing,
• session summaries – how long it lasted, what was achieved, what the progress is, and what the weekly/monthly balance looks like.

This is not just a bot – it’s an assistant that helps manage time spent gaming before it starts managing the player.

TWO DIMENSIONS OF THE PROJECT:

The system works automatically in the background and integrates with Discord among others:

• automatically records every gaming session (start and end),
• counts time spent on individual titles,
• creates monthly and weekly summaries,
• tracks progress in unlocking trophies and achievements,
• data is saved in the database and ready for further analysis or forecasting.

Analytical system – automation without an analyst:

• the system detects the start and end of a gaming session,
• pulls data from platforms (Steam, Xbox, PSN),
• saves it to the database, calculates, and reports to MS Excel,
• Machine learning analyzes the data and identifies trends.

No need to install an additional application – it’s enough for the player to launch the game on console or PC.

WHY DISCORD AS THE NOTIFICATION CHANNEL?

Discord is the space where gamers already spend their time. Notifications appear where the user is active – without the need to install additional apps or check emails. This makes communication intuitive and does not disrupt the natural flow of gaming.

The Discord API opens up broad possibilities: from clear, attractive notifications in the form of embeds with icons and colors, through webhooks enabling sending without a permanent bot, to instant real-time information delivery.

Instant delivery of playtime information is much more effective than waiting for the user to check the data on a website or in an Excel spreadsheet. At the moment a session ends, the player is most aware of their experience – the message arrives in the perfect context, when decisions about continuing to play or taking a break are still relevant. This makes the notification act as quick feedback, supporting conscious time management and eliminating the “I’ll check it later” barrier that often leads to ignoring the data.

What does a Discord notification look like?

• Game: Hunt: Showdown
• Playtime: 1h 43 min
• Trophies earned: +2
• Last unlocked: “Wipe Them Out”
• Progress percentage: from 38% to 41%

Every gaming session is automatically recorded by the application and saved to the database. Thanks to integration with Power Query and APIs, reports in MS Excel are available instantly – without manual refreshing or file imports. This means full automation: from data collection, through updates, to presentation in clear dashboards.

The user always receives up-to-date information in real time, allowing for quick analysis and conscious decisions without additional effort.

Player Benchmark

Benchmarking player activity broken down by games and users.

Player activity comparison includes average session time, standard deviations, and identification of outliers (players deviating from the norm).

Why is this important?

Benchmarking provides context – not only how much a single user plays, but how their behavior compares to others. This allows analysis of engagement, detection of behavioral anomalies, and creation of more accurate recommendations. It is a tool that turns raw data into valuable insights.

GAME SESSIONS CUMULATIVE

Cumulative playtime in the form of a clear bar chart.
The visualization presents the accumulating number of hours for selected games and users within a given time range. This is not just aesthetics – it is an analytical tool that allows quick assessment of which titles generate the greatest engagement and how activity changes over time.

Why is this important for analytics?

Precise measurement of playtime – data is recorded automatically and available in real time, eliminating errors from manual reporting.
Tracking trends and engagement dynamics – the chart enables identification of increases, decreases, and seasonality, which is crucial for user behavior analysis, campaign planning, or product optimization.

GAME SESSIONS – TIME SPEND

Daily playtime distributions in an intuitive visualization

GAME TIME LIMIT EXCEEDANCE ALERT SYSTEM

The system analyzes data from completed sessions and identifies the exact moment when a player exceeds a defined playtime limit – daily, weekly, or monthly. Alerts take activity context into account, so you know not only when the limit was exceeded, but also in which game.

Why is this important?

Alerts are presented in a clear format that allows immediate identification of:

• Who exceeded the limit (username),
• When it happened (exact date and time),
• In which activity (specific game or session).

This solution eliminates the need to manually search reports – the analyst receives precise indications that support behavior analysis, anomaly detection, and data-driven recommendations.

MACHINE LEARNING – DYNAMIC FEATURES

The Headshot Haven system uses machine learning models powered by an updated Excel database of games.

Static input data (features) include:

• Game name
• Type (Single/Multi Player)
• Genre
• Estimated completion time (Time To Beat)
• Player rating
• Release date

ML models predict playtime and player activity, creating a behavioral pattern based on:

• User behavior (historical sessions, daily rhythm, cumulative time)
• Game properties (e.g. completion time, gameplay type, release date)
• Context (e.g. season, day of the week)

This enables:

• Early detection of changes in interest in titles
• Building reports and alerts based on future behavior

FORECASTS BY TIME SERIES

Advanced time series analysis based on Prophet models

FORECAST BY BEHAVIOUR

Forecasting player behavior based on historical patterns.
The module analyzes data from previous sessions to predict days of increased activity and peak times for selected players and titles. This enables forward planning and better alignment of experiences with user expectations.

Why is this important?

Session planning – optimization of schedules and in-game events.
Identification of potential active days – leveraging moments of highest engagement.
Prediction of game completion time – key for recommendations, retention, and personalization.

This tool allows moving from reactive analysis to proactive management of player behavior, supporting business decisions and product development strategy.

Comparison of the system with Parental Control solutions:

Headshot Haven takes a completely different approach than classic parental control systems. Where traditional solutions act with delay or according to a schedule, Headshot Haven reacts instantly – it detects the start of a game in real time. This allows the user to immediately see the effects of their activity.

Instead of acting as a guardian that blocks and warns, Headshot Haven acts as an assistant and companion. It observes, reports, and helps build self-awareness. Instead of hiding data, it shares it – through clear Discord notifications available to both the player and their community.

The system not only records every session but also analyzes playtime, earned trophies, and the share of individual titles in total activity. This is a level of detail missing in traditional tools, which usually limit themselves to general summaries or access blocks.

Headshot Haven was created for conscious players who want to manage their time rather than be managed by it. It is a tool supporting development, discipline, and reflection, not enforcing obedience. Its goal is to strengthen dialogue – not only with oneself, but also with other players. Thanks to Discord integration, it encourages conversations about progress and games.

The system works across hardware divides – it supports Steam, PSN, Xbox, and Discord in one place. Data is synchronized across devices and stored centrally, ensuring consistency of reports regardless of the source. While other systems restrict the user, Headshot Haven opens new possibilities – including using data for reporting, forecasting, and AI-powered analysis.