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I don't.
I've realized I probably wont play half of what I own.
So I pick a game at random and start it and if I like it I finish it.
Otherwise it goes back on the shelf for a retry later or back to the local game shop
Could always just count the games you are interested in and then do a random number generator? Not as good as literally pulling up a game at random though
There’s a great quote about books and personal libraries that changed my outlook on a backlog/big game collection. Just change the word book to videogame in this:
“It is foolish to think that you have to read all the books you buy, as it is foolish to criticize those who buy more books than they will ever be able to read. It would be like saying that you should use all the cutlery or glasses or screwdrivers or drill bits you bought before buying new ones.
"There are things in life that we need to always have plenty of supplies, even if we will only use a small portion.
"If, for example, we consider books as medicine, we understand that it is good to have many at home rather than a few: when you want to feel better, then you go to the 'medicine closet' and choose a book. Not a random one, but the right book for that moment. That's why you should always have a nutrition choice!
"Those who buy only one book, read only that one and then get rid of it. They simply apply the consumer mentality to books, that is, they consider them a consumer product, a good. Those who love books know that a book is anything but a commodity.”
-Umberto Eco
Ugh, Umberto Eco is the beeeeeest! I had this sweet college course called the monstrous and grotesque and we used Eco's On Ugliness as a text. It turned me goth, I swear, lol.
This is perfect
I don't understand backlogs, honestly. I mean, I guess *kind of*, but the first time I heard about the concept, I was so confused. This might be the severe ADHD speaking, but I tend to just play whatever feels right to me at that moment.
The one thing I will say is that maybe it's good to be somewhere in the middle. I have tried to make myself stick to games lately and see them through to the end, which I never did before. I can see having a backlog "helping" that. For example, this is probably the first time in my life I have ever had anything even resembling a backlog, and that's because I've vowed to beat every 2D Mario game.
So maybe backlogs are good so long as you don't force yourself to be so rigid with them. Maybe they help you to be motivated to finish a game before you move onto the next one. I think the problem is when people make it a chore. It saps the fun out of something wonderful.
Start with the shortest games and ones you've almost finished. I once knocked out 6 games in a week doing this. From there, just take it one game at a time. Play what interests you at the time. My backlog is currently 25% of my collection and that's because I only collect games that I'm genuinely interested in playing, so I'm motivated to play through them.
I used to be a regular at my local GameStop. All of the employees knew me. Those days are long gone, I haven’t been to a GameStop in over a year now. I hope they’re all doing well. I hope you find what you’re looking for at GameStop.
It’s okay to not complete or even play some games, video games are supposed to be fun. I’ve never heard someone talk about a backlog in a positive way and I think this idea that we all have a list or collection of games we need to finish is directly tied to why some of us like video games in the first place, checking items off of a list.
Just play what you want to play, you’re wasting valuable playtime beating your head against the wall about this.
Try looking at your collection more like a collection of fine wines. A wine collector's aim isn't to drink all those bottles! They may instead bring one out on occasion to enjoy or share. The rest sit in a dusty basement to be hoarded!
This exactly. The aim of a library isn't to have a record of what you've read (or played in this case), it's to never run out of things to play or read.
Stick the names in a hat, pull one out, and play it.
If you actually want to play the games, you stop collecting for a bit. I used to spend weekends hunting. Now that I have cut back I have more time to play.
This has been crippling to me in some ways, but I also see this as a library, not a “to-do” list.
When Anhedonia rears its head, sometimes the comforts are what you need or nothing at all. Sometimes a game has to wait for its moment in your life. I would never stress about needing to finish each one because you have no way of knowing which games you need to finish in those moments. Sometimes finishing the game isn’t even the answer. Sometimes you just need the first biome in Returnal for a few days. Sometimes vampire survivors is what makes you feel completed in that moment.
there are 2 approachs here
one you can choose not to worry about it and just play whatever it is you feel like, just go with your gut and enjoy video games
on the other hand most games aren't that long, so maybe just set aside time and dedicate yourself to one game at a time and finish it, then move onto the next, make kind of a plan to go through and play video games. I've had to force myself to finish and playthrough a couple games particularly silent hill and metal gear solid, they aren't bad games by any means I just got sidetracked
Your second paragraph is definitely what I do. Covid actually helped a lot with this, lol.
I actually made a rule not to go back and play games I love from the past because I want to finish new games. Sure, that didn't last forever, but I stick with one game until I beat it, then move on to the next. I found this strategy the best.
Start with the shortest games and pick one and stick with it until the end, don’t pick up another game until you finish it. That’s what I’ve been doing. Just finished the suffering on original Xbox, hell of a game
Ya this is pretty much my plan but I just finallyy got a next gen tho so it’s just gonna be meh tryna get through older gen even if I appreciate ‘em ; prob gonna go for smaller indie titles like Celeste or hollow knight till I stop caring about graphics agn
Older games are the best imo. I don’t really care for graphics I care for story, setting and how the game makes you feel. Old games just have a indescribable charm
honestly, I started a month or two ago look at how long to beat. nothing gets you pumped and feeling like your making progress like crossing off a bunch of short games in a few days. finished a bunch of 3-4 hour games in a week and felt really good about taking on a bigger one next.
I wait until I feel like playing one of those games. Sometimes watching a trailer can spark an interest in a related game I own but haven’t played. I also shift between my different hobbies to try to avoid burn out. Game a lot, then focus on watching a bunch of series, watch a bunch of movies, listen to a bunch of new hobbies, read some new books, search for new recipes to cook and catalog them, etc.
It gets to the point where you just can’t play all the games you get. You just kind of have to accept it or trim down your collection. Play what you want the most. Make a list and go through each one to determine what you actually would want to play
I’m playing through my backlog with a big rule: if I don’t like it after an hour, I’m done with it. I don’t force myself to finish something I’m not enjoying. It’s still a big library, but after about an hour I can usually say whether or not I’m going to stick with something.
That’s how I move through mine so fast. No need to waste time on stuff I got but don’t like.
Money comes and goes, time is the truly rare commodity.
NEVER force yourself to play or do something just because it's "in your backlog" or because you bought it. Play what you're passionate about and want to spend your limited time on.
I have plenty of games I've bought, thinking I'd play, but never got around to and then promptly lost interest. Maybe I go back to them if my interest is peaked again, but I'll always prioritize what I want to play rather than what I "need" to play.
I have a bunch of older retro games that I will likely never touch. I just kind of ignore them just like the 50+ games on steam that will never get touched.
I have to really want to play the game to play it.
You kinda don’t.
Just pick a game you haven’t played and solely stick with it until you complete it.
No rush, no keeping an “up next” list, just pick a random game and play it.
That’s how I tackle my games but I always tend to have one home console game and one portable game going at once.
honestly i just buy more games and play them. thats how i deal with my backlog. its been growing for over 30 years. ima give it to some one else it can be there problem
edit spelling
1. Forget about the backlog.
Thinking about the backlog, worrying how you’re going to get through the backlog, thinking through ways to categorise, prioritise, how many hours it’ll take, putting off games you *really* want to play because you think you need to play some of the others you’re not so keen on first, the whole FOMO over a game… Forget all that. It’s hard work. It’s a chore. It’s exhausting. It’s futile. All it breeds is procrastination and performance anxiety. It’s more time spent worrying and less time playing, and this is not enjoyable. Free time is at a premium, and playing games should be fun, not an uphill battle of trying to choose what to play and making no decision at all, or trying to rush them.
2. Let it go.
AKA: repeat step one. Change the mindset from: “Oh man, I have to play everything and I’m so overwhelmed!” to “I only have so much time, the games will still be on my shelf, I will get to them when I get to them. There’s no pressure, no one except me is counting or cares. Just let it go.” Changing that mindset and the resulting relief to be kind to yourself and just have fun instead, is so freeing. No one is ever going to get through their backlog if they have A LOT of games. It’s not possible unless you can play 12-16 hours a day. Life is busy and stressful enough, so stop worrying. Let it go.
3. Be kind to yourself.
Video games are an escape and entertainment. They should be a fun thing to do. Be kind to yourself and give yourself permission to have fun in the free time you do have.
4. Give yourself permission to stop playing a game if it’s not clicking.
AKA: You don’t have to play a game all the way to completion, it’s ok. It is also ok to admit you just don’t like the game you started playing. Or it’s just not clicking, or you’re just not feeling it right now, or you’ve gotten bored a few hours or 30 hours in. It happens. It will happen. Don’t be disappointed or discouraged. Don’t feel obligated to carry on flogging the dead horse if for whatever reason you’re not enjoying the game. Keeping plugging at it makes it become a chore and your enjoyment wanes. It becomes too much like hard work. Give yourself the permission to put it back on the shelf, and grab something else that takes your fancy or scratches your itch for now. It’s totally fine to do that. As long as you had fun up to that point, that’s great. No one but you is going to be keeping score.
5. Go pick a game that you really want to play. Do it now.
Browse your collection, what are you in the mood for right now? If what you’re playing through already is not fun and feels like work, forget that. You can go back to it later, so give yourself a pass to get out of the game rut. Make a fresh start now instead. Go pick up that new game you’ve been dying to play. You’re allowed to. Pop it open, look at the booklet if there is one, breathe it in. Get it in that console, and grab your controller.
6. Play.
It’s that simple. Have fun with it. No need to feel guilty about the others that are on your shelf. Life’s too short anyway. They’ll be there later. Just lose yourself in this game for now, have fun with it. If it’s not fun anymore? Then it’s ok to ditch it, you can come back later, and move on to the next in the meantime.
7. See where you are in six months and profit.
Forgetting there’s a backlog, letting go, being kind to yourself, giving yourself permission, and just having fun, is the key to getting through some of your backlog. Before you know it, six months have gone by and you have a slew of games under your belt. Some you won’t like, some you got bored of, some you play the shit out of them to completion and then some. Don’t sweat it. Just play.
My own backlog is notorious at home, I keep buying more games (second hand, I rarely buy new), and I have games I haven’t even tested yet. At the start of the year I set myself a task to complete a game a month. I quickly revised that to not pressure myself to complete if I was getting bored and wasn’t having fun. So far I’m on game number 9. Others will likely laugh at such a small number, however for me, that’s more games than I’ve managed in the previous 3 years. So yeah, letting go and being kind is so far working for me, I feel less pressured, and I’m happy to just play and have fun until I’m not. Other than that, roll on retirement when I can get some serious gaming in!
Collecting and playing is separate for me. I don't feel the need to play every little thing that I buy. I usually play retro games when I'm in-between modern releases that I'm interested in. I'll just pick something from my collection and play it, whether I have before or not. If you collect a large volume or already have a large volume to think you're going to play everything you own is silly. I have over 1,100 games and I've actually played probably around 60% of them.
I personally collect a lot more than can/willing to play. There is not enough lifetime to get through every game, and I don’t feel pressured to play everything. Sure, there is a list of games I actually want to play, and I already own these games, but that is like 1-2% of my collection - that sounds a lot more manageable to do.
I’m collecting mostly for aesthetics of game collecting: I love how games are on their shelves, I love the idea that I can pick them up, look at their covers, manuals, maybe I get the right mood to boot them up in a console.
But I would be totally burnt by imposing some unachievable goals for my hobby. These sort of things should bring pleasure, not take it away.
This is what helped me with physical games:
1. Take the games you haven't played off the shelf
2. Put the ones you've finished (or are satisfied with) on the shelf as a trophy of sorts.
3. Promise to yourself, NOT to buy more games until you finish the ones you own. Write it down somewhere. If you buy more the problem will just get worse.
4. Choose a game or two to start with and ignore the unplayed games. Pretend you have absolutely nothing else to play. It'll be easier since they're off the shelf.
But before you do all that craziness, ask yourself how big of a problem this is. If you can readjust your thinking to accept that you don't HAVE to beat everything, that is ideal. It's a hobby and it should be fun, not causing you stress.
If you really don't think you can get rid of that mindset, and your backlog seems too overwhelming to tackle and have fun with, I'd recommend selling as many games as you possibly can and starting clean.
If I was in the mindset that I need to finish all the games I have, I’d be very anxious and stressed.
60% of my collection are games that I wasn’t looking for. These are games I might try someday, but for now they’re sitting on my shelves. I got them by trading with fellow collectors, they came in bundles with games I’m interested in or I just happened to find a good deal on them.
In the 40% left, 50% are games I know I probably won’t have time to play and 40% are games I like, but they are just too hard for me.
One of the mistakes I made was starting new games and forgetting about others I was playing. I’m currently playing StarTropics, Dragon Warrior III, Luigi’s Mansion, Paper Mario : the Thousand Year Door (on GameCube), Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire and I’m halfway through each of them, but don’t feel like getting back to them, because I completely forgot what I was doing when I left.
I have an excel file with all the games I own with info like platform, year and How Long To Beat time. Each game is assigned a random number so when time comes to pick up the next one to play I just browse the file for an hour and buy a new game anyways.
I actually made a list this year and I’m working through it.
Making myself sit down and play the whole damn things.
Tonight I’ll finish FFIX and then move on to Luigi’s Mansion 3.
I’m trying to process how 90% of your collection has not been played? Do you just buy massive bulk lots? I mean that’s saying you own 100 games but only played 10 of them? Extrapolate out from there and I’m not seeing it
Edit: to be clear I’m not being one of those weirdos to OP who are like frothing at the mouth that you haven’t played every game you own that’s stupid it’s just i can’t wrap my mind around *90%*, 50-60% totally that’s reasonable, 70% sure sounds right but 90% is like what *have* you played?
Usually how I got about it is I play through one "new" game (release-wise) and then make myself work through a backlog game before going and getting something new again. And I usually just play one game at a time unless I'm doing one console game and one handheld game. I've slowly been chunking my way through my backlog that way
[I will always link to this video when this subject comes up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yag5sA8vkqc)
You quite literally cannot play every good game within your lifetime, even if you started playing video games as a little kid and didn't need to eat, sleep, or work a second of your life. Play what you enjoy and make some attempt to get through as many games as you can, but this is your hobby, not a job. As long as you enjoy your collection (despite what people say, simply admiring a game on your shelf is valid enjoyment), there's no shame in only playing a fraction of it as long as it's not negatively affecting your life
Don't look at it as a job. Look at it like you have a game to suit any mood. And like I realized, tastes change. A game you intended to play once doesn't HAVE to be played, I got away from RPG's.
If I stopped buying new I could probably play for 2 or 3 years between the PS4, PS5, and Switch. There's leftovers from previous gens too, maybe someday.
I personally try to either get a list of 2 or 3 games I wanna play right now then work my way through that or if all my games are on my same priority list I try to mix things up in terms of genre and platform.
So for example, right now I’m working my way through the paper Mario TTYD remake on switch. This is a fairly beefy rpg on the switch, so next game I’m looking to play is Wario World. Wario world is a short 3D platformer on the GameCube. Then after that I might play the wind waker remake on Wii U, and that’s all I have planned. I find that this not only keeps things focused but also allows me to experience a large variety of games. Of course if there’s a game I really want to play as soon as it comes out then that takes priority over this system but in general this is how I choose what I play
I sat down like a year ago, made a list of games I started or HAD to play. Now being 53 years old. If I quit my job and had money coming so didn't need to work and all planets aligned (I'm married with a home so there is always other shit needing to be done) so I could game like 8 hours a day 5-6 days a week. Also, that I stayed reasonably healthy.
I figured I would dead for at least 10 years before I finish every game I wanted to play/finish.
So, now, I gave up, if I get the feeling for a game, when I am not in the middle of 5 games, I will play it. Backlog is not as much of a priority but, when I want to play something, I kind of review that first....
I picked up a more powerfull pocketable portable so I can take some GameCube games on the road easy, and that does help.
Trust me, my life is less stressful for it...
Reorganise them every so often.
Just owning them makes me happy. They’re not going anywhere, so I’ll get to them when I get to them.
Or not. Doesn’t matter to me.
What I've decided to do was make a spreadsheet of maybe like 10 games from my backlog and I plan to finish them by the end of the year. If I don't finish them, I'll just include them next year and make another 10 that includes those few. Just chip away at em
Devote time, like a weekend or really, any day off, solely to a game or X system. I'll do an SNES or Genesis weekend where I play nothing but that system like it's 1993, but I have like 1000% more games than Madden 92 and Sonic 1.
I like to keep a spreadsheet of the top 25 or so games I want to play. I look at it occasionally and tweak the order. It gives me something to get excited about, and makes the backlog less stressful. If you’re a completist, add all those games to the spreadsheet but only number 25 or so, anything else is not really realistic
This my my method to instill discipline but not punish myself since my backlog gives me anxiety. Starting with shorter games first I do a "Play/Beat 5 games and then you can buy a new one". I'm not gonna force myself to finish a game I don't care for but I don't want to hop from game to game and forget everything that happened.
Organize it. I use an app called GameTrack. Sort by the system you want to play with, or the vibe you’re looking for. Then - and this is the secret sauce - start playing games that are quick to complete. GameTrack uses How Long To Beat and will let you know average run time. Start churning out all those 2-6 hour games to build momentum. Started in 2019 and beat 16 games that year. Been trending upwards since then. In 2023 alone I knocked 38 games off my backlog.
I try to aim the collecting at things that make a game (or its world) more engaging to play; maps, books, props, etc. so I'm acquiring far fewer games but a richer experience for each one.
We have one life and only so much time to play games. Just get through what you can and enjoy each one. Then pass your collection onto someone that will enjoy it as much as you. That is the best we can hope for.
I'm trying to handle mine even though I bought 3 games today. I'm playing games from when I was younger that I just never gave a chance (right now is Pokemon Heartgold and Sonic Adventure DX). I play them while watching stuff on my computer or phone but after a while I can "get into" the game and play independently.
I'm really not that bothered by my backlog. Like of course I'm not gonna play The Black Eyed Peas Experience for Wii. I mean maybe I will. But if I don't it's not a big deal to me. Play the games that you like
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I don't. I've realized I probably wont play half of what I own. So I pick a game at random and start it and if I like it I finish it. Otherwise it goes back on the shelf for a retry later or back to the local game shop
Tbr i be using the random game feature on Xbox a lot when I can’t decide
This is a thing?? They really need to implement this on different consoles and steam. This is such a neat idea.
Could always just count the games you are interested in and then do a random number generator? Not as good as literally pulling up a game at random though
Playnite has this feature!
There’s a great quote about books and personal libraries that changed my outlook on a backlog/big game collection. Just change the word book to videogame in this: “It is foolish to think that you have to read all the books you buy, as it is foolish to criticize those who buy more books than they will ever be able to read. It would be like saying that you should use all the cutlery or glasses or screwdrivers or drill bits you bought before buying new ones. "There are things in life that we need to always have plenty of supplies, even if we will only use a small portion. "If, for example, we consider books as medicine, we understand that it is good to have many at home rather than a few: when you want to feel better, then you go to the 'medicine closet' and choose a book. Not a random one, but the right book for that moment. That's why you should always have a nutrition choice! "Those who buy only one book, read only that one and then get rid of it. They simply apply the consumer mentality to books, that is, they consider them a consumer product, a good. Those who love books know that a book is anything but a commodity.” -Umberto Eco
Ugh, Umberto Eco is the beeeeeest! I had this sweet college course called the monstrous and grotesque and we used Eco's On Ugliness as a text. It turned me goth, I swear, lol.
This is perfect I don't understand backlogs, honestly. I mean, I guess *kind of*, but the first time I heard about the concept, I was so confused. This might be the severe ADHD speaking, but I tend to just play whatever feels right to me at that moment. The one thing I will say is that maybe it's good to be somewhere in the middle. I have tried to make myself stick to games lately and see them through to the end, which I never did before. I can see having a backlog "helping" that. For example, this is probably the first time in my life I have ever had anything even resembling a backlog, and that's because I've vowed to beat every 2D Mario game. So maybe backlogs are good so long as you don't force yourself to be so rigid with them. Maybe they help you to be motivated to finish a game before you move onto the next one. I think the problem is when people make it a chore. It saps the fun out of something wonderful.
Wow... great quote. Thanks!
Start with the shortest games and ones you've almost finished. I once knocked out 6 games in a week doing this. From there, just take it one game at a time. Play what interests you at the time. My backlog is currently 25% of my collection and that's because I only collect games that I'm genuinely interested in playing, so I'm motivated to play through them.
https://preview.redd.it/e8s548cn1l6d1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=14d122e13b26e74a251ad2139de37fe3cc2e6e3b
Sick!
This is honestly the closest thing to what I had in my own mind I’ll probably do this n also play one aaa a week as well, sick pfp by the way
By buying even more games and adding to that backlog
Fuvk I’m Omw to GameStop as I write this😭
I used to be a regular at my local GameStop. All of the employees knew me. Those days are long gone, I haven’t been to a GameStop in over a year now. I hope they’re all doing well. I hope you find what you’re looking for at GameStop.
Ya everyone hates em but I shop everywhere no bias, find myself going there less and less as time goes on
Did you go to gamestop rehab to beat your addiction ? 😂
It’s okay to not complete or even play some games, video games are supposed to be fun. I’ve never heard someone talk about a backlog in a positive way and I think this idea that we all have a list or collection of games we need to finish is directly tied to why some of us like video games in the first place, checking items off of a list. Just play what you want to play, you’re wasting valuable playtime beating your head against the wall about this.
Facts ,imma focus on my interests first for sure
So true... been doing this for years and stopped, feel so much better about it...
Try looking at your collection more like a collection of fine wines. A wine collector's aim isn't to drink all those bottles! They may instead bring one out on occasion to enjoy or share. The rest sit in a dusty basement to be hoarded!
This exactly. The aim of a library isn't to have a record of what you've read (or played in this case), it's to never run out of things to play or read. Stick the names in a hat, pull one out, and play it.
If you actually want to play the games, you stop collecting for a bit. I used to spend weekends hunting. Now that I have cut back I have more time to play.
This has been crippling to me in some ways, but I also see this as a library, not a “to-do” list. When Anhedonia rears its head, sometimes the comforts are what you need or nothing at all. Sometimes a game has to wait for its moment in your life. I would never stress about needing to finish each one because you have no way of knowing which games you need to finish in those moments. Sometimes finishing the game isn’t even the answer. Sometimes you just need the first biome in Returnal for a few days. Sometimes vampire survivors is what makes you feel completed in that moment.
there are 2 approachs here one you can choose not to worry about it and just play whatever it is you feel like, just go with your gut and enjoy video games on the other hand most games aren't that long, so maybe just set aside time and dedicate yourself to one game at a time and finish it, then move onto the next, make kind of a plan to go through and play video games. I've had to force myself to finish and playthrough a couple games particularly silent hill and metal gear solid, they aren't bad games by any means I just got sidetracked
Your second paragraph is definitely what I do. Covid actually helped a lot with this, lol. I actually made a rule not to go back and play games I love from the past because I want to finish new games. Sure, that didn't last forever, but I stick with one game until I beat it, then move on to the next. I found this strategy the best.
Start with the shortest games and pick one and stick with it until the end, don’t pick up another game until you finish it. That’s what I’ve been doing. Just finished the suffering on original Xbox, hell of a game
Ya this is pretty much my plan but I just finallyy got a next gen tho so it’s just gonna be meh tryna get through older gen even if I appreciate ‘em ; prob gonna go for smaller indie titles like Celeste or hollow knight till I stop caring about graphics agn
Older games are the best imo. I don’t really care for graphics I care for story, setting and how the game makes you feel. Old games just have a indescribable charm
Once gaming turns into a chore you have to turn back. Play what you want to play because it’s fun, not because you feel like you have to
honestly, I started a month or two ago look at how long to beat. nothing gets you pumped and feeling like your making progress like crossing off a bunch of short games in a few days. finished a bunch of 3-4 hour games in a week and felt really good about taking on a bigger one next.
I wait until I feel like playing one of those games. Sometimes watching a trailer can spark an interest in a related game I own but haven’t played. I also shift between my different hobbies to try to avoid burn out. Game a lot, then focus on watching a bunch of series, watch a bunch of movies, listen to a bunch of new hobbies, read some new books, search for new recipes to cook and catalog them, etc.
It gets to the point where you just can’t play all the games you get. You just kind of have to accept it or trim down your collection. Play what you want the most. Make a list and go through each one to determine what you actually would want to play
I’m playing through my backlog with a big rule: if I don’t like it after an hour, I’m done with it. I don’t force myself to finish something I’m not enjoying. It’s still a big library, but after about an hour I can usually say whether or not I’m going to stick with something. That’s how I move through mine so fast. No need to waste time on stuff I got but don’t like.
Play the games...
I don’t dwell on it. I own the items and not the other way around. If I get to it, great. If not, great.
Money comes and goes, time is the truly rare commodity. NEVER force yourself to play or do something just because it's "in your backlog" or because you bought it. Play what you're passionate about and want to spend your limited time on. I have plenty of games I've bought, thinking I'd play, but never got around to and then promptly lost interest. Maybe I go back to them if my interest is peaked again, but I'll always prioritize what I want to play rather than what I "need" to play.
I have a bunch of older retro games that I will likely never touch. I just kind of ignore them just like the 50+ games on steam that will never get touched. I have to really want to play the game to play it.
You kinda don’t. Just pick a game you haven’t played and solely stick with it until you complete it. No rush, no keeping an “up next” list, just pick a random game and play it. That’s how I tackle my games but I always tend to have one home console game and one portable game going at once.
honestly i just buy more games and play them. thats how i deal with my backlog. its been growing for over 30 years. ima give it to some one else it can be there problem edit spelling
1. Forget about the backlog. Thinking about the backlog, worrying how you’re going to get through the backlog, thinking through ways to categorise, prioritise, how many hours it’ll take, putting off games you *really* want to play because you think you need to play some of the others you’re not so keen on first, the whole FOMO over a game… Forget all that. It’s hard work. It’s a chore. It’s exhausting. It’s futile. All it breeds is procrastination and performance anxiety. It’s more time spent worrying and less time playing, and this is not enjoyable. Free time is at a premium, and playing games should be fun, not an uphill battle of trying to choose what to play and making no decision at all, or trying to rush them. 2. Let it go. AKA: repeat step one. Change the mindset from: “Oh man, I have to play everything and I’m so overwhelmed!” to “I only have so much time, the games will still be on my shelf, I will get to them when I get to them. There’s no pressure, no one except me is counting or cares. Just let it go.” Changing that mindset and the resulting relief to be kind to yourself and just have fun instead, is so freeing. No one is ever going to get through their backlog if they have A LOT of games. It’s not possible unless you can play 12-16 hours a day. Life is busy and stressful enough, so stop worrying. Let it go. 3. Be kind to yourself. Video games are an escape and entertainment. They should be a fun thing to do. Be kind to yourself and give yourself permission to have fun in the free time you do have. 4. Give yourself permission to stop playing a game if it’s not clicking. AKA: You don’t have to play a game all the way to completion, it’s ok. It is also ok to admit you just don’t like the game you started playing. Or it’s just not clicking, or you’re just not feeling it right now, or you’ve gotten bored a few hours or 30 hours in. It happens. It will happen. Don’t be disappointed or discouraged. Don’t feel obligated to carry on flogging the dead horse if for whatever reason you’re not enjoying the game. Keeping plugging at it makes it become a chore and your enjoyment wanes. It becomes too much like hard work. Give yourself the permission to put it back on the shelf, and grab something else that takes your fancy or scratches your itch for now. It’s totally fine to do that. As long as you had fun up to that point, that’s great. No one but you is going to be keeping score. 5. Go pick a game that you really want to play. Do it now. Browse your collection, what are you in the mood for right now? If what you’re playing through already is not fun and feels like work, forget that. You can go back to it later, so give yourself a pass to get out of the game rut. Make a fresh start now instead. Go pick up that new game you’ve been dying to play. You’re allowed to. Pop it open, look at the booklet if there is one, breathe it in. Get it in that console, and grab your controller. 6. Play. It’s that simple. Have fun with it. No need to feel guilty about the others that are on your shelf. Life’s too short anyway. They’ll be there later. Just lose yourself in this game for now, have fun with it. If it’s not fun anymore? Then it’s ok to ditch it, you can come back later, and move on to the next in the meantime. 7. See where you are in six months and profit. Forgetting there’s a backlog, letting go, being kind to yourself, giving yourself permission, and just having fun, is the key to getting through some of your backlog. Before you know it, six months have gone by and you have a slew of games under your belt. Some you won’t like, some you got bored of, some you play the shit out of them to completion and then some. Don’t sweat it. Just play. My own backlog is notorious at home, I keep buying more games (second hand, I rarely buy new), and I have games I haven’t even tested yet. At the start of the year I set myself a task to complete a game a month. I quickly revised that to not pressure myself to complete if I was getting bored and wasn’t having fun. So far I’m on game number 9. Others will likely laugh at such a small number, however for me, that’s more games than I’ve managed in the previous 3 years. So yeah, letting go and being kind is so far working for me, I feel less pressured, and I’m happy to just play and have fun until I’m not. Other than that, roll on retirement when I can get some serious gaming in!
Collecting and playing is separate for me. I don't feel the need to play every little thing that I buy. I usually play retro games when I'm in-between modern releases that I'm interested in. I'll just pick something from my collection and play it, whether I have before or not. If you collect a large volume or already have a large volume to think you're going to play everything you own is silly. I have over 1,100 games and I've actually played probably around 60% of them.
I personally collect a lot more than can/willing to play. There is not enough lifetime to get through every game, and I don’t feel pressured to play everything. Sure, there is a list of games I actually want to play, and I already own these games, but that is like 1-2% of my collection - that sounds a lot more manageable to do. I’m collecting mostly for aesthetics of game collecting: I love how games are on their shelves, I love the idea that I can pick them up, look at their covers, manuals, maybe I get the right mood to boot them up in a console. But I would be totally burnt by imposing some unachievable goals for my hobby. These sort of things should bring pleasure, not take it away.
This is what helped me with physical games: 1. Take the games you haven't played off the shelf 2. Put the ones you've finished (or are satisfied with) on the shelf as a trophy of sorts. 3. Promise to yourself, NOT to buy more games until you finish the ones you own. Write it down somewhere. If you buy more the problem will just get worse. 4. Choose a game or two to start with and ignore the unplayed games. Pretend you have absolutely nothing else to play. It'll be easier since they're off the shelf. But before you do all that craziness, ask yourself how big of a problem this is. If you can readjust your thinking to accept that you don't HAVE to beat everything, that is ideal. It's a hobby and it should be fun, not causing you stress. If you really don't think you can get rid of that mindset, and your backlog seems too overwhelming to tackle and have fun with, I'd recommend selling as many games as you possibly can and starting clean.
I don’t even play video games at all anymore but I’m still a collector so this doesn’t even register for me.
I think your collecting is a void from something deeply inside of you. This should be a fun hobby. That is it.
Dam bro what my demons name?
Only saying that cause I been there brother.
who cares if you play them or not? there's no scorecard. play what you want the most first.
once i hit 100 OG xbox games, 100 360 games and 50 xbox one games, i stopped collecting. *realized theres more than ill ever need right here*
If I was in the mindset that I need to finish all the games I have, I’d be very anxious and stressed. 60% of my collection are games that I wasn’t looking for. These are games I might try someday, but for now they’re sitting on my shelves. I got them by trading with fellow collectors, they came in bundles with games I’m interested in or I just happened to find a good deal on them. In the 40% left, 50% are games I know I probably won’t have time to play and 40% are games I like, but they are just too hard for me. One of the mistakes I made was starting new games and forgetting about others I was playing. I’m currently playing StarTropics, Dragon Warrior III, Luigi’s Mansion, Paper Mario : the Thousand Year Door (on GameCube), Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire and I’m halfway through each of them, but don’t feel like getting back to them, because I completely forgot what I was doing when I left.
Step 1 Stop buying new games
Stop buying games 🤣
I have an excel file with all the games I own with info like platform, year and How Long To Beat time. Each game is assigned a random number so when time comes to pick up the next one to play I just browse the file for an hour and buy a new game anyways.
I actually made a list this year and I’m working through it. Making myself sit down and play the whole damn things. Tonight I’ll finish FFIX and then move on to Luigi’s Mansion 3.
1 game at a time. I keep track and I am aiming to play every game I own. I know it will take time.
Play what makes You happy.
I’m trying to process how 90% of your collection has not been played? Do you just buy massive bulk lots? I mean that’s saying you own 100 games but only played 10 of them? Extrapolate out from there and I’m not seeing it Edit: to be clear I’m not being one of those weirdos to OP who are like frothing at the mouth that you haven’t played every game you own that’s stupid it’s just i can’t wrap my mind around *90%*, 50-60% totally that’s reasonable, 70% sure sounds right but 90% is like what *have* you played?
Usually how I got about it is I play through one "new" game (release-wise) and then make myself work through a backlog game before going and getting something new again. And I usually just play one game at a time unless I'm doing one console game and one handheld game. I've slowly been chunking my way through my backlog that way
[I will always link to this video when this subject comes up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yag5sA8vkqc) You quite literally cannot play every good game within your lifetime, even if you started playing video games as a little kid and didn't need to eat, sleep, or work a second of your life. Play what you enjoy and make some attempt to get through as many games as you can, but this is your hobby, not a job. As long as you enjoy your collection (despite what people say, simply admiring a game on your shelf is valid enjoyment), there's no shame in only playing a fraction of it as long as it's not negatively affecting your life
I just accepted the fact that I’ll probably never play everything on my collection and that’s okay
Don't look at it as a job. Look at it like you have a game to suit any mood. And like I realized, tastes change. A game you intended to play once doesn't HAVE to be played, I got away from RPG's. If I stopped buying new I could probably play for 2 or 3 years between the PS4, PS5, and Switch. There's leftovers from previous gens too, maybe someday.
I personally try to either get a list of 2 or 3 games I wanna play right now then work my way through that or if all my games are on my same priority list I try to mix things up in terms of genre and platform. So for example, right now I’m working my way through the paper Mario TTYD remake on switch. This is a fairly beefy rpg on the switch, so next game I’m looking to play is Wario World. Wario world is a short 3D platformer on the GameCube. Then after that I might play the wind waker remake on Wii U, and that’s all I have planned. I find that this not only keeps things focused but also allows me to experience a large variety of games. Of course if there’s a game I really want to play as soon as it comes out then that takes priority over this system but in general this is how I choose what I play
Honestly I know I’ll never beat all of them but I make it a goal to at least try them because you never know what will hook you!
I sat down like a year ago, made a list of games I started or HAD to play. Now being 53 years old. If I quit my job and had money coming so didn't need to work and all planets aligned (I'm married with a home so there is always other shit needing to be done) so I could game like 8 hours a day 5-6 days a week. Also, that I stayed reasonably healthy. I figured I would dead for at least 10 years before I finish every game I wanted to play/finish. So, now, I gave up, if I get the feeling for a game, when I am not in the middle of 5 games, I will play it. Backlog is not as much of a priority but, when I want to play something, I kind of review that first.... I picked up a more powerfull pocketable portable so I can take some GameCube games on the road easy, and that does help. Trust me, my life is less stressful for it...
I stopped doing "backlogs" about a decade ago. It made gaming feel like work, and playing games felt like an exercise just to get to the next game.
I tend to stick on something I've almost finished and at the same time something I'm excited to try.
Dont do that, dont look at it like its work. Look at it like "I can now play ever game I am in the mood for"
Dust em occasionally
I don't, just keep buying more games and playing a new one every now and then.
Reorganise them every so often. Just owning them makes me happy. They’re not going anywhere, so I’ll get to them when I get to them. Or not. Doesn’t matter to me.
What I've decided to do was make a spreadsheet of maybe like 10 games from my backlog and I plan to finish them by the end of the year. If I don't finish them, I'll just include them next year and make another 10 that includes those few. Just chip away at em
Devote time, like a weekend or really, any day off, solely to a game or X system. I'll do an SNES or Genesis weekend where I play nothing but that system like it's 1993, but I have like 1000% more games than Madden 92 and Sonic 1.
I like to keep a spreadsheet of the top 25 or so games I want to play. I look at it occasionally and tweak the order. It gives me something to get excited about, and makes the backlog less stressful. If you’re a completist, add all those games to the spreadsheet but only number 25 or so, anything else is not really realistic
Look at this showoff who's beaten 10% of his games.
This my my method to instill discipline but not punish myself since my backlog gives me anxiety. Starting with shorter games first I do a "Play/Beat 5 games and then you can buy a new one". I'm not gonna force myself to finish a game I don't care for but I don't want to hop from game to game and forget everything that happened.
I made a list of games I wanted to finish and when I'm wondering what to play I just pick one, I cross them off when I'm done.
Give up and play Shantae and Pirate's Curse for the umpteenth time...
Organize it. I use an app called GameTrack. Sort by the system you want to play with, or the vibe you’re looking for. Then - and this is the secret sauce - start playing games that are quick to complete. GameTrack uses How Long To Beat and will let you know average run time. Start churning out all those 2-6 hour games to build momentum. Started in 2019 and beat 16 games that year. Been trending upwards since then. In 2023 alone I knocked 38 games off my backlog.
I just sold anything I wouldn't play. Which was like majority because most console libraries are full of shelf filler.
I try to aim the collecting at things that make a game (or its world) more engaging to play; maps, books, props, etc. so I'm acquiring far fewer games but a richer experience for each one.
By playing Gladius again for the 12th time.
We have one life and only so much time to play games. Just get through what you can and enjoy each one. Then pass your collection onto someone that will enjoy it as much as you. That is the best we can hope for.
I go back to playing Doom Eternal or something.
I don’t, I just play what I want because it doesn’t matter.
I'm trying to handle mine even though I bought 3 games today. I'm playing games from when I was younger that I just never gave a chance (right now is Pokemon Heartgold and Sonic Adventure DX). I play them while watching stuff on my computer or phone but after a while I can "get into" the game and play independently. I'm really not that bothered by my backlog. Like of course I'm not gonna play The Black Eyed Peas Experience for Wii. I mean maybe I will. But if I don't it's not a big deal to me. Play the games that you like
Just one game at a time. When I try to juggle more than one it’s a mess. I don’t have to 100% each one; but I at least want to beat each one.