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How Do You Deal With a Videogame Backlog?
Professor Snugglesworth
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I've got way too many unfinished games on my pile, and it just continues to grow by the day. It doesn't help that I'm both a Steam user and a freelance reviewer. In fact, that significantly adds to the problem. It also doesn't help that I'm also an RPG fan, a genre that's known to suck dozens of hours with a single game.
I've been trying to come up with ways to deal with my backlog. Keep in mind I don't have any insane notions of finishing every single game I have to completion, but I do want to complete the games that I actually do like.
You would think the simplest answer would be to focus on the games I'm having the most fun with, but even that isn't a viable solution; the games that have me completely hooked, the ones where I don't want to play anything else until I've finished it, are very few and far between. If I have a dozen games that I hold with equal reverence, then it's hard to focus on a single one.
So I'm just looking for suggestions on how to tackle a backlog. Mainly, I want to see how other people deal with theirs so I can get inspiration.
One tactic I had was to dedicate each month to a small handful of games that are separated by genre. For example, I pick one RPG, one character-based action game, one FPS, etc, and play nothing else in those categories until I've finished them; if I finish the FPS, I move on to another one. Ditto the RPG and so on.
I think that could potentially work as it helps scratch certain itches as well as potentially avoid adding to the backlog. Say I hear about a new awesome FPS coming out, I hold off on getting it to focus on a similarly-playing game instead. Consequently, this is how I end up finishing games that get sequels, as I tend to finish off the previous game in order to get ready for the new one.
Anyway, looking for ideas.
I've been trying to come up with ways to deal with my backlog. Keep in mind I don't have any insane notions of finishing every single game I have to completion, but I do want to complete the games that I actually do like.
You would think the simplest answer would be to focus on the games I'm having the most fun with, but even that isn't a viable solution; the games that have me completely hooked, the ones where I don't want to play anything else until I've finished it, are very few and far between. If I have a dozen games that I hold with equal reverence, then it's hard to focus on a single one.
So I'm just looking for suggestions on how to tackle a backlog. Mainly, I want to see how other people deal with theirs so I can get inspiration.
One tactic I had was to dedicate each month to a small handful of games that are separated by genre. For example, I pick one RPG, one character-based action game, one FPS, etc, and play nothing else in those categories until I've finished them; if I finish the FPS, I move on to another one. Ditto the RPG and so on.
I think that could potentially work as it helps scratch certain itches as well as potentially avoid adding to the backlog. Say I hear about a new awesome FPS coming out, I hold off on getting it to focus on a similarly-playing game instead. Consequently, this is how I end up finishing games that get sequels, as I tend to finish off the previous game in order to get ready for the new one.
Anyway, looking for ideas.
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More constructive answer: most games can be knocked out in a weekend or two of dedicated gameplay. If you really want to do it, you could set up a stream and play games from start to finish, providing commentary along the way. If you can get a few people to watch you play games with stories then, I find it is easier to actually play them all the way through. If you can get someone interested to sit with you and watch you play in person, even better. But streaming to even a couple people on the Internet who interact through chat can make the process of finishing a game seem pretty easy. Make it a social event and suddenly you aren't playing a game anymore, rather you are hosting a party where a story is being told and you are guiding the audience through it.
This idea even works with the worst story mode FPS games.
Just one problem, though.
I've tried streaming games before, and never really got much in the way of chat interaction. The only exception was on PS4, where it seems people are more likely to chat with you (though often they don't have anything nice/constructive/safe for work to say). I also still don't like how much of the screen you have to give up when streaming on the PS4, and the ways around that (turn off chat settings on PS4, read the chat on your iPad) is rather cumbersome too.
Also, that doesn't help with the backlog on non-streamable devices (PS3, 3DS, Vita, Wii U, etc).
Sorry to pick apart your idea. I really like it, I may try it with a couple of games. But it won't take care of all my backlog problems.
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The games in your backlog doesn't suffer and they will happily wait till you have the time and the desire to play them... or until they are simply forgotten.
The situation with a game backlog is a common one and with the gaming world growing there is no way to play all games - even if one focus on the real quality titles. Depending on the hours available for gaming your backlog will grow slow our fast but it will grow, so my suggestion is to simply accept this and enjoy what you play be it one game at a time or alternating between games. In fact chances are your backlog is gonna grow ever faster as more and more games are coming out and access to them is cheap through initiatives like HumbleBundle and subscriber services such as PSN.
I have been gaming since the early eighties and thus my backlog spans not only games, but gaming platforms and at times it has meant having to let go of some games due to practicality(storing old computers isn't for me and emulators only go so far). However even having to let go is really a problem as in general new games are better, so in a way time is really a good filter and the really important games somehow survive through ports or remakes.
In summary - a gaming backlog isn't a problem it is fun waiting to be had when you have the time - even it won't be until you retire :biggrin:
This, and maybe also stop buying games that you won't actually play to save a bit of money.
DING DING DING
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2466082/how-to-hide-games-in-your-steam-library.html
It might help at least get you organized. It also has a game spinner if you're not sure what you want to play next.
Other than that, one thing that I've found which has helped tremendously is only buying the games I really want to play right away (e.g., Mass Effect 3). And then leaving the rest of the time, if I have any, to older titles that I haven't bought yet but have heard good things about (e.g., Last of Us). By then, they are usually on sale, have most/all of their DLC included (and patches!), and if they turn out to be great then yay keep playing but if they turn out to be meh then oh well I'm not out a lot of money time to move on.
Even the stuff you buy up front should be subject to that kind of logic - I'm 100% certain that if I bought AC5 (or the PC version of DA:I) right out of the gate I would have put it down and stopped playing once I ran into a bunch of bugs and saw online that everyone else was having the same problem. There's no sense in forcing the issue if you aren't having fun or the game is too buggy to play. Just move on to the next one and get back to it if/when it's ready.
I still have stuff like Bioshock: Infinite on my backlog because I've never been big on FPS shooters, but I only paid $5 for it, so who cares. I'll play it when I get to it, and if not then it means I will be less inclined to spend money on another game in the future because I still have it in my backlog.
Also, recently a lot more games have started jumping on the OCD achievements/completionist train and throwing random bullshit out there for people to do in order to artificially inflate the game play (Requisitions in DA:I, for example). Being able to identify these mechanics early on (the internet helps here) and just refusing to engage in those aspects can really help streamline the games. Achievements in general have always struck me as stupid, so I've never felt the tendency to play 20 hours to get that special combo or kill 500 bad guys without using your crossbow or whatever. If you have fun with that stuff and want to do it, great. But if you're doing it out of obligation or to fulfill some sort of deep-seated OCD need, then I'd recommend fighting against that tendency and not doing any of that crap.
I bought about fifty for my mobile from HIB. I've played them all and finished maybe five.
Those five were worth the cost of all fifty and most of them could be played to completion in a week or two of focused play.
I guess I only play games I'm really attracted to and I'm very good at letting go of the stuff I'm not.
I bet half your backlog is S-E related.
But if I know I've got like 5 games I've bought and enjoyed enough to keep, I'm not going to go buy a new one until I cut that down. It also helps if you don't binge the games you like right away. Save some for the post holiday dry spell. It's a lot harder to focus on games you aren't all that into. I know I have a few I just hop around in now and again but don't play seriously... but I got those for free so I'm not exactly feeling like I wasted money or anything.
The reviewer privilege isn't as damning as I made it sound; obviously if I reviewed a game I didn't particularly enjoy, I'm not going to bother finishing it. I only mentioned it to emphasize that my pile of games never really stops stacking up.
I do this quite a bit. Early word of mouth helps a lot in determining whether a game I want is worth putting off (either because of another game overtaking my interest or because it launches with problems that may be patched later).
There was a time when I would suffer tremendously in getting every achievement in a game. Thankfully that was a short phase, and I instead focus on getting the achievements that I personally find fun/challenging to obtain.
Not really. I've finished most of the Final Fantasy games, although I do have three unfinished Dragon Quest games in addition to Bravely Default.
JRPGs kind of take up the bulk of my backlog as far as games I wish I finished. Those are always the hardest to knock out since A) the repetitive nature of the gameplay may cause me to try something else after 20 hours or so and
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Why would you wish you finished something that bores the hell out of you?
It's like starting up a series that's over 100 episodes; some people want to marathon it without interruption, but I like to take breaks inbetween.
In other words, I do it so I don't end up bored with it.
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And if you are playing any MMOs just stop.
If you're interested, here's my current list to start 2015 with:
1. Persona 3
2. The Banner Saga
3. Steins;Gate
4. Kingdom Hearts Series
5. D4
6. Metal Gear Rising DLC
7. Call of Duty Advanced Warfare
8. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
9. Corpse Party Book of Shadows
10. Dragon Age Inquisition
This doesn't necessarily mean I won't play anything else until I knock a thing off this list; I don't have the willpower, nor can I predict what I would suddenly be in the mood for.
But for now I think this is a decent variety that covers multiple platforms, and I'm pretty far along on the majority of this list.
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Don't feel the need to continue playing a game you're not enjoying, but you should at least try the ones you own. Ignore sales, humble bundles, etc. There's no point in buying Hotline Miami for 1.50 if you're never going to play it. You're still out 1.50 with nothing to show.
Remember that gaming is still your hobby, if at any point it's starting to feel like more work, trash that game and move on or take a break.
And seriously stop buying whatever random games are 90% off.
You can, however, be horribly manipulated by the marketing departments of STEAM, Origin, and other retailers when they create artificial demand with their countdown clocks and "daily deals" which serve to push you into buying things you probably didn't really want enough to buy otherwise.
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Instead, do what I do and refer to it as a "Collection". Lot's of people have collections that they never touch again just to have them.
once I realized how brazenly manipulative stuff like steam sales actually are, I kind of started resenting being marketed to like that and it became much easier to resist. Which isn't to say that I don't still peruse sales, but the whole "some game you've never had any reason to hear of is '75%' off' thing became a lot less compelling
that's why we call it the struggle, you're supposed to sweat
It is a common problem people have, be it with games or books or whatever, but it is not something you should feel bad about. It is leisure time and you should do what you enjoy.
Of course going "don't feel bad about that thing you feel bad about" is not the perfect solution. But recognizing that it is not a big deal can help you in determining what things you really want to finish as opposed to the things you think you have to finish.
Try to make a system that focuses on making completion fun and effective, rather than fast. For example, I have started limiting myself to playing 4-5 games during any period. It doesn't matter how long that period is, so no rushing, and as soon as I do finish a game, I can switch in something else. I also try to make sure there's some variety, so I spread my selection of games across different platforms and genres.
PSN: ShinyRedKnight Xbox Live: ShinyRedKnight
I've got a number of them, but of relevance here are the:
"Done" for games that I've played to what I consider to be completion.
"Done - Meh" for games that are, ok, I guess, and if I had infinite time, maybe I'll come back to them, meh
"Done - This is a Bad Game" for storage of radioactive waste
The rest are foldered by Genre and act as a list of things I'll get to at some point.
I find the organization helpful, as it avoids choice paralysis and cordons off what I'm looking for at the moment.
You could even go a step further and incoporate @ShinyRedKnight 's suggestion above and keep a folder of your current rotation!