Vicarious on 10/5/2016 at 05:20
I don't know that feeling. I buy 4-5 games a year, only those that I'm interested in enough to play. I buy them day one and play them immediately. I never buy games 'because they're on sale' and I've never had a problem of having too many games. That's a first world problem here.
icemann on 10/5/2016 at 05:22
I see the backlog as one I'll never fully get through, and I'm completely fine with that.
Already mine encompasses hundreds and hundreds of games across numerous platforms. What I do like about it, is that it gives me choice. Gives me choice, when I'm sick of playing a certain genre or style of game and want to play something else. Having a big backlog allows for that.
This doesn't account also for the games I want to replay again someday. That's a list all of it's own.
Niborius on 10/5/2016 at 06:19
I started making a list of games I've completed and then I made a list of games I had yet to complete. There were a lot of them but finishing each one by one has been a very fun thing to do ever since. However about 20% into the game if I still don't like it, I won't finish it and just remove it from the to do list.
N'Al on 10/5/2016 at 06:21
To me, it's simply a matter of approach/ attitude. Talking about 'coping' with hundreds of unplayed games implies your backlog is a burden, more than anything.
I don't see it that way. I tell myself I WILL play these game - some day, I just don't know when. And I'm perfectly fine with that. Whether this ever comes to fruition is a different matter entirely, but the intention is certainly there.
It also helps that nowadays I like to experience an entire game series, rather than just individual titles, to see how the series has progressed over time. Whilst, at first, this adds even MORE titles to my backlog it also means I'm happy to focus on earlier titles rather than getting ahold of everything day one. At the moment, for example, I'm making my way through the Splinter Cell series, and whilst I plan to put my playthrough on hold for a while once I've completed Pandora Tomorrow, I know I'll pick up with Chaos Theory at a later date. Incidentally, the original and Pandora Tomorrow are the two games I had ALREADY played before, so so far all I've been doing is RE-playing old games. Again, I'm perfectly happy with that, though. I will come back to Chaos Theory, I know it.
To me, the latest game releases also tend to act as inspiration for playing older games in my backlog. When Fallout 4 got released? I finally jumped into Oblivion*. Arkham Knight? Arkham Origins. And so on. Gives me the benefit of being able to play the games with all the latest DLC and patches included too, usually.
*And in the game.
faetal on 10/5/2016 at 07:51
Henke & Sulphur sum up my attitude to it. I definitely went through a phase where I was collecting games compulsively at one point.
I wish I'd had the self-control to follow the "only buy what I'll play immediately" system, but sadly, holiday sales are just too tempting.
Judith on 10/5/2016 at 09:34
Not buying games on every sale is a first step. I just add games I might want to buy to the wishlist (currently 68 titles). I check it when I know I'll have time for playing. This way time is on my side, prices drop sooner or later, "GOTY" or "Ultimate" editions get released, etc.
User 205 on 10/5/2016 at 11:39
I´m somewhat surprised that I managed to play nearly every steam game I own.
faetal on 10/5/2016 at 11:57
I just hope my grandkids are into extreme retro gaming.
Yakoob on 10/5/2016 at 13:16
I luckly have a strong will that prevents me from buying games "just because" so my backlog isn't huge (my wishlist, on the other hand). I always
ask myself this question: "Will I play it in the next 3 days?" if the answer is no, I don't buy. Period. No matter how good the deal. There's only been like four exceptions when some major triple-A title wen for pennies, but it's a real rarity.
By the way, does anyone else ever spend like an hour just browsing newest / on sale / recommended /etc. game lists on GoG or Steam? Sometimes I set out to buy/play something new and just spend an hour browsing and watching screenshots. Usually after that I don't feel like playing anymore heh. I guess a good strategy for not buying excessively?
Quote Posted by Vicarious
I never buy games 'because they're on sale' and I've never had a problem of having too many games. That's a first world problem here.
Aye and the thing with today's economy, games will ALWAYS be on sale. You're not really missing out if you don't get it now, just wait, ooh, one more month.
Quote Posted by Abysmal
I hate the thought of missing out on creative brilliance.
THIS. Especially being a creative individual myself.
As a game developer, growing wishlist is a much bigger problem for me than as a gamer. Much as writers should read a lot, I play a lot of games as research, and that's where my 30-title wishlist comes from. Sometimes I will catch a few Lets Play or just buy and dip for a few hours to check out a neat idea or get a "feel" for it. Still, it disheartens me knowing I will never be able to catch up :/
Quote Posted by Abysmal
There is a constant stream of awesome looking games coming out (as twisty said above) and no time to physically play them. It's even worse when you want to replay old games, or play a single time-consuming game like an MMO.
However, as a counter point, I also feel an increasing portion of this stream is derivative stuff we've already seen before. Another artsy platformer, another 4x RPG arena, another "epic fantasy" RPG.... sure there are differences, but it's more variances or improvements on the same thing you've seen before than something you're really "missing out" on.
Things like Her Story or Gone Home were few recent exceptions when a game felt like something I have never seen before. Heck, even Witcher 3 could be argued to be just a refined version of the same game we've played before. Sure it has some amazing moments, but I don't think it would have been the end of the world if I skipped it.
I feel it's a natural outcome of:
1) The industry maturing and aging - more stuff and time means more ground already covered and less accidental chance for innovation
2) Copypasta - many devs simply copy what they see due to lack of imagination or riding the hype bandwagon. The day after Flappy Bird's success story, the top10 iPhone apps were ALL shameless clones.
3) Us getting older - as we get older already played many more games and experienced more mechanics than before. So new stuff is less innovative.
I was kind of laughing inside when so many of the people who checked out Karaski at the expo commented how cool it was you could lean around corners. Yep, some great inventor I ;p Of course none of them even heard of Thief...
Judith on 10/5/2016 at 15:05
No matter how amazing a game can be, it's just you sitting in front of the screen. And since we spend so much time in front of monitors at work, doing the same in our spare time isn't good for our bodies in the long run. If you have a chance to work on or create something, and not using a computer, take it. At least that works for me :) Or maybe try to cut down on sequels and watered-down experiences, unless you want to be like those who argue that Police Academy 5 is better than PA 6 (it is, but that's not the point). I also try to support developers who have guts to create one meaningful story at the time, and finish it without hinting sequels.
Besides, I guess you've already explored many vast and beautiful virtual worlds, you just have to come to terms with the fact that there will be hundreds of thousands more you won't be able to visit ;)
