Too Many Games, Not Enough Time: The Gaming Backlog

Gamer Living's Jack Moulder talks about something that affects many busy gamers today; Video Game Backlog.

[Emilio_Estevez]

I have the same problem, too many games and just not enough time to play them all. I'm usually playing about 3 at any given time.

[Anon1974]

Same here. Between making games myself and looking after two little ones, my game time is down to maybe 2 hours a week when everyone is in bed. Haven't even put in Uncharted 3 or Batman-AC yet. PSN+ is just adding to the list as well. There were a bunch of titles I wanted to play that I simply had no time for, like Just Cause 2 and Infamous 2 that I couldn't help but download once they went free on PSN+. Now they sit on my harddrive. Waiting for someone to show them some love. :)

[wanderson75]

Same here. I've got a pile of about 25 games (just this gen) that I keep meaning to get back to. I'll finish Final Fantasy XIII eventually. :P

[stonecold3]

i got 182 ps3 games and 2 download games daytona usa and mortal kombat ?

[karlowma]

The biggest contributor to my backlog is definitely the seasonal Steam sales. My PC backlog currently looks like this:

Alan Wake
Alan Wake's American Nightmare
Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition
Batman: Arkham City
Darksiders
Dead Space
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
From Dust
Just Cause 2
Legend of Grimrock
Limbo
Trine
Trine 2
Two Worlds II
The Witcher 2

Those are the games that I have barely touched. There are probably 20+ more that are in various states of completion.

With so much available to me, and the means to legitimately acquire pretty much whatever I want, I find it very difficult to stick with a game for very long before moving on to something new. I call it "Gamer ADD".

[Mike_Tha_Hero]

My strategy is to dedicate my gaming time to one game and focus all of my attention on beating it.

[nix]

i've stopped picking up games that look similar to what i've played before. that way there's hardly any games that interest me nowadays. i skipped Ninja Gaiden 3 (even though i was a fan of the series), Diablo 3. Diablo because of the online reason. plus i still haven't finished Torchlight which i picked up long long time back. there must be hordes of other games which i must have skipped or not bothered about.

as for the games i haven't finished, there are be 4~5 games but almost all of them are sandbox games.

Yakuza 4. finished chapter 1. somehow. lol.
inFamous. don't even remember that game anymore.
GT 5. though i keep playing the arcade i haven't finished the career.
Dark Souls. which i today finally opened and created a character. dunno how far i'll tread.
NFS Hot Pursuit. which i should have never picked up.
Resistance 3.

playing smaller/mobile arcade games interest me nowadays. Trine. Limbo. Braid are the ones i've bought and loved finishing. recently finished "where's my water" on android. lol. haven't picked up Trine 2 because i'm confused about if i should pick it up for PS3 or Macbook. i guess it's just easier on my brain and they don't take so much time to finish.

[born2live]

LOL! Awesome article. I've got way too many games and too little time to finish them all before the end of next year. Ah, growing old is not as fun as it sounds... Oh wait, it's EXACTLY as fun as it sounds...

[kingPoS]

I've never gotten around to finishing Portal 2 or god of war2, because Aries is a PITA in god of war1 or the Resistance bundle. (should've got the gow collection2)

[johnsonbat]

I'm a "sufferer". Fallout 3, Bioshock 1 & 2, all the Mass Effects, Just Cause 2, Uncharted 3 plus about 35 others untouched, Jesus I even have Crysis waiting. I blame having 2 kids, they suck up all my time. on the bright side when they wheel me in to an old peoples home I'll go out in a blaze of glory.

[wanderson75]

I hear you there! I'll be looking forward to my retirement home years just to have some time to play the games I want to! And whacking the great grandkids with a cane when they roll their eyes and tell me that MGS4 is "so 20 years ago". :P

[johnsonbat]

I just hope my grand kids enjoy getting a lesson in gaming when they come to visit because that's what they'll be getting.