Why Do We Want More Games When We've Already Got Too Many?

by Glen Fox:
There are two opposing sentiments that I've both uttered myself and have heard gamers express many, many times: "I can't wait until that game comes out!" and "Man, I've got a massive backlog of games that I should really work through before I buy any more games." They don't really sit comfortably next to each other, do they? It's also not really a problem shared anywhere else in our lives. We don't go looking for more food when our plates are already full.

[FallenAngel1984]

Ikr! My huge backlog keeps me from buying games day one

I usually only buy games when they’ve been discounted heavily. Only on special occasions do I get games around their release

All the while my backlog grows to be the biggest it’s ever been in my life

[HaveSumNuts]

This is an awesome strategy, I always wait for well reviewed triple A games to go on special (only drawback got to avoid spoilers, can't watch a damn review without them spoiling the best moments). Honestly I do this myself to avoid the possiblity of having chicken livers / noodles for supper on a daily basis. I bought God of War on launch and completely messed my budget, ended up having to ration food in the house. Was totally worth it though lol, that game was amazing

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I generally pick and choose what to get on release and what to buy later, basing my descion on how easy or difficult a game is to get and how big my current backlog is. Generally there's only a small number of games I jump on on release.

[Eonjay]

Every system has a ton of games including switch. This doesn't mean games like Red Dead, call of Duty and Cyberpunk still wouldn't be welcome in the Switch if possible.

[Zeldafan64]

True. I've got about 80 games in my backlog.

[Tross]

You call that a backlog? Lol. I've made a conscious decision not to count my backlog, but one thing I do know is I would trade it for your 80 game backlog in a heartbeat...except that would mean getting rid of a good chunk of my collection. Scratch that. I would give to have a backlog that's only in the double digits though.

[Fullmetalevolust]

As far as I am concerned, it's the fear of missing out, especially if the game reviews/footage make it to be too good to pass. I'll wait for a great sale, then jump on it when I've waited long enough (the wait can be gruesome lol).
There are times when I am not ready for certain games on a grander scale bc I am already knee deep in a couple of games, so I'll wait to beat one and then jump into a new game. I have many purchases I have not played but I am so happy that I got them for the price it was.
A lot of it is collecting, and most of it is to experience the game.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I like experiencing the games at the same time as everyone else, like when everyone on 4chan got Neptunia V during its release and we were discussing while playing. It was pretty great (also, f**k Metal Dogoos).

[PhantomS42]

So because we have games that have already released that means there doesn't need to be anymore. Welp, you heard the terrible article. Shut down the industry, no more games. Might as well close up shop for movies and books too, there are clearly "too many" of those too. Uh oh there are a bunch of cellphones on the market as well, guess we don't need anymore.../s

How stupid can this get.

[blawren4]

Backlog remains unpurchased. As a rule, If I'm not going to play it now, I won't buy it. We seem to have this need to buy games day one, but when we think about why we are doing this, does it make sense? Gaming is too expensive of a hobby to buy games you aren't playing. Read the article before you comment and you'll notice the author is saying to take the time and enjoy the games you have instead of focusing on the next big thing. The game will be there when you are ready and it might even be cheaper. That's what the article is talking about.

[Smokehouse]

Hype about the next thing is a big part of gaming. I have many, many games I’m waiting in antipation for and I still want new announcements. There is nothing to complain about, the industry is thriving.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I don't get why some people think this is the worst generation when we keep getting new games, ports, remakes and remasters, it like a feast for any type of gamer.

[Smokehouse]

I agree and I can only guess. When you have it good like this people tend to forget how it got there. Suddenly it’s “tropey stories built by sexist white men”. We get told how awful and anti-consumer game companies are. “Poisoning children with addiction gateways”.

The market is completely saturated but games like dead cells can still be wildly successful. It’s a crazy thing to watch. There are markets for many types of games and while they focus on a billion fortnite sales even the niche games have the potential to win big. That’s why it won’t crash and keeps growing.

I’m hyped about the onimusha remaster, nioh 2, ghosts of Tsushima and senkiro. Same game but all of them unique. It’s unbearable how anti-consumer and oppressive the industry is with its endless options. It’s intimidating, we have so many already.

[LandoCalrissiano]

Which is why gaas is growing...

[HylianMigz]

while i love constantly having something new to play, i wish there was less releases and more time spent fine tuning games

[Tross]

Because we're crazy? I'm sure if I were to count I would have hundreds of games in my backlog, but I can't help but add to it regularly. Ok, maybe it's just me that's crazy, though articles like this call that into doubt.

[BlackDoomAx]

Addiction.

[bamillington]

to many games and not enough time

[blawren4]

If there is ever going to be another gaming crash, it just might be when people realize what the article is talking about and these massive 4k budgets aren't recouped as quickly as publishers expect.

[punishing1]

The backlog only gets worse as you get older and have more disposable income than time. My backlog is ridiculous and continues to grow...and i have no one to blame but myself.