How to (finally) tackle your gaming backlog
Disclaimer: playing video games should be a pleasure, not a chore.
This post is intended for people who want to feel progress towards their backlog instead of always returning to comfort games.
You just have beaten the final boss, and now the final cinematic is concluding the story. As soon as you exit the game, an existential crisis is looming. Time to say goodbye to the characters and the world you got attached to.
What should I play next?
Your screen shows you this cornucopia of abundance, your game library—a library accumulated from years of steam sales, humble bundles, and lack of time.
I faced this "issue" earlier this year. Many series of games I never managed to get around to playing, but I wanted to for a long time, like hitman, dark souls etc.
My tip— having a backlog of games that I am looking forward to
I came up with a simple system; when I play a game and have a craving to play another one, I just put it on a list.
Once my current game is finished, I proceed to the next one.
Simple right?
My current to-play list — with the estimated time they would take to finish and their genre :
- Deathloop — 23 hours — Action FPS
- Control — 24 hours — TPS Action Adventure
- Thronebreaker — 36 hours — Card game RPG
- God of War — 32hours — Action Adventure RPG
- Oblivion — 85 hours — RPG
- Crusader Kings 3–172 hours — Simulation Strategy
- Horizon Forbidden West — 60 hours — Open-World RPG
- The Last of Us — 16+30 hours — Action Adventure
- Diablo II — 47 hours — Hack&Slash
- Stellaris — 58 hours — Strategy
- Diablo III — 43 hours — Hack&Slash
What is a finished game?
Video-games are experiences.
You can move on if you feel you got the most out of it.
A concrete example, I had this game on my list, Project Wingman. But after passing the tutorial and the 1st mission, I realized I don't like plane games.
For me, there was nothing else to experience. Or at least nothing positive.
If the experience you are looking for is to have 100% achievements, then go for it!
Shuffle the list to introduce a variety
If you played all the Call of Duty in a row, do you think you will be able to enjoy the latest entry as much? Or would you be fed up?
Once in a while, I revisit my backlog list to see if this order makes sense.
I ensure a good mix between action, strategy, AAA vs Indie and other criteria.
I do have exceptions. For example, I played all the dark souls in a row, as I wanted to experience them in one go.
Building anticipation for the next game(s)
Studies have shown that we can get as much happiness from the anticipation of the experience as the experience itself.
When I look at my list, I get excited to finish my current game as I am looking forward to playing the next one. And it builds anticipation for the entire inventory.
It creates a virtuous circle.
Parting thoughts
There is not enough time to play all the games ever made ( or that will be created). The same applies to movies, books, etc.
There is no right or wrong way to handle your backlog; my way is the one that is currently fitting my schedule and how much time I spend playing video games. And you should find your own.
I am interested in hearing your thoughts!
Further reading:
Gaming Backlog
https://kotaku.com/how-to-chip-away-at-a-massive-games-backlog-1845794480
https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/video-game-backlog-spring-cleaning/
Anticipation
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/31/well/mind/anticipation-happiness.html
https://exploringyourmind.com/anticipated-happiness/
