The more time I spent playing my games, the less new ones I acquire.

[Emperor Megas]

This the true for most of you? Two main things tend to prevent my from playing/completing games:

Lack of time
Being overwhelmed (by volume)

However, neither of these things prevent me from acquiring new games. Now, I don't pay much for games at all, so it's not really a financial drain when I acquire more games than I have time to play (or complete, anyway), however, I find that when I take the time to actually play through my games, I tend to purchase less of them. This is awesome because my collection is already more than adequate and has been for years (I'm not a 'full set' collector, or a hoarder) and I get to actually scratch games off the 'to play' backlog. I'm also more inclined to let games go that simply pad my collection. I don't like having filler, but I've acquired quite a bit over the years through purchasing odd lots of games and taking a chance on games that are only a couple bucks.

The 'Beaten in 2012' thread was the thing that motivated me to play through more games, and since I've been committed to playing them through, I've acquired a lot less games than I had at this point the previous year. I've also lightened by collection and given away quite a few games (mainly to my friend's children who don't care or know about being a generation behind). Focusing on one 'main' game at a time also helps a lot (I get a little overwhelmed otherwise, and nothing gets finished).

It feels great to get caught up and lighten my backlog. Actually 'playing' more of my games really keeps my collecting in check (I know some of you are thinking; "Duh!"). I've been picking games to play at random trying to rotate genres so I don't get burned out on anything, and I don't even bother with games that don't grab me after about an hour of playtime; they go straight into the sell/give away/donate box.

[SpaceFlea]

I've been hoping to get on this path myself. The problem for me is that I'm addicted to eBay. Literally, the first thing I do when I get home from work everyday is buy more games. I recently tried to start playing more games again, but I made the poor first selection of Dragon Warrior. That thing is more of a template than a game. There's no sense of accomplishment, so I just took the grind back to eBay.

[Aussie2B]

If you're overwhelmed by the number of games you have and can't pick something to stick with, try copy-and-pasting your collection into this:

http://www.random.org/lists/

It helps me think of games to play that would otherwise probably slip my mind. I don't necessarily play the first game listed, but I look through the first 10 or 20, think about what kind of game I'm in the mood for, and make a decision based on that.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

I agree with you. When I'm in the middle of playing a set of games, I'm not as interested in acquiring more. It's like I have a part of my mind dedicated to gaming, and if I'm playing a game, I'm not thinking at all about the buying aspect.

[Gameguy]

I'd like to spend more time playing games, but I worry that I'll miss out on something well priced that I'm looking for so I spend more time looking for games at thrift stores, garage sales, craigslist, and other other places I can think of instead of playing anything. I figure once I have them I can just play them any time I want in the future.

I don't really buy many games but I spend a lot of time looking for them.

[treismac]

I feel like the collecting of video games, at least for me as a gamer, is storing up for the winter of entertainment. With the ability to buy lots of games for the fraction of what a single video game use to cost, it is not unusual for me to pick up handfuls of games at a time that I don't seriously dive into. However, because I am more of a gamer than a collector, I will play them- eventually. Like you, Megas, I relax on the impulse to store up when the harvest is upon me and I'm actually enjoying the fruit of my collecting. I do the same thing with books, too. If I stopped buying video games and books, I probably wouldn't need to buy any more for the next fifteen or so years before I finish them all. With that said, some books (non-fiction in particular) and video games are best for "referencing" rather than reading or playing all the way through.


I don't really buy many games but I spend a lot of time looking for them.

Yeah, that sounds fairly familiar, as I have my fair share of thrifty Scottish blood coursing through me. Sometimes I enjoy the hunt and other times it feels like a time drainer, honestly. If I had more money than time, I doubt I'd spend so much time trying to save money on video games like I do. If I made, say, $40 an hour, why would I waste an hour or so of my free time trying to find a game for only three or five dollars less?

[The 1 2 P]

I probably spend more time collecting than playing but I wish it was the other way around. I already have way more games than anyone could ever hope to play in one life time but I keep finding so many good deals. Atleast a third of my current gen games(360, PS3, Wii, PSP, DS) were acquired for $10 or less so it's not like I'm spending alot. But I have been trying to spend more time completing games. But that time also competes with my movie watching and book reading so I never get to devote as much time to everything I would like. Right now I'm trying to play thru a few XBLA games and after that I want to beat some PS3 games. But we'll see how it goes.

[Emperor Megas]

Yeah, my backlog is pretty bad with books, too. Only I ONLY purchase books at second hand stores (unless they're gifts for someone else). I almost never spend more than $3 for a book. I try to read one of week (though I usually fall short), and it's easy to balance out the time for reading because I only read books when I'm traveling (I don't drive so I'm always a passenger) and at work in my down time. I also set aside particular hours for gaming (before work, before bed, and whenever on my off days). I've only averaged about 2 games completed a month this year, but it's mainly because their 'modern' games, which are a lot more demanding. When I get back into retro I'm sure I'll knock out several a month.

[Steven]

I've been pretty much on this track since 2006. I stopped buying games for the most part around 2007.

I can speak from personal experience: nothing fuels my love for this hobby like focusing on one game at a time, maxing it out (AKA beating it) and moving onto the next.

The nice thing about being finished with buying games is at worst, your backlog can only stay the same. At best, it decreases bit by bit. My theory since 2006 has been you can't play them all, I finding focusing on one system and maxing it out to be incredibly satisfying ;) I haven't burnt out really in 6+ years staying true to this theory. The fire still burns!

[mightykendar]

I'm definitely guilty of buying a lot of games (generally inexpensively), and not getting around to playing them all, though everything that I buy gets tested and played for at least a little while. I do tend to think, "oh, well, I'll play this when it gets colder/I'm not as busy/etc.", but that never seems to work out! :-D

I actually have the same problem with records as well (not so much CDs, as I listen to them in my car while commuting)...I generally get them pretty cheaply ($1 at Goodwill, Salvation Army, a good local record store with an excellent dollar room), but since listening to them requires both a) me being at home, and b) me being in my living room, but not watching or playing anything that is going to use my receiver/speakers, I make my way through the backlog at a pretty slow pace. I definitely need to listen to more records (and play more games!) this summer.

[Emperor Megas]

If you're overwhelmed by the number of games you have and can't pick something to stick with, try copy-and-pasting your collection into this:

http://www.random.org/lists/

It helps me think of games to play that would otherwise probably slip my mind. I don't necessarily play the first game listed, but I look through the first 10 or 20, think about what kind of game I'm in the mood for, and make a decision based on that.I saw this suggested before, I think last year, but I never checked it out. Thanks for mentioning it again! I'm going to try this right now. :)