Do you still buy games despite having a backlog? Why?

[JCgames]

I've been asking myself this a lot lately. Especially after adding up the amount of money I spent on a ftp game. I thought I was around 80-100 but it's 140 and I thought wow that's a lot.

But the I started thinking it's my most played game over the last going on two years. I that time I spent just over 100 on other games that I have yet to even launch! I did play one, Atom Eve, it's a VN with some big choices and minor combat and I must say money very well spent.

In 2020, I bought crusader kings 3 which I did put about 140 over 5 months and not want either of the last 2 years of dlc this game us firmly in the regret the price column.

I'm also the kind of player that gets sucked into games and nothing else matters as far as trying something else. This is just how I game so it has me begging the question why do I buy stuff when I'm already happy?

Rarely does hype around a game get me and infact I thunk I'm more likely to enjoy a game that doesn't have hype. Civ V wasn't to well received and for years it was called a pale shell of iv, but I liked it more. Crusader Kings ii was just niche same with battletech though i think besides life is strange and oxen free are just a couple games that had a little hype. Midnight suns is sadly niche, same with dungeons of nahuelbuek though I'd love to see more from both but I think DoN is more likely. At least the last Dlc was a basically another full game though about half as long.

I know this is kind of a tangent, but it does have me wondering why I pick thinks up because of hype when I'm already happily playing sone in top of enough of a back log that I know I will find something I'll enjoy.

So does anyone else have this issue?

 

[Colif]

I'm also the kind of player that gets sucked into games and nothing else matters as far as trying something else. This is just how I game so it has me begging the question why do I buy stuff when I'm already happy?

Good question.

I don't have a backlog.

I just buy the games I want to play now and play them until I don't want to anymore. So I am the same as you in that I just stick to one game. I don't buy games on sales unless its a coincidence. I don't look at other games if I am happy with the one I have now.

I may have a few I never actually played, but I try to avoid that now. Some were bought on a whim. I don't see it as a backlog as I don't feel like I need to complete any game I play. I play them for fun, not to finish them. I have known people who would finish a new game every week... how do you remember them all?

 

[February's Ghost]

Well, let me think...

I do have a backlog. In fact I have a ever increasing pile of unfinished games.

These games I've half-played include (but probably aren't limited to): Alan Wake 2, Dead Space Remake, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, Death Stranding, Horizon Forbidden West, Baldur's Gate 3, and Shadow Gambit.

In light of them still waiting to be finished I just now bought Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora because the ultimate edition dropped to 43 bucks (base game 23 bucks) and have been playing it for the last 4 hours.

Last week I bought and played through Lost Records: Bloom and Rage.

Why? I don't know. I still have to play Half-Life Alyx too. So why am I also hesitating on one of the best VR experiences there is? Is it a compulsion? A disease? A curse?

All I can say is

¯\_(ツ)_/¯​

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I used to beat myself up a little for not playing games Ive bought enough, but having less time has kind of made me realize that sometimes things are fun for a while and then the mood changes. I can sit there and play a game to the 'end' while not enjoying it, or I can just boot up the game that I'm more excited to play at that moment and swing back round to something if I'm in the mood for it.

So for me, I buy games Im interested in and if they turn out to not be what I expected or I get bored of them after 5 hours or 30 hours and I haven't finished them, so be it.

Theres a balance to that, sometimes the fun isnt immediate and you need to spend some time to get there. Thats why theres a graveyard in my library at around the 5-15 hour mark for games I tried to get into but utimately didnt find all that fun. Sometimes I even swing back around to those and end up liking them more.

I think theres a personality type thing going on with it, we talked about elsewhere here with @BeardyHat recently. Some people can play the same thing until they know it inside out and prefer to do that, some jump around a lot more.

 

[Colif]

its cheaper to play one game for a long time than to endlessly bounce around... that works provided its not a subscription based MMO. Or full of MTX.

I did my bouncing around looking at other things until I found games that take a year or so of my life. First of those was Super Metroid, and back then it wasn't as easy to find a replacement. Way more life stealing games now. Also way easier to find them.

life stealers I played:

• Super Metroid (about a year)'
• Diablo 2 (about 2 years)
• Wow (about 2 years or so... approx)
• Age of Conan (about 2 years)
• Torchlight 2 (um, I don't know... I kept replaying it.. its hard to say. It has been a while since I last played it, not sure I have on this GPU)
• Test Drive Unlimited 2 (about 2 years)
• Sacred 2 (about 3 years)
• Journey (about 2 years)

the 2 years on all is just an estimate.

there tends to be a lot of false starts trying to find the next life stealing game. Mainly as you don't know until you start playing.

I don't look for games that can be finiished fast. The only one on my list that doesn't take ages to finish is Journey... but its special.

 

[Frindis]

I jump around games a lot, so I might play one game for some hours, get bored or in need for a different mood of game. I also buy new games if I want to support something I believe is both unique and will like. A late example of this is when I supported Baldur's Gate 37Path of Exile 2. On occasion I might buy a game because of the meme, like buying a Super Nyan Cat game.

I can also get really sucked into a game and my 450 hours in Path of Exile 2 is an example of this. Now I need a break, so I do not get permanently nauseated from it. Savour it for a couple months, then it will feel like a new experience playing it again.

 

[mjs warlord]

I have been a pc gamer for 23 years , i only have around 100 because i hammer a game until i complete it and if it does not have an ending i keep going till something new catches my attention. Compared to some of you i know 100 is a small collection.

My purchases fall into 3 categories
1. a follow up to a game i completed
2. steam sale
3. A game at a silly price that i never got round to buying...... it could be 5 years old but on the day i get it its new to me.

 

[BeardyHat]

I used to beat myself up a little for not playing games Ive bought enough, but having less time has kind of made me realize that sometimes things are fun for a while and then the mood changes. I can sit there and play a game to the 'end' while not enjoying it, or I can just boot up the game that I'm more excited to play at that moment and swing back round to something if I'm in the mood for it.

This is exactly where I'm at. After I had my kids, with such limited time to do things, I just do whatever is hitting right at any given moment and don't worry about the rest.

And I consider all my games my Library and not my backlog. Even though I spent money on it, I'm not obligated to spend time with those things; I couldn't tell you how many books I've bought that I didn't read immediately. Years later I've looked at them on my shelf and realized the time for them has passed and ended-up donating them. I'd probably do the same with my Steam Library if I was able to just randomly donate games I don't think I'll play.

But yes, I still buy games. Several of my favorite experiences of last year were games I bought last year and still several more were games I bought a year or years before. Again, playing just whatever feels exciting at the moment.

 

[ZedClampet]

I don't really care at all about my backlog. For one thing, the type of games that I want to play is always changing. And i rarely want or find a game that I can be interesting to me for 100s of hours

 

[isleepinabed]

I have a few games I have not dedicated myself fully too (as much as I want to). This year I have been going through a few of these and, at the same time, making a conscious effort not to buy games for the sake of buying them.

On the other hand I have also made an effort to replay games so, in a way, I am getting more out of the games I already have.

I wouldn't consider these as an either/or decision, however. If there was a game I really want to try, I would get it. In the end, we should play what we want to play. If not, we're not really "playing", it would become an obligation to go through things just because we bought them.

If anything, this is a downside to buying digitally. In a way, I miss being able to sell or trade games. Not to fund new purchases but just to consciously say - I don't want to play it anymore so I don't want to own it anymore either. The fact that they linger on the digital libraries is somewhat of a self-imposed burden.

 

[Johnway]

Prior to steam sales or humble bundles, i would buy just the one or 2 games and go from there. But as i got older with more disposable income and time on my hands, i had less discipline. The humble bundles and steam sales ruined me as they all had games i wanted to buy and actually will (eventually play).

The problem is that there were a lot of games i wanted and i didn't need to be selective anymore because they were dirt cheap. I try to exercise restraint by buying the games as cheap as they can be. If its in a humble bundle, so be it or if its too good to pass up, i buy them there and then. Sometimes i luck out and the price increases and i never see the game at that price ever again. other times i should have waited. FOMO plays a big part of it, sometimes i see a game i just think i should get as the pricing trend for certain games just don't go down or not as much as i want. Its partly why i started tracking my game purchases to see how much i'm really spending.

Epic collection has spoiled me further as free games i have no problems saying yes to t hem and having a massive backlog. But these days i try to be more discerning. I'm not going to get monster hunter sequels until i actually play one of the games and see if its fun enough to warrent my attention.

 

[February's Ghost]

The humble bundles and steam sales ruined me as they all had games i wanted to buy and actually will (eventually play).

Oh man, the days of buying a bundle of like 12 games for $3 just for the one game you want was almost like a hobby for me once. Of course bundles aren't really like that anymore and now I have like 3000 games on Steam, most of them I never had any interest in at all.

 

[DXCHASE]

Good question.

I don't have a backlog.

Where's the doubt button? lol

I don't really care at all about my backlog

Same here! Theres nothing wrong with having choices.


So, do i have a backlog? Absolutely, so many games interest me and collecting them is fairly easy and cheap. I mean, i like playing games from all genres and if i get into one and the interest wains, or some other game comes out, then it goes there. I go back to the ones i want to and have the option to do so for the others.

Im also not the type to buy 1 game and be like thats all im gonna play for the next 10-15 years, or even 1-3. Its not that i dont think those games are fun or not (i play MMOs), but playing 1-3 games over a long period of time isnt fulfilling to me as a gamer with this hobby. So, naturally, this will create a backlog.

Obviously theres nothing wrong with that, but i have to play a good mixture of games personally, even if i only have a 1-3 game rotation every couple of months at best.

As gaming is a hobby i like to be able to discuss all different types of games with other "gamers". But when i run into someone that only plays CODs or Madden or WoW (1 game from 1 specific genre), the convo kinda dies unless its super specific to that 1 game (out of thousands) that they only play, which for me, i can do because ive sunk hours and spent money in all 3 lol.

Oh man, the days of buying a bundle of like 12 games for $3 just for the one game you want was almost like a hobby for me once. Of course bundles aren't really like that anymore and now I have like 3000 games on Steam, most of them I never had any interest in at all.

This is one of the bigger reasons for my backlog. Humble bundle supports a charity. There are plenty of other packs and bundles from other sites that do this too. So building up a backlog because you are supporting a good cause and able to get a tax kickback at the end of the year? Im there.

its cheaper to play one game for a long time than to endlessly bounce around... that works provided its not a subscription based MMO. Or full of MTX.

I would say it used to be cheaper too because most MMOs didnt have mtx or shops for money (or were super cheap if they did). But thats not the case anymore i dont think. Most of these lifer-games nowadays are full of MTX whether its p2w or just a cosmetic shop and those players are spending more there than buying 5-10 different indie/AAA games and only play 2-3.

 

[Pifanjr]

I only very rarely buy games these days and mostly play games from my backlog. However, sometimes I see a game I really want to play and I don't have any other game on my backlog that will scratch the same itch. That's why I bought Fallout 4, Shadow of War and The Planet Crafter, I didn't have anything that was similar enough to substitute for them.

I've also bought Slay the Spire and Balatro for my phone, because I wanted a good mobile game for when I can't play on my PC.

 

[Colif]

Where's the doubt button? lol

I am currently inbetween games. Since I am doing a training course, I haven't played any since August last year. So if I did have a backlog, now would be best time to clear it. In recent years I am more likely in this state. Just losing the occasional 4 month period to a game.

I have games I could play but none are any I haven't already played before. Not driven to finish games, been known to avoid ends instead.

I would say it used to be cheaper too because most MMOs didnt have mtx or shops for money (or were super cheap if they did). But thats not the case anymore i dont think. Most of these lifer-games nowadays are full of MTX whether its p2w or just a cosmetic shop and those players are spending more there than buying 5-10 different indie/AAA games and only play 2-3.

Only two mmo I ever played had shops in them. Only things I ever bought were mounts in both of them. In both games, that was the most useful things on shop to me... and maybe bags. I haven't played an MMO in 10 years or more, so its hard to say.

 

[JCgames]

I'll clarify a few things. I don't really regret my back log as on steam my average cost per game is 3.50 so i definatly grab deals and hobestly when i spend 20 bucks and pick up 5-8 games if i like just one its a win. But I think I have like 50 games I've been meaning to play so I really need to dent the back log. Especially when most are story narrative games that are short like 3-8 hours. But sorta like tv, I'd almost always rather rewatch something I know I love. So in some ways if I'm having fun it's all good right?

For instance last summer, i bought atom eve, xcom chimera, despite not liking xcom. Starwars jedi, battle front and squadrons and a couple points and click that I haven't gotten around too. The only one I liked was Atom eve. The jedi game was just OK, i played for maybe 2 hours and no desire to finish it. But I grabbed it all for 20 bucks so i call it a win because Atom eve was a true gem for me.

What I regret is paying full price and then not liking or playing enough because that means I could easily have waited. The list is actually pretty long on that front which is why I stopped paying full price on games. I dropped 400 bucks on everquest 2, wow both with 30 dollar games cards, fallout 3, Oblivion, quake 3, just to mame a few, and then paying full price on all the dragon age origion and all the dlc only to have a complete version for 50 bucks barely a year later was the final straw. It made me wonder why I pay full price on anything. since then ive only bought 4 games on launch. So i guess even ckiii wasnt even regret persay as i do like it, but I just don't play it enough to justify the cost. I'd probably have played it way more if I didn't like dungeons of naheulbeuk as much as i do and then found midnight suns which between the two is taking up most of my gaming time.

I guess in the end I should be happy that I have games I like as much as I do, but I really need to take time and play some backlog. Maybe I have some more hidden fans that I don't even realize.

 

[JCgames]

I would say it used to be cheaper too because most MMOs didnt have mtx or shops for money (or were super cheap if they did). But thats not the case anymore i dont think. Most of these lifer-games nowadays are full of MTX whether its p2w or just a cosmetic shop and those players are spending more there than buying 5-10 different indie/AAA

I think mmos are cheaper now in the ftp system most that I've played you really don't need to spend much. Since 2012, I spent 150 on startrek online, 15 swtor, 50 on dungeons and dragons online and 300 on mechwarrior online, not an mmo but is an online game.

I still haven't spent what it cost me to play SWG fir a double sub for 8 years, Since 2012 I've spent about 2 grand on all games combined.

 

[Zimbaly]

Yes..... sadly...... cause I have a problem.....

 

[February's Ghost]

Yes..... sadly...... cause I have a problem.....

We all do, just some don't want to admit it.

 

[Zloth]

My backlog is more of a backtwig. Currently:

• The Forgotten City (pretty short)
• Elden Ring (not at all short, bought it last sale)
• Planet Coaster (bought it years ago, waiting to be in the mood for playing a game like that)
• The Gunk (came in as part of a bundle, short)

Currently playing FF7:Rebirth with Baldur's Gate 3 on the back burner.

So, yeah, I'll likely be in the market to buy something in the Spring sale. I can't count on Elden Ring to take me all the way to summer.

 

[JCgames]

My backlog is more of a backtwig. Currently:

• The Forgotten City (pretty short)
• Elden Ring (not at all short, bought it last sale)
• Planet Coaster (bought it years ago, waiting to be in the mood for playing a game like that)
• The Gunk (came in as part of a bundle, short)

Currently playing FF7:Rebirth with Baldur's Gate 3 on the back burner.

So, yeah, I'll likely be in the market to buy something in the Spring sale. I can't count on Elden Ring to take me all the way to summer.

Cool, i have forgotten city. I think in some humble bundle no surprise not played it.

Next game I'm buying is starwars outlaws and dragon age 4, when either hits 20 bucks so might not even be this year. Capes and broken roads are a couple others I'll probably pick up eventually too but down the road. i just think its time to find some gem i know there is somthing im gonna love, but DoN keeps sucking me back in.

I fixed emerald city confidential mouse issue so most likely that's next and I got oxen free 2, a plagues tale and wasteland 3, all 4 I have high hopes of enjoying. though wasteland will be a bit more down the road, i first want to knock out 10 quickies., I've got a plethora of 3-5 hour games.

Besides march has st patties day, so a perfect time to play a game with a green theme and magical.

 

[Zloth]

Next game I'm buying is starwars outlaws and dragon age 4, when either hits 20 bucks so might not even be this year. Capes and broken roads are a couple others I'll probably pick up eventually too but down the road. i just think its time to find some gem i know there is somthing im gonna love, but DoN keeps sucking me back in.

Yep, that's the way to do it. Instead of a back log, have a wish list. Functions pretty much the same, except that returns are way easier.

Besides march has st patties day, so a perfect time to play a game with a green theme and magical.

EAGLES green!? I don't know, it's awfully soon after the superbowl....

 

[Zimbaly]

We all do, just some don't want to admit it.

I can admit it. The first step in getting help is admitting it....... I still need help after 20 years of admitting it lol