Struggling with buying too many games

[Twister]

So, for about a decade now, I've considered myself a "game collector" on and off. I grew up watching game room tours on YouTube and seeing people's giant collections and I wanted to have something like that for myself. Not like a huge collection that takes up a whole room, but some shelves with games on them. And now I have that, and it makes me happy to see the games lined up and look at the box art and remember the memories I had with each game like the GameCube and DS games I had as a kid. The problem is, I have gotten into the mindset of buying many different games when I see them on saw to add to my collection and "try them." The problem is, I rarely ever do try them and I'm the type that's very picky and enjoys playing a few games for a long time, but I can't fully enjoy playing Pokémon for 500 hours when I know I haven't even started 10 other games that I paid good money for. I get anxious and I feel like I have to play them like it's work, and I get guilty whenever I buy a new game I'm really excited about because I still haven't played the game I bought on clearance 3 years ago.
Now I'm not buying hundreds of games a year or anything and it's not really hurting me financially, but it does make me stop and think "what am I doing?" sometimes. I wanted a collection of games I had a real attachment to, but somehow now whenever I see a game for $15-20 I buy it if I'm even slightly interested in it or heard good things about it even if it's not in a genre I enjoy or if I have 10 other games I need to play first. Sometimes, this does pay off and help me branch out to find new games I love like Fire Emblem, but often it just leads to disappointment and regret. I also get big FOMO and suckered into buying games I have a feeling I won't enjoy just because it's the "hot new game."
I constantly think that if I just bought games when I wanted them to play them, even if that meant missing a sale, I would likely save money overall.
I was wondering if anyone else has dealt with these issues and found a way to cut back on new purchases and built a curated collection of games you really love and want to devote a lot of time to. I just wanna play Black Ops Cold War multiplayer or complete my Pokédex without anxiety.

 

[Frustrated_Grunt]

I think the worst was when the "Pay what you want" bundles hit peak popularity. Tied with the constant game sales hunting, I was barely playing the games I bought.

Eventually I realized I saved more money buying one or two games at a time and only buying more when I was ready, as opposed to hunting for "deals" all the time and blowing disposable income on them.

 

[Nickdoggmoneycash]

I don't let myself buy a new game unless I have beaten everything else in my library. If a game isn't clicking with me, and I don't want to play/beat it, I sell it. Doing this makes it so I never build up a backlog, and it keeps me in check so that I don't spend too much money (as games can take me weeks to finish sometimes).

I would just start by playing and beating what you have. These games that you want aren't going anywhere, you can get them down the line when you'll actually have time for them.

 

[Lotus]

I think the worst was when the "Pay what you want" bundles hit peak popularity. Tied with the constant game sales hunting, I was barely playing the games I bought.

Eventually I realized I saved more money buying one or two games at a time and only buying more when I was ready, as opposed to hunting for "deals" all the time and blowing disposable income on them.

Click to shrink...

Yup that's how they get ya

You figure you're getting this really good sale, and while you typically are, what usually ends up happening is that you take forever to beat all those new games you just bought. Especially when new games you want to play Day 1 get in the way...

And by the time you actually beat all of them (if it ever even happens), the games you got on sale are probably permanently cheap as hell at that point

Only exception is first party Nintendo games, at least those retain their value, so if you see a great deal for them, it'd be understandable to go for it

 

[Cyclonesweep]

Yup that's how they get ya

You figure you're getting this really good sale, and while you typically are, what usually ends up happening is that you take forever to beat all those new games you just bought. Especially when new games you want to play Day 1 get in the way...

And by the time you actually beat all of them (if it ever even happens), the games you got on sale are probably permanently cheap as hell at that point

Only exception is first party Nintendo games, at least those retain their value, so if you see a great deal for them, it'd be understandable to go for it

Click to shrink...

I live by the motto

It's only a good deal if you were planning on buying something.

Stops me from buying games just cause they are cheap.

 

[Deleted member 68874]

I used to fall prey to FOMO, but after buying GoW and Nier Automata at full price and not liking either of them I basically escaped having FOMO. I couldn't care less if I miss out on playing games that are being hyped up, because I know a lot of the times I wont like the game.

These days I basically just use Gamepass and buy the occasion AAA game not on the service. With Gamepass I feel zero obligation to continue playing a game if I'm not enjoying it. Its very freeing to just quit a game without feeling like you've wasted money.

 

[Carnby]

I did the same thing OP. I must have 50 ps4 games I never opened or played. And 100s of games per (old) consoles that I did the same.

One day I realized a few things. 1) Games I'm never going to play are a waste of space. 2) Games I'm never going to play are a waste of money. 3) fuck FOMO. If I miss out, so what.

It wasn't easy to accept this. But I feel a lot better (for many reasons) since accepting it.

Good luck. Shaking the "collector's" syndrome is not easy.

 

[BadWolf]

Step 1: put your wallet away

Step 2: look at the games you own

Step 3: play the games you own

Step 4: don't buy anything new until you've gone through all of your games

If your backlog is tiny or non-existent then you are doing things right.

 

[Lotus]

I live by the motto

It's only a good deal if you were planning on buying something.

Stops me from buying games just cause they are cheap.

Click to shrink...

I'm pretty much definitively at that point after last year's Black Friday, where I still have 2 games leftover I have to yet (both Dishonored games)

But yea, usually if I didn't buy a game Day 1, there's a reason for that. Though of course there are occasionally games that "slipped" my radar.

 

[MajorBritten]

Im basically in the same boat as ypu although I have hundreds of physical games with Id say 90% of which I havent even played. Add to that all the digital games and I have over 1,000. I think from the beginning of the year Im going to start clearing my back log of physical games and sell them as soon as I finish them, then move on to my digital library and only buy new games that I really want and will play straight away.

 

[Man Called Aerodynamics]

I went through this exact thing. Had shelves full of PS1, PS2, PS3, GameCube, Wii, Dreamcast, DS, PSP, Vita games. Some were favorites I had played, many more were still sealed waiting to be played someday. It was fun for me to be a collector and see everything on the shelf and think about running through all those giant JRPGs someday when I had time.

Then at some point I just kind of realized that I was NEVER going to actually play this stuff and it was going to sit on my shelves untouched forever. But what does forever mean really? Someday I'll be dead or in an old folks' home and then my kids would have to figure out what to do with it. Imagining my kids having to sort though dozens of decades-old PS2 JRPGs suddenly made my collection feel like a very stupid thing to have.

So I started selling it a little at a time. I'm down to basically nothing except Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PS4 games. Even the newer stuff I've been converting to digital and reducing physical discs. I've made quite a bit of money, my house is less cluttered, and I don't have to pretend that I'm someday going to magically have the free time to pop in Wild Arms 4 or whatever.

If the collection still brings you joy, awesome, carry on. The minute it stops bringing you joy? Don't stress, just get rid of it.

 

[Hieroph]

I love having a big collection of games, including games that I haven't played yet. I can just go to my game shelf and pick up something new to play.

But OP, it sounds like you have a problem. Try organizing your games neatly and even putting some of them away for a time, and try to only buy games that you think you will really play some day.

But you also don't have to play everything right away. It's totally okay to buy a game and then sit on it for 5 years without playing it. Really!

 

[eraFROMAN]

I get it; I had to understand that "game collecting" of any kind was affecting my enjoyment of the hobby negatively. I started giving away my still sealed modern games to friends and co-workers (I'd gamify it with trivia or a slack raffle or something,) and selling my more expensive but unloved games. Now, I only buy games if I can start playing them the same day, which results in me buying digital more often, sure, but finding things on deep sale by the time I'm ready to play it. This year even, I much preferred waiting 'til now to buy RE3, because it was $19 bucks for a one night play through that I'm already finished with, rather than $60 and myself trying to play it to death to get over the "guilt" of spending that much.

On the other hand, don't feel obligated to play every game you buy. Sometimes the value really is in just "having" it. but you also don't have to buy any game just because of the zeitgeist. No one's gonna blast into the house and tell you you're not playing the right games.

 

[Marcus Aurelius]

It's difficult to struggle with this when you're always poor as fuck

 

[Karlinel]

Aye, that happened to me as well, and many others here I'm sure. But we have to remember that when that moment of revelation hits...we are hoarding! A game not played is worth 0 to me, that's why I sold mine.

 

[7threst]

I live by the motto

It's only a good deal if you were planning on buying something.

Stops me from buying games just cause they are cheap.

Click to shrink...

This is advice I will use from now on. I'm in the same boat as OP and need to stop this habit of buying new games while I have +10 other games to finish or even start.

 

[panama chief]

https://www.reddit.com/r/GameDeals/

 

[molnizzle]

This is a big reason why I think "collecting" in general is something to be discouraged. It's really, really easy to fall into this mindset and waste tons of money on material goods that provide no real benefit, or in some cases even cause anxiety.

 

[Joni]

I have used the pandemic to reduce my backlog, and with a simple method: play the shortest game first.

 

[Deleted member 37928]

Well I think you have to realize that playing video games and collecting video games are two very different things. They are in direct conflict with eachother if you set your goal towards finishing everything that you buy. Playing games is extremely time consuming so it's simply not possible to be both a collector and then finish everything that you collect. Being efficient at buying something is much easier than being efficient at experiencing something. The exception of course is if you collect something with extreme value.

If you insist on collecting then try to separate it from the kind of games that you actually want to play. On the one hand you look for games with sentimental value, low cost, easy/hard to grab and what not and on the other you take your time to plan the games that you actually want to play. The only reasonable chance you have of combining this in some sort of harmony is if you decide to collect games with very high value. Then by default you won't afford to have more gaming experiences than you can manage. But from my experience game collectors seem to have rather low standards and it's more about having big shelves than impressive shelves.

 

[Cyclonesweep]

This is advice I will use from now on. I'm in the same boat as OP and need to stop this habit of buying new games while I have +10 other games to finish or even start.

Click to shrink...

I use it for most things. Stops me from getting ridiculous on big sale days.

If I want a game, I wait for a sale. You could also write a list of games you want and ONLY buy those.

 

[Phendrana]

I used to do exactly the same thing. At a certain point I looked at my backlog/collection and realized I was never going to be able to play them all. And to be honest I didn't even want to play some of them. I just felt that I should because I'd already spent the money.

Honestly, though? Fuck that. This is meant to be a fun hobby. You aren't obligated to play anything. Yes, it sucks that you wasted money, but it's ultimately not a big deal. And hey, you could even sell some of the games you know you'll never get to and get some of it back. Stop feeling guilty over it. It's done.

That said, you DO need to try and stop. Or at the very least heavily limit the amount of games you buy each month or something. I would suggest to stop looking at Steam/Humble Bundle sales altogether. They're a trap. Remove the bookmarked discount alert websites you probably check. The games are going nowhere. If you desperately want to play something in the future, there will always be a way.

Try and enjoy what you have for a while. And when it comes to new releases: don't buy a new one until you've finished what you're currently playing.

 

[Rosebud]

I have no problem waiting for games.

But thinking that a game MAY be delisted in the future gets me every time. The reason I own freaking Kick-Ass 2.

 

[catpurrcat]

Even as a huge physical only buyer and advocate last gen because of the enormous cost savings, going all digital since last year has made me far more disciplined in spending. Go figure.

 

[chicagocubsfan]

Same with me. My backlog is gigantic and I don't know where to start. I'm curbing my spending this year though.

 

[RoastBeeph]

Yep, I gave up on collecting things of any sort a while ago. It just leads to wasting money and cluttering up your place. Clutter is stressful, along with having guilt from buying things you've never played and will likely never play.

Game Pass is a god send for this reason. I don't feel like I am missing out on much since I always have a huge library of titles I can explore at any time.

 

[Zool]

I had the same, bought way too many games. Sold hundreds of physical games and still have way too much. Consequence is that I'm not interested anymore in gaming...

Having too much games killed my hobby hehe.

 

[dabri]

I started doing the following.
1: Can't buy a game until you've beaten a game or at least get to a point where you are done with the game.
2: Buy digital. This works for me but may not others. I stick to digital because it won't take up any physical space in my house. I'm tired of all the game clutter. After being a life long gamer and my wife being in the industry for 7+ years, we amassed quite a few collectables (not just games themselves) and frankly we are tired of all of it.
3: Went through my digital library and installed everything I knew I would want to play that I hadn't yet. Had to upgrade my PS4 hard drive for this. As I beat a game and feel done with it, I delete it. This way, it feels like I'm making progress.
4: went through all of my physical games (prior to PS4) and did the same, except instead of downloading, I left them on the shelves. The ones I'm done with are in containers in the office closet. As I beat them, they get moved off the shelf and into the containers.
5: When I am ready to buy a game, I simply add to a wishlist of games I'm interested in. I then wait for a sale and eyeball my wishlist. From the ones that are one sale, I pick from there. I generally stick with $20 or less but will pick up a good AAA game for $30 if I'm really excited for it.
6: whatever new game I've bought is my focus and I will try to not move on to another in my backlog until I've beaten it or gotten to a point where I'm just done.

I feel like I may want to offload all of my old physical games/ second PS4 for cash at some point. Put it toward a PS5. It's just a lot of work to actually go through all of it and figure out what to sell it for.

 

[MrKlaw]

I'm trying to break that habit in 2021. Has to be a hard break with clear rules or I'll fall back on old habits.

So I'm using a google sheet and any games I'm interested or curious in I put in there first. I will try to only buy a game if I will play it immediately or within a few days. Otherwise it stays on my list. No different to now where my backlog might as well not be real because I'm not playing them. Only difference is it isn't costing me money.

then, when I get the urge, I can use the list to help choose what to buy. And by then it'll either be way cheaper, or on gamepass/GwG/PS+/epic store free etc.

I'll also try and track the amount I'm not spending that I otherwise might have - so that I can look back and see I've saved eg £1000 over the year and that'll help encourage me to continue.

 

[Oneself]

I tried to slow down a bit this year thinking PS5 would help with a typical "no games around launch" but no. It didn't work. Games are awesome. -_-

 

[JobenNC]

I had a string of day 1 purchases that ultimately disappointed me. And around the same time, I got to a string of older games that had been sitting in my backlog that I really loved. That helped me put a few more points into FOMO defense.

I also started doing a podcast with a buddy where we pick games for each other off of our backlogs, then shame and celebrate when we can/can't finish them. That exercise has been a blast and you could do the same thing with a friend without a podcast.

 

[Cyclonesweep]

I've found Gamepass has helped me a bit too. Ive only bought games now that I've wanted to play right away and I have Gamepass for the ever growing backlog. Still feels cool to have all those games there but I'm not wasting so much money

 

[werezompire]

I've been limiting my game purchases to games I intend to start immediately and it's helped a lot. Not only am I finishing stuff but it's given me the chance to play older games I've been meaning to get to. Like this year, I played through Siren:Blood Curse and I'm halfway through Lost Odyssey.

Downside is that my birthday and Christmas this year feels weird because there aren't really any new games to buy and even if there were I'd want to finish my current games first.

 

[Randam]

just ignore sales.

buy one game at a time. and don't buy anything else till you have beaten that game or are done with it.

I don't even buy bundles or special editions when buying games. one game at a time.

 

[Digital Savior]

I don't struggle with buying games. I struggle playing them. I haven't found a solution yet. Send help.

 

[Shiz Padoo]

When deciding to purchase or not, I'm trying to look at other unplayed games I have in that genre. Usually it delays the purchase.

 

[Randam]

I don't struggle with buying games. I struggle playing them. I haven't found a solution yet. Send help.

Click to shrink...

buy less games :D

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

Buying stuff is part of the fun. Don't iverthink it as long as you can afford it.

 

[Polioliolio]

So, for about a decade now, I've considered myself a "game collector" on and off. I grew up watching game room tours on YouTube and seeing people's giant collections and I wanted to have something like that for myself. Not like a huge collection that takes up a whole room, but some shelves with games on them. And now I have that, and it makes me happy to see the games lined up and look at the box art and remember the memories I had with each game like the GameCube and DS games I had as a kid. The problem is, I have gotten into the mindset of buying many different games when I see them on saw to add to my collection and "try them." The problem is, I rarely ever do try them and I'm the type that's very picky and enjoys playing a few games for a long time, but I can't fully enjoy playing Pokémon for 500 hours when I know I haven't even started 10 other games that I paid good money for. I get anxious and I feel like I have to play them like it's work, and I get guilty whenever I buy a new game I'm really excited about because I still haven't played the game I bought on clearance 3 years ago.
Now I'm not buying hundreds of games a year or anything and it's not really hurting me financially, but it does make me stop and think "what am I doing?" sometimes. I wanted a collection of games I had a real attachment to, but somehow now whenever I see a game for $15-20 I buy it if I'm even slightly interested in it or heard good things about it even if it's not in a genre I enjoy or if I have 10 other games I need to play first. Sometimes, this does pay off and help me branch out to find new games I love like Fire Emblem, but often it just leads to disappointment and regret. I also get big FOMO and suckered into buying games I have a feeling I won't enjoy just because it's the "hot new game."
I constantly think that if I just bought games when I wanted them to play them, even if that meant missing a sale, I would likely save money overall.
I was wondering if anyone else has dealt with these issues and found a way to cut back on new purchases and built a curated collection of games you really love and want to devote a lot of time to. I just wanna play Black Ops Cold War multiplayer or complete my Pokédex without anxiety.

Click to shrink...

I struggle with this too a bit. I stopped buying video games mostly except things I intend to play, but maybe only because I buy up board games that seem like something I want to play instead. So I'm starting to work on this in both worlds of gaming.

I think to start, what you can do is just get more critical. If there's something you don't like about a game, use that as a reason not to buy it. Maybe it's the art, maybe it's that it's early access, maybe it's that you haven't beat the previous game in the series yet and you know you wouldn't want to start the sequel till you did. Maybe you don't like the voice acting or whatever.. Just get more critical, so that unless you can actually really get excited about it, don't even buy it. Don't buy it unless you fully intend to play almost that day or that week. Don't buy it for something down the road. That's just a waste of money.

I've found Gamepass has helped me a bit too. Ive only bought games now that I've wanted to play right away and I have Gamepass for the ever growing backlog. Still feels cool to have all those games there but I'm not wasting so much money

Click to shrink...

Normally I would scoff at these kind of services, but when I tried out the gamepass 1 dollar dela they have right now, I actually played 2 games that were vaguely on my radar, but I had a great time. It's like, if it's there and you know you only have this limited window, you might find yourself actually playing games instead of just buying them.

 

[Cyclonesweep]

I struggle with this too a bit. I stopped buying video games mostly except things I intend to play, but maybe only because I buy up board games that seem like something I want to play instead. So I'm starting to work on this in both worlds of gaming.

I think to start, what you can do is just get more critical. If there's something you don't like about a game, use that as a reason not to buy it. Maybe it's the art, maybe it's that it's early access, maybe it's that you haven't beat the previous game in the series yet and you know you wouldn't want to start the sequel till you did. Maybe you don't like the voice acting or whatever.. Just get more critical, so that unless you can actually really get excited about it, don't even buy it. Don't buy it unless you fully intend to play almost that day or that week. Don't buy it for something down the road. That's just a waste of money.




Normally I would scoff at these kind of services, but when I tried out the gamepass 1 dollar dela they have right now, I actually played 2 games that were vaguely on my radar, but I had a great time. It's like, if it's there and you know you only have this limited window, you might find yourself actually playing games instead of just buying them.

Click to shrink...

If a games cheap you'll buy it and never touch it cause at least you own it and you'll get to it eventually. With Gamepass and stuff, the chance that the game could go away makes you more likely to give it a try.

 

[SRTtoZ]

I buy too many games too. I have about 30 PHYSICAL games sitting in my display cabinet with shrink wrap on them. I'm trying to play them in order of release but it takes time plus I still have a ton of digital games to play as well.

 

[BobLoblaw]

I buy 30-40 games a year on average. All digital on PC (and usually years old). My backlog is around 70 games right now. I've mentioned before that I use trainers to skip past bullshit, because I'm only in it for the stories. Stamina meter? Nope. Shit save system? Nope. That shit adds hours to a game and I value my time too much for it. Console players don't really have that luxury, so my advice would be to set a hard budget at the beginning of the year and stick to it (knowing that a new game might pop up that you didn't originally plan to get).

 

[RoadDogg]

I used to be this way with new games. I would pretty much buy everything if interest when it came out and never play any of them because I only have enough time to play like 5 games total a year. I solved it in two key steps.

1- I bought a Wii U and skipped the XBO and PS4 generation. This gave me a huge pause in buying because the release schedule was so slow and I had plenty of time to play what was coming out. I still ended up buying Zombi U, Star Fox, and Wonderfull 101 and never plaything them, but that was better than most generations.

2 -I moved onto the switch but gamepass came out and tempted me. I got a cheap XBOS a little over a year ago just for gamepass and have since upgraded it to a Series X. I still debate buying all of the games I missed last generation on all of the sales that come up, but I look back at the gamepass list and remind myself I have easily 30+ games I still need to play ready to go. That has worked out really well and I only own one XBO game (Spyro) so far.

Knowing that digital sales repeat themselves every couple months means it's never a rush to jump on a sale.

If I still cared about physical games that would be a different story though. Games seem to be harder and harder to find now after the initial release unless they are big budget AAA games.

 

[Frunkalicious]

Meh, having unplayed games on my shelf is a privilege I cherish. Never had that when I was younger. I don't get why a lot of users here think it's a bad thing. As long as I bought it cheap, which is usually the case, I really don't care if I play it now, in five years or never. At least I got the enjoyment out of thinking about and buying the game. That's also worth something.

If you don't intend to play the games in the short term, just try to buy them when you think they are at their cheapest price point. Or don't, just do whatever feels best for you.

But most importantly, please don't stress out over unplayed games because that is just as ridiculous as it sounds!

 

[Deleted member 27938]

Stopping requires some real will power and conviction. I used to collect action figures and gaming statues, the display case is in a room I hardly visit so I don't even get to look at them regularly. But take it at your own pace and eventually you should make progress.

 

[T-Virus]

I just let my collection grow organically. I don't buy games just to have them. My collection is not huge or anything but I like it that way. Currently I'm playing FE three houses and Cyberpunk 2077 and I won't buy a new game until I finish one of those games first. I always try to limit myself to play 2 new games at a time(maybe 3) so I don't get overwhelmed.

 

[romey]

That's pretty hard to do on PC. Too many discounted games and even free ones.

 

[eXistor]

It wears off, trust me.

I still collect games, but there comes a point in your life when you go "yeah I have most of the stuff I want". Unless you just collect games to collect them, then you're never done. I just buy what I want to play and never sell, that's how I now have 2400 physical games without really trying.

There's always gonna be that holy grail (Snatcher on Sega CD for me or maybe a boxed US copy of Little Samson on NES), but for the most part I feel satisfied right now.

 

[Pancakes R Us]

I used to do this all the time but somehow managed to cut back. I currently go through spurts of not buying anything for ages and then buying a bunch of stuff close together. I also buy retro stuff, which doesn't help. Good luck on cutting back, OP.

 

[Ossom]

I constantly think that if I just bought games when I wanted them to play them, even if that meant missing a sale, I would likely save money overall.

Click to shrink...

This is exactly what I did. It was one of the best gaming decisions I ever made. I don't feel pressured to rush the games I'm playing and I don't feel like I've wasted my money.

I used to love getting stuff at launch and would get caught in the hype. I just got a ps5 with Spider-Man and am part way through Ghost of Tsushima. In the past I would have got Demons and Cyber Punk but I've learnt that if I don't get a game at launch or in a decent sale, then it has zero influence on my enjoyment of games or my life for that matter.

Maybe try it a couple of times and see how you feel. If something is $1 then maybe you can go for it, but nearly all games go down in price and always will. I wanted borderlands 3 and almost got at launch, but I waited until I actually had time to play it. I paid £13.

Today I had an offer of Mario Maker 2 for £20, which was a great price, but I don't have time to play it so after a brief consideration I declined. For me it's not about the money any more, so much the thought space of knowing that I need to play these games I've committed to purchase.