Have you ever had “too much” to play?
- Thread starter ejoshua
- Start date
Choice paralysis is extremely real. I try to mitigate this by keeping "Now Playing" and "Want to Play" categories on Steam to keep me on-track with games I've already started and intend on finishing.
This past year has been really killer on stuff to play. Luckily its been one of my most active years playing video games. Its nice to complete games again.
The last 5 years at least. I've learned to kinda just put my brain on autopilot and pick what I feel like playing without consequence of the rest of my options. Otherwise I won't be able to choose and I just won't play anything. Right now I'm replaying Dark Cloud and Secret of Mana for the first time and I'm loving my time with both of them.
I got SW: Fallen Order, Bloodstained, Nier Automata, and Borderlands 3 for Christmas. I have enough games to last me the entire year.
There's always too much, but I like it that way. I just play what I feel like at the time and don't think too much about it.
OP
OP
Such interesting replies!
I just finished the campaign for the new CoD: MW. I really liked it, felt like it landed somewhere between "serviceable" and "above-average."
I am now wanting to play Nier Automata since I never did B and C part, and never played the Witcher DLCs and the show has gotten me itching for it, oh and I got a Switch with Pokémon Sw/Sh for Christmas with 3 Houses and BotW.
It's also about time I started up Shadowbringers again since I have an FF itch.
What's that—I never finished Red Dead, Dishonored 3, or Deus Ex either. And Shadow if the Tomb Raider was fun when I played it, and my buddy just beat it has been gushing.
You know how it is.
I just finished the campaign for the new CoD: MW. I really liked it, felt like it landed somewhere between "serviceable" and "above-average."
I am now wanting to play Nier Automata since I never did B and C part, and never played the Witcher DLCs and the show has gotten me itching for it, oh and I got a Switch with Pokémon Sw/Sh for Christmas with 3 Houses and BotW.
It's also about time I started up Shadowbringers again since I have an FF itch.
What's that—I never finished Red Dead, Dishonored 3, or Deus Ex either. And Shadow if the Tomb Raider was fun when I played it, and my buddy just beat it has been gushing.
You know how it is.
Yeah, ever since... five or six years ago, when I tried new things and "unfortunately" expanded my tastes. There's so much I want to play, all the time, but then there's so much I just don't play anything. Sometimes miss being content with just one company's output lol.
Yep, I've had to mentally abandon hundreds of games in my library as games I'll never play because I was spending too much time trying to decide what to play and never actually playing anything.
At this point I just pick whatever sounds fun, even if it's a 7th playthrough of some game, because forcing myself to play things I'm not really excited about will just make me not play anything again.
At this point I just pick whatever sounds fun, even if it's a 7th playthrough of some game, because forcing myself to play things I'm not really excited about will just make me not play anything again.
Always since I was able to buy my own games easily. Now they give you games for free on multiple apps. I beat a very replayable game recently and felt like I was forcing myself through it just so I can never look at it again, and replayability was one of my most important features of games as a kid.
This has been my gaming life since I got my Commodore 64 in the '80s. I don't overthink it. I just play whatever I get the urge to and don't worry about it.
Same with tv series and movies. Im also a pretty open minded and likes all sorts od things which doesn't help, sometimes you just have to make a choice and not do certain things.
Also, i feel like sometimes i really want to play something but im not in the right mindset to play this game, so im waiting, sometimes it can be up to 2 years before going back at it but it's usually games that are worth the time and effort
It's definitely easy to feel that way especially if you've got a large backlog. I'm guilty of feeling like I'm rushing through games to get to the next at times, and sometimes I don't even know what I want to play next.
What has helped me is mixing things up by selecting a few games based on criteria (length, genre, platform) by going down a list from my backlog. I look at each title and ask myself "would I want to play this now?" and often I find myself saying with full confidence "no" to a lot of them. For any I say yes or maybe to, I add them to a short list and once the list gets to about 5 or so I compare only those and pick the one that appeals to me the most. Once I'm finished I take a look at the runner ups and determine if I want to play one of those or go through the process again to choose a new set of games.
What I like about this method is that often helps me pick my next one or two games, I never plan too far ahead so that it feels like work, and I'm allowed to reevaluate at any point. Having a big library should feel good, not stressful.
What has helped me is mixing things up by selecting a few games based on criteria (length, genre, platform) by going down a list from my backlog. I look at each title and ask myself "would I want to play this now?" and often I find myself saying with full confidence "no" to a lot of them. For any I say yes or maybe to, I add them to a short list and once the list gets to about 5 or so I compare only those and pick the one that appeals to me the most. Once I'm finished I take a look at the runner ups and determine if I want to play one of those or go through the process again to choose a new set of games.
What I like about this method is that often helps me pick my next one or two games, I never plan too far ahead so that it feels like work, and I'm allowed to reevaluate at any point. Having a big library should feel good, not stressful.
Sometimes my gaming library feels like my wardrobe: Lots of clothes but nothing that looks good for the occasion.
Yes, it's been that way ever since I got my first paycheck.
Fortunately bullshit like mtx, bugged releases and EGS have changed my purchasing habits. More time for backlogs!
Fortunately bullshit like mtx, bugged releases and EGS have changed my purchasing habits. More time for backlogs!
I have entered this phase a long time ago. Money isn't the problem anymore. It's the time that I don't have. I stop buying too many games during sales for this reason. I know I won't have enough time to play them all.
All the fucking time and I just made it worse by buying more shit than I need because of sales. I've been so much better about it the past few years, but I kinda fucked up this holiday and bought: Judgement, Disco Elysium, Call of Duty, A Plague Tale and more, rather than just beating the shit I already have. I slipped hard this year and now my backlog just grew to some absurd amount.
Pick the one that you notice first. Spend some time with it. If you hate it then just move on and remove it from you backlog. There's no need to beat everything. No one else cares what you play in the end.
For me, I've always wanted to play Tales of Vespiria. It's been nagging at me for years. Finally, on Switch it's doable, and I'm loving the hell out of it.
For me, I've always wanted to play Tales of Vespiria. It's been nagging at me for years. Finally, on Switch it's doable, and I'm loving the hell out of it.
Even as a kid I had too much to play. Like do I play FFVII or VIII again on my PC? Perfect Dark go for Perfect scores? Goldeneye? Mario 64 grab all stars? Banjo again? Lylat Wars all medals? Pokemon Red/Silver replay? Smash Bros wipe a save and unlock everything again? Turok 1, 2, Rage Wars and Oblivion replays? Unreal Tournament? Try and get Escape from Monkey Island working on PC again? Baldurs Gate/Icewind Dale/NWN replays?
Like anytime I came home from school this was my conundrum and sometimes it broke me where I'd play 5 minutes of one then try another.
It got much worse once I discovered emulators.
Like anytime I came home from school this was my conundrum and sometimes it broke me where I'd play 5 minutes of one then try another.
It got much worse once I discovered emulators.
Used to have an huge backlog, I still have an backlog but not that large. Last few years I have started "working" through it and not impulse buying as much or just buying because it is cheap.(These things still happen but not as much) Though this steam sale did see me buy something like 7 games... But I have already finished one and is fairly close on another!
I try not to finish games out of some obligation but because I like them, if I am done with an game halfway through, then that is fine. Or if I realize it is not for me.
I think it is important to remember it is an hobby, you are supposed to have an good time
I try not to finish games out of some obligation but because I like them, if I am done with an game halfway through, then that is fine. Or if I realize it is not for me.
I think it is important to remember it is an hobby, you are supposed to have an good time
Sometimes the saying "less is more" is really helpful, especially with this stuff.
What benefits does a huge library of games offer, when I'm not playing and enjoying those games all too much due to knowing that there's still a few dozens other games left? It's a really annoying feeling.
That's why I for instance took my Vita and put it into a box out of my sight. There are at least 5 or 6 games I have not finished on the Vita yet, but I just can't be bothered to cover those anymore. It's too much and I'm not willing to invest too much thought on how to tackle this backlog. After all gaming should be a enjoyable hobby and not some type of work.
With the PS4 being on its way out for the most part, I'm mainly playing on 3DS and Switch now with only a handful of games. Feels good! And I don't want to spend my whole day with gaming only, so reducing the amount of time spend with it is rather positive to me.
What benefits does a huge library of games offer, when I'm not playing and enjoying those games all too much due to knowing that there's still a few dozens other games left? It's a really annoying feeling.
That's why I for instance took my Vita and put it into a box out of my sight. There are at least 5 or 6 games I have not finished on the Vita yet, but I just can't be bothered to cover those anymore. It's too much and I'm not willing to invest too much thought on how to tackle this backlog. After all gaming should be a enjoyable hobby and not some type of work.
With the PS4 being on its way out for the most part, I'm mainly playing on 3DS and Switch now with only a handful of games. Feels good! And I don't want to spend my whole day with gaming only, so reducing the amount of time spend with it is rather positive to me.
I've come to the same conclusion last year and built pretty much the same system. At first it takes a bit of time to sort your library into categories, but then you can just hide all those "noise" categories and focus on what you really want to play. Away with the nostalgy and the embarrassement of an overwhelming backlog!
No,I've learnt to deal with this over the years. I only focus on 2-3 games at a time and I don't keep track of any backlog. I only take note of really promising games and then I decide to get them or just move on to something else. It happens that I miss out on certain games that I want to play later on but it doesn't bother me at all.
My increasing standards for what entertains me has also helped greatly with this matter.
My increasing standards for what entertains me has also helped greatly with this matter.
For 20 years maybe..
Making a "Now Playing" list in steam has helped, same with only pinning the installed games im playing on xbox also.
Also I try not to look at it as too much, my backlog extends generations so im just happy there is a flavour for whatever mood im in gaming wise.
Making a "Now Playing" list in steam has helped, same with only pinning the installed games im playing on xbox also.
Also I try not to look at it as too much, my backlog extends generations so im just happy there is a flavour for whatever mood im in gaming wise.
Since the early Wii/DS/PS3 years, it's been constant backlog time.
I had enough to last me 10 years then (managed to get my hands on old games and new was releasing at fast pace).
Now?
I could probably stop buy anything and last till my great grandkids have kids.
It's insane.
I had enough to last me 10 years then (managed to get my hands on old games and new was releasing at fast pace).
Now?
I could probably stop buy anything and last till my great grandkids have kids.
It's insane.
Yup, definitely feeling this a lot recently, even though it's not anything new for me.
Instead of chipping away at a SP game to finish I end up just hopping online for a couple of sessions in MK11 or CODMW.
Instead of chipping away at a SP game to finish I end up just hopping online for a couple of sessions in MK11 or CODMW.