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So many great games to play and so little time – we’ve all been there, especially when the holiday shopping spree is over. If the growing list of must-play games in your library stresses you out, we’re here to help. Just read our list of 6 useful tips to reduce your gaming backlog in the upcoming months!

1. Slow down
Like an ancient wise man said once (and all life coaches since) – a big journey consists of small steps. It may sound a bit strange, but maybe you’re trying too hard to finish all the cool titles you own. Instead of rushing into games, and being frustrated by the lack of progress, try a more systematic approach. Shortening your gaming sessions may help them become more satisfying. There’s really nothing chasing you here. For example, if you spend an hour a day with one title that needs 10 hours to finish, you can beat it in just 2 weeks.



2. Start with shorter games
Another popular saying states that you should always tackle obstacles from their easier side. If your gaming backlog keeps growing, start chipping away at it by choosing to play the shorter, easier titles first. Just visit sites like HowLongToBeat and make a list of owned games in order of their length. After beating shorter titles, you can take on the longer, more elaborate ones without having to dwell on the other games you still haven’t finished.

3. Find a co-op friend
One of the popular bits of advice to all gym-avoiders is to take a friend with you. Many activities are more fun when enjoyed in bigger groups, so check if the game you’ve been avoiding for some time has a co-op mode. Even if you invite your friend for a gaming session just once a week, it will still help you take down overdue titles in a social and very enjoyable way.



4. Use tools to keep order
Make your gaming life easier by creating a convenient, easy-to-access list of games to finish. Apps like GOG GALAXY let you add bookmarks to your game collection across all platforms. Just create a bookmark titled “The Pile of Shame”… just kidding – “Games to Play” (let’s remember to stay positive), and watch as it gets smaller with each day.

5. Give your favorites a break
We all have them – games that are evergreen, ones that we love to return to from time to time. Well, if we want to make that game to-do list disappear, those darlings will have to sit in the back row for a bit. It’s time to open up to new experiences and, let’s be honest, those golden oldies aren’t going anywhere, right?



6. Take it easy
Ask yourself, do you want to beat a specific game quickly or do you just want to explore its lore and story. If the second answer is the correct one, you can just as easily choose “easy” or “story mode” in the difficulty section and simply have fun. If the game really draws you in, you can always revisit it in “nightmare mode” in the future.

How about you? Do you have any games that you wish to finally play and finish in the upcoming months? Write about them in the comment section below, and remember – fresh or overdue, the main goal of playing every game is to have fun!
Nothing like my Excel spreadsheet to manage my backlog!

(Yep, I am the kind of person that makes spreadsheets for fun).

This one would also come in handy:
https://www.gog.com/wishlist/site/more_time_a_few_hours_per_day_would_be_nice
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ConsulCaesar: Nothing like my Excel spreadsheet to manage my backlog!

(Yep, I am the kind of person that makes spreadsheets for fun).

This one would also come in handy:
https://www.gog.com/wishlist/site/more_time_a_few_hours_per_day_would_be_nice
do you know that is an illness ?:P
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my name is sadde catte: Yeah, I've been using it for about that length of time too. It's quite nice to look back at all the games you finished in the last year.
Why stop there, when you can compare at which year you "excelled" the most.
Or follow the trend graph line of your beaten/completed number of games chasing that naughty red unfinished line.
Also, you can add people into your multitap (kudos to those who know what multitap actually is/look like xD) and "spy" on their playings. It's heartwarming when you see someone playing a game you like and finished many years ago.
Then there is Fortune Cookie option, that randomly picks a game from your backlog. It can be a good tool to use when you don't know what to start next for example.

Lot's of fun for those who choose to fight the "chaos of game backlogs". :D
What I love the most about it, is that it's personal. I mean there are some general guidelines what is considered beaten, what completed and what mastered game (if FAQ section), but the bottom line is it's your backlog and you determine how you choose to mark what around it.

P.S. If you are into that multitap thing, feel free to add me. :)
What sucks is that I like games that are long -- builders, strategies, simulations.

When a shorter game appeals to me and I can jump on it (like Per Aspera, or Carto were), I immediately bump them to the top, because I know I can complete them. And I feel all the better about it.
I didn't expect to find any easy solution here, but #1 and #2 makes sense.

Ad #1 – a lot of people complain about their tasks and backlogs and still do nothing to complete it. It's much easier to spend 2h watching tv or lost this amount of time in social media, instead of organize yourself and make some space for 2h of undistracted gaming.

Ad #2 – finishing some short game by playing only one title from start to finish may be quite motivating and gives a nice feeling of accomplishment in return; it's always nice to get some things done.
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The-Business: 7. Accept that you don't have to play every game you own. But you still have the option if digital distribution stops.
8. Wait for the next lockdown.
9. Get rich and become price insensitive, only buy games at the moment your feel the desire to play them.
I'd also suggest:

10. Do not hesitate to mark games as dropped/retired. Make it a decision and make it clear. You can always change your mind, of course, but psychologically it may be a pain to keep a lot of open tasks on your list – without any chance to complete it. Decide – are you going to complete it now? If not – drop it.

11. Do not start a lot of games – especially some "long" ones, as crpgs or complicated adventures. Games consume more time, if you're making long breaks between sessions. I usually play only a few titles at once (of very different types/genres, never two similar games).
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When you keep a backlog delete it You don't need a backlog! This is a reminder how much money you spent over a period of months and years. I know how many of you got thousands of games in your account. So, when keeping a backlog, you waste more time on updating that list, removing several titles in favor of others instead of actually starting to play anything. You can't throw darts on your monitor to relieve yourself of the difficult decision which of it to play next.

Keep a log of all games you actually finished and be proud of it.

Don't keep buying new games for the sake of playing them some day in the future. Once a store or platform vanishes, you will find all those games you feel you have missed out on the internet. When you already got thousands of games why buy a thousand more?

Install ten or twenty games you own and start playing them in any order you like. The one you keep playing is the one most likely to be finished next.

You will never, ever finish all games you own so don't try!

Don't buy games you plan to play someday in the future. That future will never come where you find time to play the games you collected over the years.

Be happy that you will never run out of games to play!

Don't be frustrated over the fact that your list is so long that you could never hope to finish it off. If you must hold on to your backlog don't get worked up and play because you feel you must play to make it shorter. Play because it's fun and you enjoy the time playing a game.

This is about how my list of 6 plus 2 bonus tips for keeping that which many of us like so much, playing games, a fun activity. One simply mustn't manage all activities with to-do lists. Certainly not playing games of all things!
Post edited January 11, 2021 by Mori_Yuki
Everything you've done to make me not want to buy more games from you is surely going to help with this particular problem immensly.
5 give your favourites a break
me: I think I'll play some Super Hexagon again
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Panaias: Even scarier:

-Hey gramps, what's that?
-Ah, one of the finest video games ever created for the PC...
-So you people were gaming in front of some lit panel thingy? Nah, I'm out. *presses play button on gaming eye mod implant*
Or

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1677720/

So no one will care about your entire collection .
7. Remove anything the censors don't like.
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BranjoHello: Best tool for keeping track of your backlog:
https://backloggery.com/
I'll check it out. Do you know if you can add any older console, DOS, Amiga or arcade game?
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Hey @GOG.com great tips! I'll start with Devotion. Oh wait, I can't play it since you censored it
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Taro394: Hey @GOG.com great tips! I'll start with Devotion. Oh wait, I can't play it since you censored it
If you're also boycotting GOG, you might want to get yourself listed here:
https://www.gog.com/forum/general/boycotting_gog_2021/post1
Post edited January 11, 2021 by mrkgnao
It is not a backlog, it's a permanent collection.
:D
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BranjoHello: Best tool for keeping track of your backlog:
https://backloggery.com/
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Dogmaus: I'll check it out. Do you know if you can add any older console, DOS, Amiga or arcade game?
Probably every gaming system/platform is supported. There is even "calculator" believe it or not. xD
E.g. I have 13 categories out of which 8 are PC oriented.