Why is it that so many people have huge "backlogs"?

Organization_XIII

Organization_XIII

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This is something I never quite understood. How is it that I hear/read so many people have tens, if not tens of dozens, of games they bought and have yet to play? My whole life, I've only bought 1 or 2 games at a time (max) and beat them before I went out and picked up some more. Christmas of 2009 I got like 3 or 4 games and it urked me when I had a 2-game backlog, and there are people who list of 15 or more games they haven't played yet. Are you all just finding insanely good deals every 3 days, or am I missing the joy of having a butt-ton of games that have just been sitting on my shelf for display or something?
 
If you've been a member of CAG (or Slickdeals) for even a few years you'd understand. I've bought countless games simply because they were a great deal, almost a steal. Hence why so many of us have a large backlog of games to play.
 
[quote name='Puffa469']It's easier to buy games than to find the time to play/beat them.[/QUOTE]

I thought having time to actually play them was the incentive to buy games
 
I never got this either. Every time I've bought a game at a good price that I knew I couldn't play fr a few months, the price had gotten cheaper by then. Then again, I've only done it like twice.

I only own 6 games for PS3/360. I have Mass Effect 2 in a 'backlog' spot right now, but I got it for free, so that's the only reason I have it. I also bought the DLC when it was on sale, but I probably won't play it until this summer. Unless there are ridiculous deals like that, I see no reason to have any size backlog.
 
Yeah i just went through and sold off close to 30+ games, and traded in (Estarland) close to 30 games).

I still have close to 30 and thats becuase I have been closely watching what I buy.. I really slowed down, compared to last gen when i had about 100+ to play...

For PC I have close to 300 games and dont really want to sell them (old Adventure Classics, etc).

So its easy to do, I have illzone 3 on my list and hopefully I can get through Metroid Other M, GOW 2, Gow 3 prior to that next month.

I have also maybe 45 hours into oblivion, started Metroid CE for Wii, among many other games I have yet to wrap up.
 
I have quite a few games I have yet to play, some deals you can't just let pass up. (re: Bayonetta new for $9.98, Buy 2 Get 1s) and it just grows over time.
 
[quote name='rusty']I never got this either. Every time I've bought a game at a good price that I knew I couldn't play fr a few months, the price had gotten cheaper by then.[/QUOTE]

Then you weren't buying them cheap enough. ;)
 
Although I hate him due to his school affiliation ;) - see what soonersfan60 said. What's the name of the site? Ever struck "lightning" at a Target clearance or a TRU clearance with an additional 20-30% off?

There have been quite a few games that I have wanted to try, but not at $40-60....however at $10 or less it was worth it to get it and try it. If it was not better than the game(s) I was currently playing, it went to the backlog pile.
 
As others have stated, many of us don't want to pay MSRP for a game. Once one hits that magical price point of $10-$20, it gets snatched up. Even if that means we won't get around to playing it for a month or two(or even longer depending on how high the game was on your want list). Also, I generally only have an hour or two per day to spend on gaming, so it can take a few weeks for me to get through a longer game(i.e. RDR). By the time I have that finished, chances are I've gotten in another game or two. Plus there are the games that you play even when you're in the middle of going through the backlog. For some it's CoD and different multiplayer games, for me it's Rock Band.
 
I've seen that it also depends on the type of games you enjoy. Generally speaking, RPG fans have much larger backlogs. This being due to the fact that an RPG can take upwards of 80 hours to finish, so the owner can't move on to the next game that fast. Personally, I have around 8 games in my backlog, but this is due to splurging a bit on Black Friday.
 
[quote name='Puffa469']It's easier to buy games than to find the time to play/beat them.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='SynGamer']If you've been a member of CAG (or Slickdeals) for even a few years you'd understand. I've bought countless games simply because they were a great deal, almost a steal. Hence why so many of us have a large backlog of games to play.[/QUOTE]

Best two answers.

I don't get why having a huge backlog bothers some people so much. It's not like the world is going to end if a game isn't played. I'll get to those games when the time comes. Until then, they'll sit there and look pretty.
 
Well sometimes especially with black friday there are too many good deals to pass up. I certainly bought a lot of games the past two months but all of them were $20 or less on sale through various retailers. Plus these were all the games I did want so why wait when you can get them cheap and on sale now.
 
Because our materialistic society has gone so far in that direction that many people (including myself at times) get a kick out of simply obtaining the goods rather actually using it. It's a hoarder's mentality. We have a compulsive need to have this and that but once we get it, we promptly put it away, forget about it, and move onto the next item on our wish list or the next "deal" we come across. It's the same reason why so many garages are full of unused items (tools, patio furniture, etc) and basements full of clothing only worn a few times...
 
For me, it's a combination of Puffa's comment, and my current situation.

- In my younger years, I had a nearly unlimited supply of time to play games, but no money to buy them.
- Now I have a reasonably sized disposable income, but my gaming time is somewhat precious.

Future me is buying all these games for past me.
 
[quote name='dannyox718']Because our materialistic society has gone so far in that direction that many people (including myself at times) get a kick out of simply obtaining the goods rather actually using it. It's a hoarder's mentality. We have a compulsive need to have this and that but once we get it, we promptly put it away, forget about it, and move onto the next item on our wish list or the next "deal" we come across. It's the same reason why so many garages are full of unused items (tools, patio furniture, etc) and basements full of clothing only worn a few times...[/QUOTE]

Dont you just hate how we are programmed by our masters... consumerism at its worst.

[quote name='mang9432']For me, it's a combination of Puffa's comment, and my current situation.

- In my younger years, I had a nearly unlimited supply of time to play games, but no money to buy them.
- Now I have a reasonably sized disposable income, but my gaming time is somewhat precious.

Future me is buying all these games for past me.[/QUOTE]

I like this explanation. It is why I wish future me had given me the money and the insight to splurge on H&B when I was in my late teens & early twenties.
 
[quote name='mang9432']For me, it's a combination of Puffa's comment, and my current situation.

- In my younger years, I had a nearly unlimited supply of time to play games, but no money to buy them.
- Now I have a reasonably sized disposable income, but my gaming time is somewhat precious.

Future me is buying all these games for past me.[/QUOTE]

Best yet, and so true.
 
I can understand a small backlog of 4 or 5 games, after all I'm no spring chicken anymore, but the huge ones, they confound me.

I only buy games I really really want to play. Even then it's hard sometimes to pay full price (Me miserly? It's more likely then you think) and a game might slip the wayside until I can find it for cheap, usually when I no longer have time to play it.
 
$10 for a 70% rated game (or better) is a buy for me. If anything its like a free rental cause you could turn around and sell the game or even gift it to someone else and its worth it. $10 is cheap entertainment for hours of fun. Shit, a feature film costs $15 for just over an hour and a half at the theater.
 
I have a pretty big backlog (probably 20-30 games counting PSN games) and I think it's pretty out of hand but I'll get around to it eventually because this is probably going to be my last "serious" gaming console.

What I don't understand is the people who have a 200+ backlog and keep buying games.
 
I once had as many as 1200 games, but I managed to bring it down to 200 or so AND without waiting for a life event to force me to (eg, layoff, marriage, etc).

I enjoy a nice looking bookshelf of media as much as (maybe even more so) as the next guy and I loved the visual of a media shelf with nothing but quality titles and only quality titles that I will play again. For example, I found Dead Space to be great, but I cannot foresee a scenario where I would be playing it again so that was out. But then you have something like Uncharted 2 that takes 3rd person action to another level (IMO), so I had to keep that.
 
All for the wrong reasons :lol:
It's like why keep on buying movies/tv shows knowing you're not going to watch... I know people have a collection of dvds that they can't possibility watch everything while they're alive :lol:

A lot of folks here buy games cheap, over time, they have more games they can ever play in their life time. Another reason is that, most folks here have the cash to buy and seldom have the time to play (work, duh). Then there are some folks need to finish the game 100%, which is even worse for backlogs...

One of my new year resolution is not to buy crappy games even if they're 99 cents (but I'm still doing that on PSN :lol:). I think most people here now addicted to buying games cheap than actually playing them. You know the thrill of find the deal and able to complete it (even the game is crappy as hell, it's not about the game, it's about the triumph of getting a cheap game :lol:).

Backlog backlog and backlog... If one sits down and filter out the games, there are only a handful worthy titles to play :lol:
 
[quote name='Mixer236']Also, I generally only have an hour or two per day to spend on gaming, so it can take a few weeks for me to get through a longer game(i.e. RDR). By the time I have that finished, chances are I've gotten in another game or two[/QUOTE]

That about sums it up right there, I have lots of stuff to do even when school is not on and when it is, studies take most of my time and a week or two can go by with no play time put on the games.

So yeah life happens, I could play a game a day for a year and never come close to beating everything I have yet to play, sad but true. Plus if consoles ever go D/L only I'll probably quit supporting the new systems and then my backlog will get all the attention and I will eventually get the games done (probably when I'm 86...:lol:)

I'd like to be 13-15 again, I played 5-6 hours a day at least had time to hang out with friends, 3 month vacation over the summer to do nothing BUT play, and RPG's weren't a big deal because I HAD time to play them (multiple endings too) I can't justify that kind of time anymore, I'm playing through the DLC on Fallout 3 right now and have less than a week to finish 3 more parts before next Tuesday when school starts up again and if I'm lucky get to play 3-4 hours max, that is if I don't have something else come up and don't get to play for a day or two.

So yeah growing up and having a life two MAJOR reasons why most of us have massive backlogs, (other than cheap games) that should answer your question.

But honestly, I'll ask what someone else did, why does it bother you and other people when people don't have time to enjoy stuff they own so much... is it envy? jealously? or just too much time on your hands to worry about what other people are doing? I honestly would like to know.

I think that is the REAL question I want answered.



[quote name='dannyox718']Because our materialistic society has gone so far in that direction that many people (including myself at times) get a kick out of simply obtaining the goods rather actually using it. It's a hoarder's mentality. We have a compulsive need to have this and that but once we get it, we promptly put it away, forget about it, and move onto the next item on our wish list or the next "deal" we come across. [/QUOTE]

I don't totally agree with that, I only buy stuff that will be useful to me and that I'll use. I don't have shelves with George Foreman grills piled up or TV's I picked up on the cheap lying around, that's silly, kinda apples and oranges ya know.

As it was already stated why buy something for $60 when you can get it for $20 or less, I like being able to buy 3 $20 games for the same price as I can get 1, the only games I've regretted buying since I got my PS3 are Fracture and Borderlands, which I got both less than $15 but got because I was kinda interested in and they were cheap. I'll be refraining from that for a long while.

It's a hobby it's something to collect, do, discuss, and now we have lots more choices than we did even 10 years ago for stuff to play, hence the massive backlogs. But I don't buy into the hoarder thing, otherwise you'd think that'd permeate throughout the rest of out life...yes / no or am I just blowing smoke?
 
[quote name='mang9432']For me, it's a combination of Puffa's comment, and my current situation.

- In my younger years, I had a nearly unlimited supply of time to play games, but no money to buy them.
- Now I have a reasonably sized disposable income, but my gaming time is somewhat precious.

Future me is buying all these games for past me.[/QUOTE]

Summed up more succinctly and accurately than I pitifully attempted to do so, bravo sir. :applause:
 
[quote name='Organization_XIII']This is something I never quite understood. How is it that I hear/read so many people have tens, if not tens of dozens, of games they bought and have yet to play? My whole life, I've only bought 1 or 2 games at a time (max) and beat them before I went out and picked up some more. Christmas of 2009 I got like 3 or 4 games and it urked me when I had a 2-game backlog, and there are people who list of 15 or more games they haven't played yet. Are you all just finding insanely good deals every 3 days, or am I missing the joy of having a butt-ton of games that have just been sitting on my shelf for display or something?[/QUOTE]
I was once like you...then I joined CAG.
[quote name='Puffa469']It's easier to buy games than to find the time to play/beat them.[/QUOTE]
This!
[quote name='dannyox718']Because our materialistic society has gone so far in that direction that many people (including myself at times) get a kick out of simply obtaining the goods rather actually using it. It's a hoarder's mentality. We have a compulsive need to have this and that but once we get it, we promptly put it away, forget about it, and move onto the next item on our wish list or the next "deal" we come across. It's the same reason why so many garages are full of unused items (tools, patio furniture, etc) and basements full of clothing only worn a few times...[/QUOTE]
This too!
[quote name='mang9432']For me, it's a combination of Puffa's comment, and my current situation.

- In my younger years, I had a nearly unlimited supply of time to play games, but no money to buy them.
- Now I have a reasonably sized disposable income, but my gaming time is somewhat precious.

Future me is buying all these games for past me.[/QUOTE]
And this. I wish future me would have given past me some money!
 
There's nothing mystifying about a huge backlog, it's just that the sales come faster than you can play them. I usually don't purchase anything above $20 (except for PSN releases) unless I can play it as soon as I receive it (MAG and BFBC2 were the last ones I purchased above $20, on release day).

You can rationalize that the price will go lower if you wait until you have a chance to play it, but first of all, that might not happen, second the game might go out of print or become scarce if you wait too much.

I'm sure most of us don't have a backlog out of our own choosing (of course that ther are collectors that DO create a backlog intentionally), rather, we just don't have enough time to play what we purchase. I decide to not buy any more games three or four times a year, to completely give up my resolution (every year) around Black Friday.

For me, it's a combination of Puffa's comment, and my current situation.

- In my younger years, I had a nearly unlimited supply of time to play games, but no money to buy them.
- Now I have a reasonably sized disposable income, but my gaming time is somewhat precious.

Future me is buying all these games for past me.
Click to expand...

Couldn't have put it better. This is my major source of frustration, I remember that back then I managed to play (and finish) games multiple times, right now I have to rush through them to manage to complete 3 or 4 per year
 
Hoarders, others just buy games since alot are cheap and hard to pass up. I've declined in gaming and purchasing games, most aren't worth it and I always find myself dropping other games and just going back to playing the same 1-2 games.
 
Everything I generally buy looks great.... but doesn't always deliver. There are occasions that I will do nothing but play 1 game for months at a time (SSFIV, GT5, COD). In these situations the games in question get way more play than the average game I purchase.

That being said, I have the attention span of a cat, or small child. If a movie/game doesn't grab my attention immediately, and hold it, I may never have the patience to play the game again.

I generally don't sell games. It kinda reminds me of my defeat I suppose.

But to give you an idea, I got the PS3 Move for Christmas. I then purchased 3 games with the B2G1 deal at GS. I went out and bought 2 more move games the week after that for $50 total (new). Last week, I got in on 2 gameshares. 1 share consisted of 3 games, while the other consisted of about 7-8.

Yea, I probably won't touch 50% of those games
 
Backlogs are also alot smaller nowadays than they were a few years ago. Back in the days of the Circuit City clearances backlogs were massive.
 
Really simple...when I was 11-16 I had time to beat/master most/all of my games to completion now I have a 65 hr work week, car that opens up my social life and by the way and MOST IMPORTANTLY PU$$Y, VJJ!!!! My girl 5-4 thick 165 lbs 40DD and a 38-40 in A$$ walkin around in boy shorts, sweats, tank tops n $hit beggin 2 get da pipe. The game don't go on pause the ps3 gets turned off. I'd much rather her play with my dual analog then me play with Sony's.

Also, look at how many game come out per system I have PSP and PS3 right now LBP, ME3 and Dead Space are 1st day must buys but I haven't even opened NFS/COD BO yet. Dragon age 2 and MVC3 are coming and I still ain't open dragon age 1/expansion. I've yet to play AC1 or AC2 so I won't play ACB till I play them same with killzone 2/3 and uncharted. I need to clone myself like that commercial.
 
[quote name='enuf']really simple...when i was 11-16 i had time to beat/master most/all of my games to completion now i have a 65 hr work week, car that opens up my social life and by the way and most importantly pu$$y, vjj!!!! My girl 5-4 thick 165 lbs 40dd and a 38-40 in a$$ walkin around in boy shorts, sweats, tank tops n $hit beggin 2 get da pipe. The game don't go on pause the ps3 gets turned off. I'd much rather her play with my dual analog then me play with sony's[/quote]

wtf?
 
[quote name='Enuf']Really simple...when I was 11-16 I had time to beat/master most/all of my games to completion now I have a 65 hr work week, car that opens up my social life and by the way and MOST IMPORTANTLY PU$$Y, VJJ!!!! My girl 5-4 thick 165 lbs 40DD and a 38-40 in A$$ walkin around in boy shorts, sweats, tank tops n $hit beggin 2 get da pipe. The game don't go on pause the ps3 gets turned off. I'd much rather her play with my dual analog then me play with Sony's.

Also, look at how many game come out per system I have PSP and PS3 right now LBP, ME3 and Dead Space are 1st day must buys but I haven't even opened NFS/COD BO yet. Dragon age 2 and MVC3 are coming and I still ain't open dragon age 1/expansion. I've yet to play AC1 or AC2 so I won't play ACB till I play them same with killzone 2/3 and uncharted. I need to clone myself like that commercial.[/QUOTE]

I loled.
 
[quote name='mang9432']For me, it's a combination of Puffa's comment, and my current situation.

- In my younger years, I had a nearly unlimited supply of time to play games, but no money to buy them.
- Now I have a reasonably sized disposable income, but my gaming time is somewhat precious.

Future me is buying all these games for past me.[/QUOTE]

That's exactly it.

I played Sonic, Street Fighter II, and Mortal Kombat to death when I was younger. I was bored to death with the games but that was all I had.

Now, I have some disposable income but a family that wants to do things on weekends and job that takes up my weekdays. Getting older sucks but at least I have a killer game library to pick and choose from.

Also,multi-player games and RPGs just kill my backlog eliminating efforts.
 
My backlog is simply due to ADD. I buy a game because I want it(usually at a reasonable deal) and I may or may not play it right away since my ADD may sway me back somewhere else or because I picked up the game before I might never find it again at any price. If I do end up playing a game, I almost never complete them because my ADD is that terrible, unless it's a short game.

I literally picked up a crap ton of PSP games to play in the event I get bored with my PS3 backlog and in the event that fails, I have a small 360 backlog of like 4 games to fall back on. Never mind that I can replay PSX games that I do have on my PS3 Slim, my PS2 backlog alone is fairly painful since I put off getting my 60 gig PS3 fixed.
 
[quote name='enuf']really simple...when i was 11-16 i had time to beat/master most/all of my games to completion now i have a 65 hr work week, car that opens up my social life and by the way and most importantly pu$$y, vjj!!!! My girl 5-4 thick 165 lbs 40dd and a 38-40 in a$$ walkin around in boy shorts, sweats, tank tops n $hit beggin 2 get da pipe. The game don't go on pause the ps3 gets turned off. I'd much rather her play with my dual analog then me play with sony's.

[/quote]

+1
 
[quote name='Enuf']I'd much rather her play with my dual analog then me play with Sony's.[/QUOTE]

This metaphor brings up two questions:

I think I figured out the first one, but what would be the OTHER "dual analog" stick on you?

And have you ever appeared on Ripleys Believe it or Not?
 
Here is a problem that you may not have taken into account...

Sex is fun and all, and yes vg takes backseat to vjj, but beware the end result. Babies always lead to LESS sex and even less time for you to play video games. Thats for damn sure.
 
[quote name='nakanenui']Here is a problem that you may not have taken into account...

Sex is fun and all, and yes vg takes backseat to vjj, but beware the end result. Babies always lead to LESS sex and even less time for you to play video games. Thats for damn sure.[/QUOTE]

true but her tubes are tied so it's just wet pu$$y for me. I'm 30 & don't have kids claimed or unclaimed condoms work.
 
I always like the Tom Lykis approach...

"Lets celebrate, here is a bottle of champaigne and a hot tub set to 'just under the pain threshold' temp"
 
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