Apathy towards my backlog

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sgtsphynx

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Edited By sgtsphynx  Moderator

I can't muster up the willpower to play any video games, regardless of how bored I am. I have the final two episodes of Wolf Among Us to play, as well as the most recent episode for The Walking Dead. There are 144 games in my Steam library that I haven't played even once. About 1/3 of my PS3 library are games that I haven't finished and a few are still in their wrappers.

Instead, I waste time aimlessly browsing the internet or playing solitaire. My apathy is even bleeding into my writing of this blog, to the point that I am having trouble forming sentences to describe the situation I find myself in.

Hopefully this mood passes soon or I can will myself through it.

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Video_Game_King

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#1  Edited By Video_Game_King

What is it with all these backlog threads recently? I'd say summer's to blame, but it feels a little late for that to be true.

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HerbieBug

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I'm just coming off a year semi-hiatus from video games. Mostly just watched streams and videos of other people playing during that time. My interest in actually playing them comes and goes.

Sometimes you need a break. Sometimes you need a different genre.

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rorie

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I keep getting halfway through games and not finishing them. Bad habit. I blame a bit of it on Black Flag burning its lifebars into my plasma television. Barely noticeable, but there if you look for them. Now I'm a bit afraid of playing anything else on it. Maybe it's time for a nice big monitor.

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Lost_Remnant

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What is it with all these backlog threads recently? I'd say summer's to blame, but it feels a little late for that to be true.

Maybe it's just people getting older and thus games may not be as exciting as they used to be, jaded, burnt out. Or maybe it's something in the water.

Whenever I see threads like this my reply always tends to be the same, trying to force yourself getting through your backlog a chore or task will just make it that much arduous and risk on just souring you on games. If you can't muster the energy or drive to play a game, then don't. Maybe find something new to do or experience and games will still be there when you come back and it might re-ignite the fire. I get small bouts of game burnout or just not feel like playing them, I just try not to let it psyche me out. If I want to spend the week watching Lost and only having a few hours of game time under my belt then that's just how it shakes out that week. Then the next I spend the next month getting heavy into Fallout: New Vegas and racking up 100+ hours.

Take a break, try a entirely different genre of game, or do something else. Just try not to feel bummed if you can't get the motivation to play something, it happens to all of us. Trying not to spend so much time on the net might help as well, it at times is an insidious time sink and I sometimes don't realize how much time it leeches from me.

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sgtsphynx

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#5 sgtsphynx  Moderator
@rorie said:

I keep getting halfway through games and not finishing them. Bad habit. I blame a bit of it on Black Flag burning its lifebars into my plasma television. Barely noticeable, but there if you look for them.

I have the same problem with not finishing games. I also have the ghosts of the Black Flag lifebars in my plasma tv.

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Jeust

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You should try to understand what's going on with you, man.

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probablytuna

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I have a bad habit of trying to 100% everything but then I reach a point in the game (usually halfway) where I feel like there's too much to do then I stop playing for a while and I would never go back to finishing it.

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joshwent

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Whenever I see threads like this my reply always tends to be the same, trying to force yourself getting through your backlog a chore or task will just make it that much arduous and risk on just souring you on games. If you can't muster the energy or drive to play a game, then don't. Maybe find something new to do or experience and games will still be there when you come back and it might re-ignite the fire.

Wise words.

I think that maybe with gaming, as opposed to other hobbies, because it's an interactive activity we tend to feel like it's part of a routine. Or perhaps since it's you doing it rather than passively experiencing it as with other media, we can feel an obligation to keep gaming. I love movies, and watch whatever pretty frequently, but I never feel bad for not watching one for a few weeks because I know I can put one on at any time and watch it all the way through. But with games, since no progress is made without me, I do feel like I should be playing something to keep the thing progressing.

A few not well thought out random theories that I can't really elaborate on as I'm crazy tired. But to the OP, I'd echo the statement, if you don't feel like playing anything... just don't. The urge will come back, and the games will be waiting.

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csl316

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@rorie said:

I keep getting halfway through games and not finishing them. Bad habit. I blame a bit of it on Black Flag burning its lifebars into my plasma television. Barely noticeable, but there if you look for them. Now I'm a bit afraid of playing anything else on it. Maybe it's time for a nice big monitor.

Sounds like perfectly sound justification to me!

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sgtsphynx

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#10 sgtsphynx  Moderator

And the feeling has passed, though I decided to play some old games I've already beaten.

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musubi

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People need to just cast off the shackles of the backlog. Don't feel like you HAVE to play your backlog. The second gaming becomes a chore then its not fun and you should just stop. Play what you want when you want even if its only for 10 minutes or something.

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TheManWithNoPlan

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I've definitely felt similar duder. It's gotten to the point where I have to be completely interested right off the bat or else it won't stick. Gone are the days where I played through games just to check it off my list.

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SchrodngrsFalco

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I noticed that when this happened to me, it was because I was so fixated on playing everything on Hard, craving the feeling of challenge and achievement, to the point that it took away from the fun of the game. Having to over-analyze a lot of aspects of games that are meant to just be fun and balanced makes me subconsciously resent games and see them as a chore, rather than an experience. I'm slowly getting over myself and scaling games down to medium settings for my first run-throughs.

I noticed this while I was playing Saints Row: The Third. Tougher enemies were just taking ridiculously long to kill without headshots and in a game that was not meant to be taken seriously, it made the game just irritating. Not too hard or anything, but just irritating.

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ripelivejam

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man i've got this log backed up something fierce.

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coljae

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I'm just coming off a year semi-hiatus from video games. Mostly just watched streams and videos of other people playing during that time

This describes my current situation perfectly. I can sit and watch 3 quick looks back to back but can't get stuck into anything myself.

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Karthas

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My backlog is primarily from years of "mono-gaming" (playing nothing but one game all the time). My drug of choice was World of Warcraft which I've been playing pretty regularly since release. It's only just recently I've managed to kick it for what feels like "for good", and I've been burning through things in 2014 at a decent clip.

One problem with backlogs once they get to a certain size is it just gets impossible to choose any game in particular to start from. Once you do however, I've found for myself the biggest thing is forcing myself to stick with the game I've chosen and not flit around to other games. I'd swear 1/4th of my Steam library is half-started aborted gameplay attempts.

Another thing I've found- instead of focusing on your backlog (a concept which is inherently negative and brings those connotations with it), focus on the games you've beaten (or removed from said list). After seeing @slag's list I made one for myself here and the drive to add to the list is a lot stronger than to remove games from the other list.

All that said, it's about time I get back to trying to add Persona 3 FES to the "Beaten" list.

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Entreri10

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@rorie said:

I keep getting halfway through games and not finishing them. Bad habit. I blame a bit of it on Black Flag burning its lifebars into my plasma television. Barely noticeable, but there if you look for them. Now I'm a bit afraid of playing anything else on it. Maybe it's time for a nice big monitor.

Same here I get all amped up to play a game then I get a quarter to halfway through then I get kinda bored and move on to something else.

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deactivated-63f899c29358e

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Tell me about it. I'm seemingly building up a larger and larger backlog of games over the last year or so, before that I finished every game I bought, now I can't really arse myself to play even some pretty good games.

I guess the somewhat depressing feeling about it will go away once we get some more releases in the fall, but this summer have hit me a bit hard...

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TheSouthernDandy

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I'm kinda the same. I realize this is a pretty first world problem but I scan through my Steam library and am just like "meh" despite the fact that there's some real good games in there. And then I just end up wasting time on the net or playing LoL. I think it takes more to keep me interested in a game these days, either super fun mechanics or great story. Last few games I finished were Tomb Raider, Far Cry 3, Dishonored and Wolf Among Us. I'll maybe get to the rest eventually. Maybe.

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ajamafalous

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People need to just cast off the shackles of the backlog. Don't feel like you HAVE to play your backlog. The second gaming becomes a chore then its not fun and you should just stop. Play what you want when you want even if its only for 10 minutes or something.

This.

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Slag

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@karthasmi:

Thanks for the kind words and I hear ya man. This is the true cost of digital age. I wouldn't say I've been 100% successful with this, but I've had more success recently than I've had in a good while.

re:focus issue - Another trick that helps me too with Steam lists is to only have some games installed. Then at least if you put a game down, you'll probably have to install something else to even play it. Which for me anyway is often enough disincentive to switching and incentivizes me to keep going with what I got.

For me It's all about taking a large problem and making it into a series smaller more manageable one.

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sgtsphynx

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#22 sgtsphynx  Moderator

@slag said:

@karthasmi:

For me It's all about taking a large problem and making it into a series smaller more manageable one.

That's the way to solve most problems that seem impossible. Break the problem into it's constituent parts, then when each part is solved and put back into one whole, the original problem is usually solved or takes only a little effort to do so.

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Video_Game_King

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@slag said:

@karthasmi:

For me It's all about taking a large problem and making it into a series smaller more manageable one.

That's the way to solve most problems that seem impossible. Break the problem into it's constituent parts, then when each part is solved and put back into one whole, the original problem is usually solved or takes only a little effort to do so.

What if it is not the size of the problem, but the quality of it, that makes it a problem in the first place?

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sgtsphynx

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#24 sgtsphynx  Moderator

@video_game_king: Hence the qualifiers. most and usually, which make me look a coward.

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cerberus3dog

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#25  Edited By cerberus3dog

Just dive it. Don't think about it, just do it. That's how I begin projects or activities when I can't motivate myself.

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ArbitraryWater

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At this point I play what I feel like playing and figure I'll work my way through stuff in my backlog that I want to play eventually. Admittedly, keeping a blog has motivated me to play or finish things I wouldn't normally finish, but that's changed a bit as I've just started blogging whenever I feel like it too.

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emprpngn

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I'm kinda on a hiatus myself. At first it freaked me out, like I suddenly stopped caring about games or something, but that's just not the case. After spending the better part of two years with an almost daily intake of video game websites and podcasts (on top of actually playing games) I just need a break. I'll probably scale back a lot when I start getting into games again. I don't have to play every new shiny thing, and my life isn't going to spiral into a black hole of self-loathing and doubt if I don't play every single game I ever buy. I don't have to be on the bleeding edge of gaming news and culture for games to be a meaningful part of my life.

Sorry to ramble, but it's pretty liberating to be apathetic towards the mostly dumb requirements we place on ourselves. I say no worries, man.

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mclargepants

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@rorie: I'm overly protective of my plasma too, after Dark Souls having its way with it and all (thank god that went away, eventually). I turn off pretty much all HUD elements now. It was pretty fun in Black Flag never knowing how much health I had.

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Humanity

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@rorie: I'm overly protective of my plasma too, after Dark Souls having its way with it and all (thank god that went away, eventually). I turn off pretty much all HUD elements now. It was pretty fun in Black Flag never knowing how much health I had.

Strangely enough after the nth time I've heard these tales, there are still people out there fully endorsing plasma TV's for gaming.

As for getting out of a rut, I have to disagree with people saying to not force it. I've found that sometimes I just have to force myself to start the game up. All too often I've found myself in the same situation as @sgtsphynx where I sit in front of my PC refreshing the same website I've already thoroughly studied from top to bottom, closing the browser, opening it again and going to the very same website I've just visited - all the while having several games I could be playing. The solution I've found is to grit your teeth and double click that icon. Start playing. As laughable as it sounds, much like a runner you need to warm up to a gaming session. There were several games that I wasn't all too interested in playing but I forged onward and after a short "warm up" I was enjoying myself once again.

The trick is to break through this powerless feeling where you don't have the energy to even start up a game. Don't think about it, just open Steam and choose that game. Power on that console, grit your teeth as it boots up and mash on that button to get into the title screen. Once you make it to the Start Screen it's all downhill and I'm certain you'll be enjoying yourself.

I've finally gathered the energy and am playing through Dragon Age: Origins. This is a game I've passed on for 3 or more Steam sales now thinking I simply don't have the energy to play an oldschool RPG like that. I've braved through the absolutely horrible tutorial and now I'm 40 hours in and enjoying myself.

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Dixavd

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#30  Edited By Dixavd

I'd like to bring up something that I rarely see come up - maybe the way to get back into a game you half finished (a problem I often get into) is to watch a Let's Play of it. If it is done by someone who clearly has a passion for it (or has some other quality - such as being skilled at it, or simply having pre-pared exactly what to do like in a speed run) then seeing the start of the game can reinvigorate the urge you had to play it in the first place.

I tend to find that many games (especially big RPGs - which are my favourite) have an almost self-imposed tendency to get in this problem where there comes a point in the game where the story lulls or reaches a point where something important is clearly going to happen and so it tries to urge you to get side-quests done before moving on. I tend to find that these moments serve as a great point to pause for a moment in the game and do something else... At which point you either lose the importunity or wish to return.

This is where a great Let's Play can come in. For instance, I put off playing Xenoblade Chronicles again for a couple years, but only recently has Chuggaaconroy started a Let's Play of it. Seeing the opening moments and building of the story again got me interested in the characters and also gave me that realisation of how far I had already got in the game. A reminder of why I got so far in the game in the first place is a great motivation to keep playing.

-Edit- Another thing I recommend is playing a game that you know you love: preferably something you've finished. Just start it up again and see how far you go with the knowledge that you probably won't finish it and it doesn't matter (I think of it as a disposable play-through). You don't have to think about the story much since you've finished it - and this takes away from the need to do everything perfectly or do every side-quest or collectable.

One of the things I did which got me into gaming again was I chose a day when I knew I was free, all day, all afternoon, and I just turned on Mirror's Edge. I played through the whole thing in a single sitting: it was awesome. There's something about just doing something that you have loved, which gives me the motivation to play something new that I could love.

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PatODay

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@humanity: One more thing that works for me when I'm having trouble mustering up the energy is to just put my phone away. That's the biggest distraction I have whenever I'm sitting around, if I can get through the loading screens without messing with my phone I'll be fine.

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Humanity

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@patoday: it's a little sad that we need so much "strong will" to simply play video games haha

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sgtsphynx

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#33 sgtsphynx  Moderator
@humanity said:
@mclargepants said:

@rorie: I'm overly protective of my plasma too, after Dark Souls having its way with it and all (thank god that went away, eventually). I turn off pretty much all HUD elements now. It was pretty fun in Black Flag never knowing how much health I had.

Strangely enough after the nth time I've heard these tales, there are still people out there fully endorsing plasma TV's for gaming.

They are actually pretty good for playing video games on, the thing is there is a break in procedure to prevent the ghosting of images on your plasma that probably 99% of people don't do, which results in tales like the ones in this topic.

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Humanity

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@sgtsphynx: I don't know, I want to be able to game how I please without constantly checking my watch. But that's me, I'm sure for more disciplined owners this isn't a problem.

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sgtsphynx

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#35 sgtsphynx  Moderator

@humanity: Understandable. I was not one of the 1% that did the break in period.

I have a Panasonic plasma tv and get ghosted images from time to time, but the longest they last is maybe a week or two. Conveniently enough, the way to get rid the ghosts is the same as teh recommended break in; have a movie run for about 6 hours on repeat, preferably one that doesn't have long still images. From what I understand is this will cycle the pixels enough to remove the ghosts. In the break-in method, I think you are supposed to leave the movie running longer, 6 hours works for getting rid of ghosts for me.

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Humanity

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@sgtsphynx: Yah that would be just added stress that I simply don't need. To each their own.

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uncompetative

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I recommend a complete change of activity, have you tried Italian Cookery?

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#38  Edited By benspyda

AAA games are certainly getting more and more known quantities, there hasn't been many new experiences to get excited about for a while. I used to remember every year being introduced to a new kind of game experience, now everything is just a repeat.

I felt this way with music, tv shows and movies too and I feel the cure is often looking backwards. Like I've been watching lots of 80s movies and it's reignited my love for movies again. If you can get past the lower production values of old games and movies, it can help you rediscover the magic. Comic book movie after comic book movie and FPS after FPS can make you lose enthusiasm for the entertainment industry for sure. Maybe go play a PS1 game or something.

It may not be your problem but I feel it's helped me.

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Justin258

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Stop buying games unless you really want them.

Cheaper game prices combined with a job seems to lead late teens and early twenty somethings to picking up tons of games because they couldn't do that as a child. Suddenly you've got more games than you could ever finish, or you want to play all of them at once, and you just can't do that. The solution is to forget about playing through all of them, just the ones you like, and only buying something you really want to play in the future.

I can name tons of games that I own and would like to finish off the top of my head, but I probably won't finish half of them. In some ways it is frustrating, but whatever. I'll just pick something and play it until I'm bored.

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Karl_Boss

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Yeah I don't know why I still buy so many games because I don't have time to play them. I work 50-60 hours a week. Needless to say I have a bigger backlog now than I ever had.

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GERALTITUDE

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Whatever you do don't stop playing games! You will turn around for one night and *boom* they're fucking gone.

Forever.