What percentage of your Steam games have you ever installed?

Listening to this week's Bombcast, I was reminded of an increasingly pervasive trend among gamers that I just can't seem to wrap my head around.  The guys were teasing Vinny for buying a bunch of games in the latest Steam sale that he'll never play (though they've all admitted to the same behavior at various points in the past).  While he laughingly acknowledged that he probably will never play most of them, it seemed not to require further explanation.  I frequently hear similar stories from friends and on other podcasts and see them on message boards as well.  As a Mac user, I am new to Steam.  But Microsoft have finally started to see the brilliance of this digital distribution pricing model and have begun offering time limited XBLA sales, and still I've managed not to buy a bunch of crummy arcade ports and tower defense clones I know I won't touch.
 
However, it's not just fire sale priced digital content that is causing this effect on gamers.  One guy I know buys a new copy of pretty much every AAA title for all three of the main consoles at MSRP on the day of release and then consigns a large majority of them to permanent stacks of shrink-wrapped DVD cases on a desk (his gamerscore's in the 30,000s after 5 years of 360 titles).  That's an extreme case, sure, but how many games have you bought (on sale or otherwise) that you "just haven't gotten to yet"?  Just this morning I saw that GoGamer has Left 4 Dead 2 for $20.  I did want to play that one.  And that is a great price.  But I missed it.  And I know if I buy it now I won't be able to play it before something brand new is released that I want to play (nor will I be able to find co-op companions, for that matter).
 
So what am I missing here?  Is it fun just to own a game beyond the enjoyment of actually playing it?  Maybe people think they will eventually "catch up" and dip into their back catalog, but if we're being honest this just isn't likely.  The frequency with which quality games are being released has never been greater.  And while that is essentially a good thing, I think it will necessitate a fundamental shift in our expectations of players' (and even critics') breadth of experience.  We can't really assume that every gamer has time for every game anymore.  So maybe it's time to stop fooling ourselves into buying all of them.

Maybe some people, like your friend, feel games are collectibles. I know for the steam sale I did buy some games that I haven't touched yet, but I do plan on catching up and getting to it. 

I've played all but 2 - Sam and Max 302/303, because I haven't finished 301 yet

 Number of games bought: 53
Percentage of games installed:  28/53 x 100% = 52.8%
Percentage of games actually played in the last month:  10/28 x 100% = 35.7%
 
Yeah. I'm a Steam addict. :(

My PC can't run half the games I have on Steam (yeah, I need to upgrade or build a new computer altogether) and some I have no interest in playing tbh (thanks to the abundance of diverse games in the THQ pack), so I have 11/39 (not including mods or demos) installed.

I install all of my games on Steam, I have 2TB of storage space, so that helps.

I think it really comes down to price versus value.  When the price is significantly lower than the perceived value, people will be more inclined to buy something.  What Vinny said is a similar predicament of many Steam users based on their experiences.  I don't think many (if any) people purchase a game with the intention to never play it but there are times where the price to value relationship is so skewed that people view a game more favorably and thus purchase it.   Having this experience tends to make people joke about "losing money if you don't buy it" because if you play it, you definitely got your moneys worth.
 
With that being said, many people DO end up playing all the games they buy.  For example, last Christmas holiday sale, I bought a ton of games from Steam because the prices were so insanely low.  I have not even looked at some of those games yet but in the last two months I have come upon some free time that has allowed me to start working through the backlog voraciously.  I also bought several of the games based just on what friends/websites/forums had recommended to me which I imagine is the case for many other low price, impulse purchases that people make.   While VInny may not play the new games he bought right now, there is always the possibility that there will be a lull in game releases that will give him more time to spend with Mr. Holmes.
 
Long story short, I don't think buying a game and never playing it is a conscious decision that someone makes when purchasing a sale item.

Theres only 1 game in my steam library that i havent installed and played and thats UT2K4 because I don't have space for it.

" Long story short, I don't think buying a game and never playing it is a conscious decision that someone makes when purchasing a sale item. "

I've had times when I bought several games at once, and one or two would be shelved for a while whilst I played other games, but I always make sure to play everything I pay for. 

Installed? All of them. Played? All of them? 
 
Played for more than a few hours? Uh... 
 
I too have trouble passing up a sale price, but I think my problem is more like your friend with shrink wrapped AAA titles, and maybe less like Vinny.  I WANT to play all these games so badly, and honestly mean to.  The problem is that with a job, social life, and law school, I almost never have time.  So I get games when they are on sale, play 2-3 hours, and sometimes just never have a chance to go back.  I STILL want to play Okami, finish Super Mario Galaxy, etc.  I even have a classic Nintendo that I am trying to finish games on... 
 
But what makes Steam and similar digital distribution sales so great is that I have a chance to pick up games cheap, including older ones, and see how I do.  Take Half-Life 2, for example.  I missed it when it first came out.  It was on sale on Steam.  I picked it up, ran through it, had a great time.  I am now working my way through the two expansions.  So now I got to see the stories, and the games.  The only sad part is that I probably won't have a chance to go through again on higher difficulties, or even to pick up missed achievements. 
 
In a way, I am a little jealous of your friend with his shrink wrapped AAA titles.   At least, someday, when he gets some time, he can pop in that unopened copy of RE4, much like I did earlier this year, and discover an amazing gameplay experience.  Sure, it is fun to play games while the internet buzz is hot, and yeah, some stories do get a little spoiled (I am still hoping to one day play Bioshock, even though I know how it ends), and graphics do progress daily.  And yet, a good game, you can always go back to.  Civ V may be out for full price, but for $10, I have gotten my money's worth out of Civ IV a hundred times over. 

I install and play about 20-25% of the games I own on Steam.
 
Why I own a lot of games:
- If there's a game I have some interest in and there's a great sale, I'll buy it and save it for later.
- I can guarantee I'll get more enjoyment out of 7 or 8 games on Steam for the same price as one new 360 game (typically $69.99 in Canada)
- Steam has a lot of packs on sale where I want 1 or 2 of the games, but it's so cheap the pack makes sense.
 
I don't like to have too many single-player games on the go at once, which is why I've only installed a few of my games.  I'll install more when I have the time to finish more.
 
I will admit that I've become more selective in taking advantage of sales now that my backlog is so huge.  During that giant Steam sale that just happened, I only bought Trine.

" @rybrad said:

" Long story short, I don't think buying a game and never playing it is a conscious decision that someone makes when purchasing a sale item. "

Oh, I think you're probably right about this, consciously speaking.  I just wonder how honest people are being with themselves about their chances of ever playing some of these purchases.  And I also just find it a bit strange that games seem to be somewhat unique in this regard.  Most people (without psychological spending compulsions) don't seem to be buying clothes they'll never wear or food they'll never eat. "

I have 73 altogether, and I've played 52 of em; the ones I haven't played were part of the eidos pack or whatever it was where I got arkham asylum, the hitman games for 50$

i have 11 games and i have 3 games installed. i recently reformated so i haven't downloaded all of them. only game i really play is counter strike source.

Steam is the one platform I've ever bought games on that I haven't played.  Usually I buy something and play it day one.  There have been a lot of Steam packs that had a few things I wanted to play, and I did play those.
 
I'd say I've put significant time into about 60% of my Steam games.  About 20% I've ran once for a few mins and never ran again.  The rest never even installed or never ran.

600gigs worth, so 60% of my 1tb hard drive.

"I install and play about 20-25% of the games I own on Steam.   Why I own a lot of games:- If there's a game I have some interest in and there's a great sale, I'll buy it and save it for later. - I can guarantee I'll get more enjoyment out of 7 or 8 games on Steam for the same price as one new 360 game (typically $69.99 in Canada) - Steam has a lot of packs on sale where I want 1 or 2 of the games, but it's so cheap the pack makes sense.  I don't like to have too many single-player games on the go at once, which is why I've only installed a few of my games.  I'll install more when I have the time to finish more.  I will admit that I've become more selective in taking advantage of sales now that my backlog is so huge.  During that giant Steam sale that just happened, I only bought Trine. "

Right now I have 33 installed out of the 64 that I own. When I buy them I usually play around with it for a while, but then ADD kicks in and I move on to the next game.
 
Thanks Steam sales!

Games bought= 15
Games installed=9 
Percentage= 60%