It's 2018! That means gym memberships are being renewed for 3 months (before being dropped faster than the LBs themselves). It means no more sweets, no more treats, and time start being a better human being.

Oh, you thought I was including myself in that paragraph above? Nonsense. While all those healthy folks are off being better people than me, I swear by my mother’s grave that I will do no more than be a game-binging slug for the next 12 months. That’s right, it’s time to chip away at a backlog that’s haunted me for far too long now. People laugh when I mention my resolution. “You plan to play more games? That’s your resolution?” Sure, it may not have the seeming glory or impact of a health-related resolution, but it’s a bad habit of mine that I really need to kick. Before I jump into my list though, I think it’s important to mention the motivation for this resolution.

The primary driver for the growth of a backlog is the never ending barrage of Steam sales and Humble Bundles. “I can get the entire Mass Effect trilogy for 5 bucks!?” Who hasn’t had that thought before? And I can't blame or fault anyone for falling down that rabbit hole (seriously...Mass Effect for 5 bucks is a great deal). To combat this, I plan to unsubscribe from all promotional emails. I know it’s not much but it’s a start. It’s at least a quick, easy way to stop the constant carrot-dangle that eats away at me while I'm at work, browsing the phone, etc.

The other key contributor to game accrual is FOMO (sorry…I hate that term, but it’s so applicable in this instance). Being an avid Giant Bomb podcast follower and frequenter to garbage video game message boards (a guilty pleasure of mine), I always have this urge to pick up the latest and greatest games on their release. What’s stupid is that it’s less so out of fear of spoilers, and more in the desire to feel included. Podcasts are enjoyable enough, but they’re so much better when relatable.

Beyond this, I have two key factors of motivation that I hope will push me through the next 365 days of gaming.

The first facet of motivation being financial gain. Here are the last 2 years of Steam spending totals:

2017: $630.46

2016: $502.19

This is not including Humble Bundle purchase. This is not including purchases on GOG. This is not including Steam Wallet purchases (which were most likely gifts during the holidays, though some of it was probably personal money as well). And the craziest thing of all – I’ve probably played less than 30 of those games and beaten less than 20!

And the second piece of motivation is the acquirement of knowledge and opinion. For too long have I had to naively stand aside while others argue about what’s the best Final Fantasy, or whether Mass Effect 3’s ending truly was a total bungle. It’d be nice to finally tackle some key games in gaming history. It will allow me to formulate my own opinion rather than echo opinions I’ve just acquired through internet trolls and shills. It helps me have a better grasp on the roots of gaming. When I play the 8k VR version of Final Fantasy 20, I may still be able to see a resonance of the originals despite its new coat of paint.

So enough is enough, I say! It’s time to kick this dirty habit before it’s too late. So without further ado, I bring you ‘My BackBlog.’

Each Week I will highlight the games I’ve completed and played. For games I complete, I will give a brief review and my overall thoughts, and all other games will include a quick check-in on where I’m at with the story/campaign.