So I'm looking at the deals on the Steam Sale. They don't seem all that great. I'm tempted by:

Doom

Grand Theft Auto

Stellaris and

Stardew Valley (although I'd really like to play this on the iPad)

But then I look at my Library and see all the games I "got a great deal on" and have never played. Most have never even been installed:

Banner Saga - 1.6 hrs

Gunpoint - 1.5 hrs

Stick of Truth - 1.4 hrs

Torchlight 2 - .8 hrs (to be fair Diablo 3 came out right when I bought it)

Geometry Wars Retro Evolved - .2 hrs

Defender's Quest .1 hr

Not ever installed:

Age of Empires 2 & 3

Anno 2070

Armello

Brothers

Call of Warez Gunslinger

Far cry Blood Dragon

Mark of the Ninja

Massive Chalice

Shadow of Mordor

Rebel Galaxy

The Evil Within (plan to play this this Halloween)

The Wolf among Us

Holly crap that's a lot of wasted money. Give's you some perspective on the latest Steam Sale and maybe what not to buy..

As I get older (and granted iPad games get some of my time (Magic the Gathering Puzzle Quest is the latest time sink)) I just don't have as much time as I used to. Also Factorio. Factorio has eaten days .. Weeks worth of game time.

So that's my list of shame yours?

I have over 150 games on Steam and have maybe played 30(some of which I already played/beaten on consoles) ..I've purchased a bunch of games during Humble Bundles and Steam Sales and honestly just forget about them. I've got my eye on a few games, but none I absolutely have to have.

This is the perfect time for me to go back into my backlog as there are no new releases I'm buying until October

But to answer your question,I have a few games that I bought and regret, but not many. Legend of Grimrock was terrible. I bought it for like $3.50 and wanted my money back within 20 mins. Wasteland 2 was another one I bought on a whim(put about 7 hours into it) I love those style of games but it wasn't fun. I did receive the director cut, but haven't touched it since

My 'shame list' if you will is about 400 games long. Although I'm not too bothered at this point, just see it as a library or something, so if I ever wanna play that game at least I can.

Wasteland 2 was on my wishlist. Thought I would get it at Steam Sale time.. But took it off last time I reviewed the wishlist. I think I'd rather spend the time on another play through of Fallout 4. I bought the DLC pass last time it was on sale and haven't played Fallout since my first play through when there was no DLC out.

I used to be really bad at buying a lot of indie games but I got better now. Maybe I'm wrong but I feel like these sales used to be a lot better. I was going to get Just Cause 3 and Doom but the sales just aren't steep enough.

@alexw00d: I'm with you on the library thing. I didn't list things like Borderlands 1,2 & prequel, and Portal 1&2 and BioShock and Resident Evil 4 that I had completed on other systems (xbox360) and bought to have in the collection.

I think I'm just trying to talk myself out of buying a bunch of games this time around. And I really need the kick in the pants to get into the Witcher 3 (I just visited the emperor so I'm at the very beginning.)

Yesterday I bought:

Stardew Valley

Rogue Legacy

Banished

Deus Ex Collection

Alien: Isolation Collection

Age of Empires Legacy Bundle

Dust: An Elysian Tail

Crypt of the Necrodancer

System Shock Enhanced

Civilization V: Complete

The Stanley Parable

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

for $101.09

I feel like it was worth it so far, and all I've played is Stardew Valley.

Fucking play gunpoint, it takes like 2 1/2 hours in total to finish.

Go! Now!

I think the mediocre deals were an attempt to reign in the price slashing that many thought were "ruining" the gaming industry. However, like you I have hundreds of games in my backlog that I can play while I wait another year for the price of Fallout 4, Doom, Dark souls 3, Just Cause 3, and X-Com 2 to drop below $20. There's just too many games, too much competition in the games industry right now. That's what's driving down prices. I really don't see it changing until the gaming industry consolidates a little more.

@nightriff: It's so good.

There were some amazing sales around 2009-2011 where you could buy complete publisher bundles for like $60. I recall buying a collection of around 100 Strategy First games for less than $30. I was only interested in like four games in that pack, but buying them individually would've been more expensive than the publisher pack was. I did spend upwards of $250 one year, I don't remember which it was, maybe 2013 or so. I'm currently at over 1700 owned games on Steam, and kinda own just about everything I'm interested in, so I haven't spent a lot on the Steam sales during the last two or three years (did end up spending a lot on last week's GOG sale though).

So far this sale I've bought:

• 7 Mages
• Pac-Man 256
• Enemy Front
• Close Combat: Panthers in the Fog

you don't want to see mine. i keep getting games and wondering when the fuck will i have the time.

got final fantasy type 0 last night and wondering why the fuck.

I don't even know what some of the games in my list are.

I'm being good this year. I'm going to buy a couple Night Dive releases (Normality, maybe Eradicator or Strife, maybe a Tex Murphy or two) and strongly consider the Worms bundle, and that is it. My pile of shame is getting unmanageable, and not just on Steam.

It gives me a little solace to know i'm not the only one

I'm almost 40 and I think I finally have it down. I now only buy games I know I'll finish. The only problem I have now are the bloody bundles where I want one or two games and get another dozen for some ridiculously low price.

I have an embarrassing number of older games sitting around that I never did play though...

@nightriff: YES

I was itching to play Doom, and planned on buying it if they had a 10% discount, so i was pretty pleased when it was 40% off. That game's pretty great.

In the last few weeks i've been plowing through a lot of my backlog. Managed to play through Strider, Blood Dragon, and Massive Chalice. Also started and decided against finishing, Pixel Heroes, The 38 Steps, Titan Souls, and Skulls of the Shogun.

So ya never know when you're going to have some free time to blaze through your backlog. I try to make a better habit of at least playing the first 30 minutes of a game when i buy them. So far, as far as the recent sale goes, Jackbox Party Pack 2, Lakeview Cabin, Party Hard, Please Don't Touch Anything, Crookz, ROCKETSROCKETSROCKETS, This War of Mine, Vladis Story, and Cannon Brawl are waiting in line, if only just to be sampled, behind Doom.

Bought Jackbox Party Pack 2. Kinda unhappy about Drawful 2 being separate and $8 on sale. Not sure but think I'm gonna pass on Drawful 2.

Also bought The Witcher 3 DLC pack. Just started my Wicher odyssey and I'm hoping that by doubling down on the investment I'll force myself to play it and NOT START UP ANOTHER FACTORIO PLAYTHROUGH just now. So Gunpoint's gonna have to wait until I get my Witcher's worth . I do remember enjoying what I played of Gunpoint so it is a list of shame game that I plan on getting back to... some day..

I....have 416 games on steam. I've probably only beaten 15%.

I already bout 5 games this steam sale.

I find myself looking up how long a game takes to beat these days. If it takes more than like 10 hours and isn't coop then chances of me getting all the way through drops significantly. Unless it just completely captivates me.

Honestly, since they removed the little games and rotating deals I barely even check the sale. It was a lot more interesting keeping an eye on the best deals and it triggered my impulse buy much more often than it does now.

@xeiphyer: no real point in having those anymore as it would just result in a blowout of refund requests.