Working through a Backlog (Again)

[PanzersEast]

Let me preface this thread by saying if you are one who says "just play what you want and get on with it..." you can back out of this thread now.

But, if you are like me and have a huge backlog of games and continue to assimilate games then this may be for you.  This topic always crops up from time to time and that is the backlog/time+more games=failure...... I started going through all me crap and to be honest I felt a little guilty.... all the mess I have accumulated so I decided to start separating what I wanted to play through and those I would like to but probably never well and just cut my ties with those games now...  So I started a system to help me start to focus and work down some of my back-log, I typically will zone out when I have time to play and with summer upon us I will zone out more.  I typically do all of my gaming late at night (benefit of being a night owl) so it helps to be somewhat organized if I want to accomplish my goal to focus with what little time I have.

So I compiled a list and ranked and came up with a simple schedule.  So far I have completed two games following this schedule and in a quicker time than I had before and I actually finished them....

Obviously I can not play all of the games during a single day, however it is a guideline for me to follow so my choices are focused and goals set for each game.  These are the only game icons on my desktop and mostly all I have installed.  I do have 2 games that are a free play which is OOTP15 and ETS2. 

Now once I finished one of the games I will rotate a new one in or if I want to play again I will leave it in the rotation.  For example when I finished Warlock 2 I rotated in Endless Space and CK2 rotated in after AOW3.  If I find that while playing the title it is just not fun or I do not want to finish, then I will simply retire it from the list and not look back.



From the list above I have some simple goals and have set a 3x3 meaning 3 strategy and 3 other.

CK2 - During my current campaign is to reform Russia and then either play as a counter country or just finish the campaign off.

CIV V - I have never finished a game although I have started many so this time around I plan on finishing one.

Endless Space - Has been around since I played and wanted to pull it out and play after the new fantasy game

7 Days to Die - What can I say, best Zombie/survival game I have played and right now, addictive

B-17 Mighty 8th - Bought this a long time ago on GOG and decided to try and finish a 25 mission game

Falcon 4 and FSX - usually have a couple of flight a week and on the weekend when there is more time

Silent Hunter - Modded up and ready to go, has been too long since I have played

STALKER - playing the Lost Alpha Mod and seeing how it progresses or if I am interested.


Yea, it seem ridiculous to devise something to help you get through all the junk on my hard drive however I think it is even more ridiculous to continue to accumulate crap and then continue not to fully play or finish anything I purchase... and as a by product of doing this I hope to purchase less.  In the end, I hope to work through most of my back-log and then settle with a core group of games that I play and then be more selective of what I purchase.... anyway I can't believe you read all of my dribble!

Cheers,

PE

[Yskonyn]

Its a feast of recognition! :)
But such a structured approach doesn't work for me because I have a job with an irregular schedule and I have a little guy walking around adding tons of randomness into a possible schedule.

What I've basically come down to is to stop buying new games at all unless they are of a series or genre that is my top list anyway.
Then I've gotten rid of all the games I might have found fun but can do without in the end (this was the hard part!) and now I force myself to focus on just 3 games max.

I just have to show some discipline.
The added benefit is that I actually finish games now and enjoy them even more instead of just being able to talk about the flavour of the day All the time without having spent a proper amount of time with it to warrant its purchase and honour the work that was put in to make it in the first place.

[Rayfer]

Good luck PE....I hope it works for you and brings you gaming goodness and fun.  Not sure I could do it your way. I retired 5 years ago, your spreadsheet looks too much like work to me.  But hey man, if it works for you, go for it.  "Do what you like and like what you do."

[PanzersEast]

Good luck PE....I hope it works for you and brings you gaming goodness and fun.  Not sure I could do it your way. I retired 5 years ago, your spreadsheet looks too much like work to me.  But hey man, if it works for you, go for it.  "Do what you like and like what you do."

Cheers... yea between work and family most of my gaming is done at night so with time constraints I have to stay organized.  I'm that kind of person that has to have a organized task list or I go all over the road.  It for sure is not for everyone and really I tried to make is a simple move and complete type of system and not make it work, but have fun achieving and getting the most out of my purchases.  Eventually once I work through there will be no need for it..... I hope, but the goal is to work through the backlog and discard everything but the core.

PE

[Sir Slash]

I'm trying to catch-up on my list of under-played games but there's always something interfering. Like the grass growing, food, sleep, toileting, and the mail comes-- every day except Sunday.  ::)

[PanzersEast]

I'm trying to catch-up on my list of under-played games but there's always something interfering. Like the grass growing, food, sleep, toileting, and the mail comes-- every day except Sunday.  ::)

If you find a fix.... let us know!  :o

PE

[undercovergeek]

I admire the programme and wish you luck..... I tried the same sometime ago but got engrossed in one game and didn't want to stop.... threw the schedule right out of the window

I figured if I have to make a graph for the games I'm playing I'm doing it wrong! Up until very recently I've wasted hours of gaming time reading about and watching others gaming instead of just playing and consequently had an entire day of ck2 and it was wonderful