A Misguided Guide To Finishing Your Gaming Backlog

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Everyone's days on earth are limited. The amount of video games out there, however, are seemingly unlimited. And for those of us that are obsessed with the medium, this causes a bit of a problem. A weird existential dread that comes from a looming video game backlog. How will we ever beat it all? Should we beat it all? And if we were to actually try to do it in a timely manner, how would we? That’s the type of question I approach today and in fact… the very challenge I’ll be taking on in 2023.

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It's finished now! Here are the final results:

I genuinely love The Ridge (0:00​)
"The Jerry Incident" (1:41)
How the backlog stresses us (6:13)
My master plan (9:42)
How to counter the Zeigarnik Effect (13:19)
"Man" (17:35)
Crash and learn (22:33)
WE'RE STILL ON BABY (25:03​)
The feast begins (28:03)
Thank you and goodnight (29:48)

▶Games Shown

Returnal (2021)
What Remains of Edith Finch (2017)
Eastward (2021)
Ghost of Tsushima (2020)
Cyber Shadow (2020)
God of War (2018)
Hollow Knight (2017)
Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019)
ANNO: Mutationem (2022)
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020)
Elden Ring (2022)
Tunic (2022)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)
Unsighted (2021)
Persona 5: Royal (2019)
Baba Is You (2019)
Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020)
Unbeatable (2021)
Metroid Dread (2021)
The Callisto Protocol (2022)
Harvestella (2022)
Inscryption (2021)
Bayonetta 3 (2022)
Octopath Traveler (2018)
Pode (2018)
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006)
Helltaker (2020)
NieR:Automata (2017)
Final Fantasy X (2001)
Celeste (2018)
Super Mario Odyssey (2017)
Guilty Gear Strive (2021)
Death's Door (2021)
Haven (2021)
Minecraft (2009)
Xenoblade Chronicles (2010)
Super Smash Bros: Ultimate (2018)
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
Pokémon Scarlet (2022)
God of War Ragnarök (2022)
Stellar Blade (2023)
Fire Emblem Engage (2023)
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII REUNION (2023)
Somerville (2022)
Florence (2018)
Dark Souls (2011)
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019)
Soma (2015)
Earthbound (1994)
Fez (2012)
Ghostwire: Tokyo (2022)
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (2021)
Devil May Cry 5 (2019)
Hollow Knight: Silksong (lmao)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)
Shadow of the Colossus (2005)
Before Your Eyes (2021)
Gris (2018)
Final Fantasy XIII (2009)
Astral Chain (2019)
Sifu (2022)
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (2022)
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (2018)
Xenoblade Chronicles (2010)
The Last of Us (2013)
Firewatch (2016)
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (2019)
Paper Mario (2000)
Resident Evil 4 (2005)
Prey (2017)

▶Media/Clips/Considerations:

▶Music Sources (in Order):

Pilotwings Resort OST - Staff Roll
Kirby Air Ride OST - (Stadium) Air Glider
God Hand OST - Sultry Night
Melty Blood: Type Lumina OST - Actions in the Lower World
Mewmore x Snivys // Route 4 (Pokémon Red & Blue Remix)
Melty Blood: Type Lumina OST - Before the Dawn
Gran Turismo 5 OST - Journey To The One
CYBERPUNK: EDGERUNNERS OST | Rat Boy & IBDY - Who's Ready for Tomorrow (Instrumental)
Kirby Air Ride OST - City Backside
Persona 5 ▸ Price (Curly Remix)
Demon Souls OST - Character Creation (Souls of Mist)
Hyrule Temple (Legend of Zelda / Smash Bros) ▸ Tee Lopes Remix
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 OST - Where We Used To Be
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 OST - Elysium in the Dream
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door OST - Jabbies Battle
Final Fantasy X OST - Wandering Flame
TEKKEN 7 OST - Character Customization Theme
TOKYO ROSE - Tokyo Burnout
Mewmore // Battle! Marnie (Pokémon Sword & Shield Remix)
Pokémon Colosseum OST - Realgam Tower Theme

▶Research Articles Cited

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Ah, yes, this seems like a very helpful video for someone dealing with a cluttered backlog like me. I’ll be sure to add it to my Watch Later playlist so I can go through it when I’m in the right mood.

thepearled
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"If we aren't careful, that ambition to live our best life can sour and turn into an apprehension and a fear that we aren't doing enough"
Boy did that hit me hard.

MuteMusicalMorgan
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It's like finally finishing a series you've been watching for months or finishing a long book you liked a lot. You get that same kick of dopamine you get when you finally get that platinum trophy, but then the feeling is quickly replaced by... "What now?"

joshuaspruett
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That feeling that Etika had when he finished Xenoblade 2 is just….the reason I love gaming.
That feeling of catharsis just engulfs you. You feel so satisfied that you finished your journey, but you feel sad that it’s over.
Great video and RIP to a legend.

MexicanUppercuts
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As a child you wish for an unlimited amount of games

As an adult you dread having an unlimited amount of games

monkeeee
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Honestly having a backlog comforts me. It makes me feel like there is still so much more to experience than a single lifetime can accomplish so by seeing what is my limits keeps me going.

kitsunetailsx
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It's true for my collège projects, making a plan means having a better idea of how long it's gonna take. When reading the assignement I feel "this is gonna take like 30h" but once I started to dive deeper and plan then I'm "ok, actually, it'd be more like 15h" and instantly I feel like I've made 15h of progress and I can go take a break.

Dark_Peace
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I think part of the anxiety as an adult is that for many of us when we were kids we didn't have easy access to a ton of video games and had to beat finish every game we had for better or worse.
EDIT: Also if you want to reduce your backlog, reduce the difficulty of individual games if you're stuck halfway.

grandsome
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I am stupidly excited for the follow up to this (especially since he privated the list).

I recently had a crisis because I have a crazy backlog but I am slowly working through it before Spider-Man. So I'm excited to see what your conclusions are!

kiserianspence
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Something else that will save you from anxiety is not buying every game you want, but carefully planning out which one you really want to play and which one feels more like a obligation. Loads of titles I'm able to cross out without feeling guilty skipping them, for now. If it really is a good game, than it still will be when you find yourself in a drought or when it inevitably goes on sale.

kenpierce
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Hearing the whole "making a plan takes the thing off your mind" thing as a reason to make plans is so strange to me as someone with adhd because for some of us, since adhd is different for everyone, it can result in killing any momentum we manage to get for doing the thing by giving our brains the dopamine reward early. Once the plan is made and the task is in the 'not now' bin, the chances of it not coming out of the bin are frustratingly high.

TehTeh
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Honestly Daryl, everything you said about Etika and Xenoblade 2, and how we are searching for that gem in our backlog relates so much to me.
I remember coming across Etika’s stream of Xenoblade 2 and I remember watching him cry as the ending played. And it was at that moment that I wanted to try out Xenoblade 2 and see what the game was like for myself. I can tell you one thing, I felt exactly the same as Etika did at the end, I definitely feel like every game I’ve been playing after has been searching for that same feeling I felt finishing Xenoblade 2’s story.

vemearts
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I haven't finished the video yet but I'd like to just put this out there:

Years ago I threw my pride away and just started using walkthroughs, start to finish, for the entire game, not just when I'm stuck. Especially helpful for things like old JRPGs that tend to have a ton of missable content. It's actually very, very relaxing to sit down, guide open...and just go. I know that even if I only play for an hour, it'll be an hour of solid progress and not an hour of getting lost or stumped on a puzzle. I still play some games without, but using guides helps me actually finish games and I recommend it to anyone. It feels sooo good to just tear through a series you'd been meaning to get around to.

TheWorstPartyMember
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man.... looking midway, I reflected on not only my game backlog, but my life backlog. When you showed a life list at 22:08 and it said "Finish college", I cried. I am almost through my B.A. degree in childhood psychology and education. I started my study ten years ago, but I still have not finished it. The only thing missing is the minor thesis. But everytime I try to start, I choke in the middle of it. I close down. I lock myself out and get depressed.
I know I need to talk to someone first about my inner struggles before I continue the thesis, because there is seriously something that makes me stop. Maybe it is that felling of emptiness that makes me choke. The degree is important to me too, I have struggled mentally, but I continued. So this is important to me. maybe that is why I choke.

Ginuilf
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Honestly, I learned to accept that I'd rather have my backlog outlive me. Moreover, I made an additional extra torture rule about writing reviews about every single title experienced. 👍
A personal one, one no one but me would read.
Just the process itself forced me to look into my experiences deeper and that created longer lasting memories. Which feels satisfying in a way.

thinkabout
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Me: I should do something about that backlog, but there's simply not enough time!
Also me: A 30-minute video about someone else's backlog struggles? I'll watch all of it!

timeforgamesYT
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I still remember how I felt when I saw the City of Tears text splash across the screen in Hollow Knight for the first time and for some reason just knowing that it was called that and like the fact that there was an entire city under everything I'd already seen was so mindboggling and really emotionally impactful for some reason. I never completed Hollow Knight but I think playing it was worth it just for that moment.

Disvoidal
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Persona 3 portable hit me hardest with "that quiet during the credits" moment. life changed so much between starting and actually finishing it. I moved house, I finished my college course. it felt like the end of an era, which helped it hit that much harder. I still remember where I was when it ended. It getting unintentionally delayed helped it be that much more memorable. It majorly influenced how I played p5 even. And I remember letting it sit. I didn't try to do anything else. I just sat there thinking about it.

benthetakodachi
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Man for me Gris is the game that hits hard. When I was around 13 someane very dear to me took their own life, and in an emotionally distant family I only had myself to comfort me, it was never talked about and I had carried that grief with me everywhere, never really processing it. 9 years later I heard about this small indie game that looked beatiful and supposedly had an story about loss which was told symbolicly. So I played it, and with every chapter my hearth sank lower and lower in my chest. Near the end when the game kind of concludes I could barely make out the screen through the tears. The game was finished and it really made me think about the person I lost back then. I started to proces everything overtime and eventually have gotten to terms with it. She used to take me out to nature all the time, and ever since I've played Gris I've started to refind my connection with nature. I go on walks through the forest, have refound my facination with life and many many more things that I have inherited from her in my youth. In that way she lives on within me, just like she does within everybody else who has lost her. Playing Gris really opened me up to re-evaluating my view on life and death, and in the end I am more at ease and happy for it. Games like that is what gives me hope not all is lost in the gaming industry

damienmichiels
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I think a lot of my backlog stress (and possibly other's) come from assigning meanings to each game that make ignoring them feel heavier. I bought a few games on sale, because I thought they were a good deal, and if I don't play them, I'm wasting money. There are games I want to play because they are the cultural zeitgeist, and if I don't play, not only will I not be able to join the gaming conversation with others, but I just won't be a "real" gamer. There are games I felt motivated to play because friends played them with me, or I had a small streaming audience that was into the niche selection, so if I STOP playing those games, I won't have an audience anymore, or reasons to hang out with my friends.

The thing is, all those reasons are created. All meaning is assigned. If I stop looking at the consequence of not playing a game as some moral failure, and rather, that I just don't play it, it does alleviate a ton of pressure. To do that I've been focusing more on my journey around the games. I've taken interest in HOW I found them, how I play them, why I'm playing them, etc. Sometimes, the answers I get to those questions, when I'm not contriving them, are really motivating. It might be taking too long to get to my backlog because I'm dawdling in another game. But why am I doing that? Well them music in one area is relaxing, and so instead of moving onto other tasks, I'll idle there for a while so I can rest. Maybe I actually take a nap, or clean a dish, or answer a difficult email. I'm not playing, but I'm experiencing the game in a satisfying way.

I think we'll never truly escape the backlog guilt, as it has ways of mutating and coming back to you even after you've done all the work of avoiding it. But the moments it does escape you, pay attention to the joy you're experiencing from playing. After all that should be the most important reason we play; to enjoy.

AdaMdaZ