Let's Talk - It's time to "backlog" the backlog
Although the idea might seem silly to an outside eye, some, if not all, of us have a backlog of things we simply hold off, not limited to tasks, as well as games, movies, books, or even experiences.
We naturally crave knowledge, making us prone to anxiety known as the 'fear of missing out,' the morbid fear that one might 'miss an opportunity for social interaction, a novel experience, or a memorable event.' The term has only been studied during the past few decades, beginning with a 1996 research paper by marketing strategist Dr. Dan Herman; experiencing 'FOMO' is, however, nothing new.
I can only appreciate the enthusiasm that we show toward playing video games; we love them, and the developers want us to... too! But this article is not about 'tackling backlog' as some would encourage but rather raising awareness about the mindset.
Game collecting - a hobby growing in popularity -
could be attributed to coining the idea of a "backlog".
"Backlogs" could be interpreted as a form of mental hoarding.
could be attributed to coining the idea of a "backlog".
"Backlogs" could be interpreted as a form of mental hoarding.
1. The "Chore" Mindset
Free yourself from the completionist mentality. Playing a game is a choice. If you're not enjoying your experience with a game, you may move to the next one and return whenever you want. This is a mindset to work on overtime.
2. The Experience
Internet culture has recently led to what health professionals would call 'intoxication': a disease of the digital age.You might find yourself interested or inspired by a plethora of games, more than you can possibly handle; know that it is no reason to let down! You may take pride in your enthusiasm toward new releases.Some might play games to talk about them, socialize, or share their experiences. Know that there are many ways to experience a game. Enjoying a game's idea or finding them inspiring is a great feeling; it doesn't necessarily mean the game needs to find itself on your backlog.
YouTube, blogs, reviews, and streams are all available to help you experience new releases, as well as assess whether or not you might be interested in the play-through.
3. The Hoarding
As a person with an addictive personality on the sociopathy spectrum,
hoarding, be it physical or digital games, used to be a constant
obsession of mine. You do not have to buy or own every game. While Steam
might have a sale, assess that they have sales many times a year on the
majority of their library.
 |
| Steam sales, a curse in disguise? |
...As
for physical game collectors, we must draw a line between what we want
and need. It is important to assess that collecting in hope of acquiring
every worthwhile game is a form of hoarding.
Try
restricting yourself to games that you have emotional value towards,
wouldn't you rather display them if they represent you personally?
Be aware that options exist to manage to overspend: you might want to look into emulation, ODEs, or flash carts.
I have long since sold most of my physical collection, as I could never hope to be satisfied with it.
A comic on infoxication
It's time to 'backlog' the backlog. As for me, it's a work-in-progress,
but I'm definitely seeing improvement every day.
Hopefully, this article
helped you overcome part of the stress of that media staring down at
you every time you look at your library, and improve your experience marvellously, as well as your free time, if you have any.
