How to Manage / Keep Your Backlog Under Control - Retro Bird

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Games Being Played in This Video: Dynamite Headdy, Donkey Kong Country, ToeJam & Earl, A Link to the Past, Super Mario 64

[@FranciscoRodriguez-iq9cb]

Took me two years to get back and play A link to the Past and beat it. Consider it a backlog game

[@kenneths4007]

Dynamite Headdy is such an underrated gem.

[@n64fanboy95]

First time I've seen Dynamite Headdy. Looks fantastic!

[@Yuuretsu]

I'm pleasantly surprised by the amount of Dynamite Headdy in this video.

[@halluc1nate]

Were these games on your backlog? Working on your backlog while talking about backlogs?

[@putridscene]

I stopped calling it a backlog since it sounds so negative. A backlog is an obligation, a Game Library is something to be explored and enjoyed.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I like that mentality!

[@benironside1264]

This! I see so many people poor time , love and money into building a collection….and then complain about their massive collection

[@layouts77]

So glad I found this gent’s channel.

[@bladedreviews]

He is definitely a breath of banana flavored fresh air for sure!

[@mattlockwood6089]

You'll like what he has to say

[@theoneandonly9733]

Recently I started working on the "midlog" getting the shorter ones off so I can focus on the longer ones

[@RetroBirdGaming]

That can be fun because then you can beat a bunch of games in a short amount of time.

[@robertedmonson6825]

I've also taken that approach before. Get all the shorter action based games out of the way before digging into any long RPGs or anything.

[@eymed2023]

It a lot less daunting (and more organized) to finish something that's already in progress and THEN move on to the next thing than to start something new right away. In that sense, though, I wonder how speedrunning changes the dynamic of a backlog. Because then it's no longer about beating a game, but rather beating it over and over again to get increasingly shorter times. Imagine if, instead of commiting to just beating every single game you have, but rather commiting to getting the World Record in every single one?

[@totallyfrozen]

LOL! This thread! Y’all treat it like a job. 😆

[@chid255]

"Ok I should stop collecting so I can clear most of the backlog, I'll start with Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, then Resident Evil Code Veronica, then maybe Little Nemo..." Goes out, buys 15 games, 2 consoles, a CRT, an arcade cabinet, a cat, and a brand new leather couch. "Ok I should stop collecting so I can clear most of the backlog, I'll start with Neo Turf Masters, then Little Samson, then maybe Nintendo World Championships..."

[@carlosrueda9204]

I feel seen

[@thesmallscout9810]

Little Sampson? Nintendo World Championship? I want to know what job YOU have, that makes that kinda money.

[@mattcraven8214]

I did the math to see how long it would take me to finish my backlog of games (counting any game I haven't beaten as in my backlog) I currently own. It was a rough estimate and I didn't want to invest more than 15 hours a week playing games (I have to do adult things) and allowing myself 10 video game purchases a year. Anyway, I estimated it would take somewhere between 6 and 9 years. At this point I just try to play through games I haven't yet and try not to think about it.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Hahah I'm sure others have larger estimates than that :)

[@recorderdude]

My midlog is almost exclusively RPGs I've put one hour into until i see a new shiny RPG to try

[@kenneths4007]

I found the biggest factor in controlling a backlog is being honest with yourself about the current game you're playing. If you're not enjoying it, forcing yourself to play it to completion isn't doing you any favors. Since gaming is meant to be a fun pastime or relaxation, the game being played should make you feel good about the time you're spending. I realized that making myself play a game I wasn't enjoying was just taking time away from a game I may actually like even more. For example, I started playing the Fairune Collection, but I found that I was spending half of my time either bored or frustrated. I ended up shelving the game so I could move on to something else. That something else was The Gardens Between, which I fell in love with from start to finish. So that allowed me to remove two games from my backlog. Fairune because I knew I wouldn't really get much enjoyment out of it, and The Gardens Between because I was enthralled I couldn't put it down. My new approach has definitely helped me to move through more of my collection.

[@kenneths4007]

@tan j maz That's very much a part of it, which is why I made the decision to start trusting myself as I'm playing games. If I'm not having fun, then it's time to move on to something else. Also, since I don't get rid of my game collection, I can always revisit a game I wasn't a fan of years later to see if it hits differently.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Yeah, "forced" is just not what you want to be feeling hahah.

[@CardCrusher29]

You're right. If you're enjoying the game, you won't noticed the time going by quickly and would be surprised that you finish it quickly. If you're forcing yourself to enjoy the game, you'd always check your phone or watch while playing. When I'm enjoying a game, I'd play it straight and would be surprised to finish it within two weeks. On the other hand, it took me 3 months to finish one Assassin's Creed game, and I didn't have fun

[@totallyfrozen]

That’s how I feel about boss battles. You play your butt off to get to the end of an area, then before you can progress, the game exponentially ratchets up the difficulty. I find them necessary for progress but not fun. Some are worse than others. For example on the GBA, Splinter Cell at the end of the Oil Refinery level the boss battle is super difficult. Looking online shows MOST people struggle a lot with it (even the guys writing the walkthroughs). The boss character runs as fast as your character, you have to shoot him 4 times, but after hit he becomes invincible to further hits for a second or two while he still runs at full speed. In order to use your gun, you slow down. It takes you 3 button pushes just to get back up to running speed and I’ve timed it-if you slow down for one second, you lose sight of the boss and can’t catch up. If you slow down for 2 seconds, you fail the mission. If the boss reaches the end before you shoot him 4 times, you fail. It can be done because people have done it, but it’s hard to the point of no being fun. That’s just one game example.

[@CanadianPenny]

@@totallyfrozen That boss battle just sounds broken

[@insaneasock3156]

After I beat a game I check the backlog and go to "How long to Beat" and decide if I want to put in 5, 10, 20, 40, 100 hours. Once my decision is made, I play that game to completion.

[@benevans7564]

Thats a great idea

[@johnc1963]

I like having a big backlog, it gives me something to look forward to.

[@Circus_Diabolique]

That outro is amazing, I want to hear a full album of that.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

My friend who sings it may do a full song at some point.

[@eymed2023]

Retrobird's brand of relatable humor is the perfect "pick-me-up" after an awful day.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thank you! Sorry to hear about awful days but glad if I can help.

[@eymed2023]

@@RetroBirdGaming Everyone's got a time when they need a pick-me-up.

[@The1uptriforce]

I learned to relax and not worry about what I haven't played and just enjoy what I'm playing atm life is short we can never play EVERYTHING just enjoy what you can when you can however you can.

[@PhilWaylon]

I’ve beat The Legend of Zelda “A Link to the Past” over a dozen times and it never gets old.

[@kevex3929]

Playing guitar is another hobby I have besides playing video games. If I'm feeling a bit burned out on games or it's feeling like a chore, I just play guitar. It's a good stress reliever too

[@MyRetroLife]

Excellent video! I needed this...

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Good to hear!

[@timj3788]

I'm not a retro gamer by any stretch but my trick to games is to only have one game on my backlog at any time. I always know what I'm going to play next without the stress of feeling over burdened. I use the same approach for books. The feat feels less Herculean and more enjoyable.

[@mikeyboombox]

Up until a few years ago I never really had an issue with my backlog. Then I started collecting more and buying new games for my older systems as well as modern games and things have gotten a bit out of control. What I’ve been doing to manage the backlog is by not playing 2 long games back to back. I’ll use shorter games in between like pallet cleansers, which helps to make the list shorter quicker. Another reason why my backlog picked up is being afraid prices will skyrocket in the future if I don’t get the game now. I’ve come to terms that there will always be a game that I’ll want but I should play what I have first and if the price goes up I’ll deal with it then. If the price goes too crazy there are always other means to play it. Great job on the video with awesome suggestions. Also, I still love that term “midlog”

[@grady968]

The facial expressions have me dead 😂💀

[@beckythompson4538]

I recently took a very honest look at my collection and got rid of everything I owned. I separated the games i loved owning and games I actually played. Once I purged my collection fit in a single box. I love games but nobody seemed to care when I showed them so now my collection is impressive to the only person that actually cares. Me

[@RetroBirdGaming]

The most important person to impress!

[@Starpotion]

Needed to hear this, it's rough being an adult gamer and it's definitely not the easiest thing when it comes to managing time for your hobbies

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Glad to hear. I was really hoping this video would be helpful for people.

[@MegaRocket99]

A big issue for me is the overwhelming choice, and what happens is I often stick with games I am familiar with and I know that I will enjoy. So now I've started a project to capture some play time for all the games in my collection, just to have some stock video available. Funny thing is I keep running into games I actually enjoy and having some video of it makes it easier to choose playing them.

[@mcracc]

I love how you have the exact same order of 4 shirts for each thumbnail. Thats dedication!

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thanks!

[@zagrebzebra]

My backlog is almost eternal as I am not finding time to actually play through the list. I am saving it for my retirement or something. It will be nice to have 500+ games to go through when that day comes.

[@CaptainCaveman1170]

It's very true.

[@SuperSteaman]

Your channel is amazing. I love how you take care of the shirt colors, so many details. Great content all the time!

[@insaneasock3156]

Everytime I look at my backlog, it flexes and it frightens me. I run away and hide under my piano.

[@sebastianvandermeer4466]

Backlog after watching this video: ‘I don’t feel so good’. Midlog: ‘Hello there’

[@dariusq8894]

I've consigned myself to the fact that I will never play all the games I own to completion. That's why I prefer arcade style games where you can play for a few minutes, drop it, and then come back again later without much hassle. Portable systems in particular are my favorites because I can bring them with me wherever I go. Gaming on the toilet is probably my most effective use of time. =)

[@Zaron_Gaming]

The mid log is interesting.. I have a issue with starting a game getting so far into the story and dropping it.. those would all be midlog. Hard to track that. I guess I could take one of each style of game. like I have ff9 destiny 2 and fallout 4 off the top of my head.. one turn based long story RPG, one fast action packed shooter and one slower shooter that still has a big story. My relationship with my backlog? Well it's a interesting one. I always intend to play any game I pick up for the list and go by the master list of games I really want where I have one left. I adore gaming so much and pretty much do spend every free moment but my issue ends up being I have too big a taste and a eye for deals. Easy to play it off as "I'll play it later" but I know I'm mainly bs'ing myself. I have a Gameboy DS that may as well be covered in a pile of dust and I honestly can't tell you what games I have on there. I know that's a issue but it's not like I'm going to throw away the system or sell. I always go "I may want to play X game and I need Y console" It's a pretty crazy set up the more I consider it and I'm inspired now to go through my collection and make these lists. I may just have to admit I have a gaming version of hoarding..

[@gamer2101]

Are you me??!!

[@blitheringrando1410]

I never finished FF9 either, I had a corrupted save file back then and it was just too far in to want to restart. There's a lot of games I havent finished over the years, but I never had as many games as I do now compared to my little time playing. Still, I have a pretty small collection compared to most. But every time I buy a game, I think in the back of my head of games I dont even want to play but own. I wish I had a local collector friend that would trade games straight up at market value instead of selling cheap to a reseller...

[@JanTheMangaMan]

In the past I used to be really burdened and plagued by my backlog. But nowadays ive changed how I see my backlog and it has been a big relief. My backlog now just means "some games here and there im interested in" and thats it. Whether i get to them or not isnt that big of a deal.

[@ShinSynZero]

Great vid and definitely a topic that crosses my mind a bit. My backlog is comically big, ranging from classic 16-bit goodness to some modern stuff. Other than the downsizing the collection part, the tips are solid 😅. The only tip I would add in attacking a backlog is going for the low hanging fruit. Knocking out shorter/quicker games can put a nice dent in a backlog.

[@PCGamer77]

I like the game status categories for Member Profiles used on Mobygames: "Favorites" (= "Never Finished") "Currently Paying" (= "Midlog") "Up Next" (= "Backlog")

[@cober5768]

My backlog really only consists of NFL 2K1. (Not that I really even like sports games, I just have very few games in general) My midlog on the other hand... - Rayman 2 - Fallout 1 - Doom 3 - Doom 64 - Halo Wars - Assassins Creed: Odyssey - Crash Bandicoot (1,2, and 3) - Spyro the Dragon (just 2 and 3) - Punch-Out!! NES - Punch-Out!! Wii - Sonic and Knuckles

[@skykid4000]

I’ve got a backlog.... a backlog of retro bird videos to watch!!! I just love this channel. For me it’s the best and I love the style. Just fantastic. I love the analogies and the funny faces. Pure genius 👍👍

[@mattb6522]

As a kid, backlogs weren't even a thing as I only had about a dozen or so games. 😅 However, now I manage my ever-growing collection by making a small list for each console of 5-10 "must-play" games. I rank which games I am most excited to play and start with the top-ranked first. I then focus on only playing one or two games at a time. I find more enjoyment on not spreading myself too thin with playing too many games (especially longer single-player games). Also, sometimes it is a good idea to take a small break from playing video games. Enjoy other aspects of your life and then return to your games with a fresh mind. Gaming should never feel like a chore.

[@Oceanandskylinevidss]

Both my back and midlog is filled to the brim. Time to panic and play some games. 😂 I have to say bird you're on the dot with these discussions and the faces.

[@k.burgess1064]

i dont have a backlog, instead i do things a little different. i typically play different types of games.. like for example, ill have a game im working on like chronotrigger or something, some huge game im playing that takes time, but on the side multiplayer games for friends like mariokart 64, and other games like that. also i like to have one unbeatable game (mine is ninja gaiden 2) to keep going back to, and 2 or 3 wildcards.. things that you just start up and play like mario bros or r-type, wildguns.. i never liked the idea of a backlog because i think it would be hard to really get into a really good game with other games hanging over your head.. i agree with you retrobird in that having a backlog could add a sense of stress and urgency when people should just be able to just chill out and play something they like whatever it is.. perhaps its a symptom of modern life? that everything has to be ordered and structured (put on a to-do list).. but i think with a hobby like ours, that sort of thing defeats the purpose, we just want to have some fun lol

[@metaldiceman]

Exactly, this practice of tracking statistics for everything really became a thing when "Big Data" started growing rapidly in industry several years ago. You get these job titles like "Data Scientist" that are actually pretty new relatively speaking. When industry started changing, people started doing the same thing to their own hobbies, and has resulted in sites like Lastfm (track your music listening), MyAnimeList, Backloggery etc. which admittedly I thought were neat and useful at one time, but you get to a point where it's like, why do I need this? Why am I spending time and energy and stress tracking this? I met this one engineer one time who had his kids hit punch cards on a tablet when they would start and finish chores and whatnot, feeding data into Excel charts and macro algorithms to visualize the data in all kinds of ways. I felt sorry for those kids.

[@AustinU823]

I consider all the games in my collection that I haven’t played yet to be part of my “backlog.” But I don’t treat my backlog like it’s a beast that needs to be conquered. I determine what I want to play next based on how high on the priority list the game is, which I usually have 3-5 in mind that I get excited to play next. I’m comfortable with the fact ill never finish every game in my collection, but I do love having options and knowing there’s always something waiting for me. And I do feel a sense of accomplishment when I finish a game. Not that I’m excited I don’t have to play it anymore, but that I had my fun with it and I know there’s other fun games I get to make time for now

[@danielespeziari5545]

I see you love Diddy Kong Racing's soundtrack as much as I do

[@clausiblepause469]

Love the channel and really enjoyed your take on this topic. My issue is I love playing "never ending" games like strategy games and rogue lites but I also really love RPGs so I'm always torn between doing a run/match in one of my endless games or starting a new rpg which is usually a huge time commitment.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I would try to not think of it as an issue. If playing those types of games is what you enjoy then go for it. Just gotta adjust your expectations for how much you can play other games.

[@liaml1694]

I agree with Retro Bird. I used to think that playing "endless games" was an issue but i realized that is very far from the truth. You just have to pay attention to how much your playing the endless games and not cut them out. Sometimes you can play endless games as a brain-break from your backlog too if you ever feel that going straight to another game will make you tired.

[@Yuuretsu]

My backlog caused me some anxiety back when I was dealing with other personal issues. I trimmed the fat mostly by ignoring all but my favorite consoles and trimming the games I simply didn't enjoy as much as the rest off of that list.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Glad to hear. Anxiety is some nasty stuff and you definitely want to cut that out if necessary.

[@snowfalloverheaven]

my favorite retro gamer on youtube

[@megamob5834]

Thanks RB, this was actually helpful. Your positive attitude is infectious 😀

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Glad to hear! Hope it helps you enjoy your games a little more :)

[@ATrainToAfrica]

As soon as I watched you chug that glass I subscribed

[@tigmo55]

Fantastic video as always man! Since I have two jobs and two kids there's only so much time to play video games. My personal strategy is to only put games on my backlog that I really really want to play! And I think one great way to knock off a backlog quickly is to tackle the shorter Games first. My problem is that while my backlog is only 30 to 40 games deep at least half of them are very long games like breath of the wild LOL

[@Nathan-mu1pz]

My backlog is the biggest it's ever been, but all things considered, it's quite small and I don't ever plan on seeing it grow any more than it has. I have 90ish percent of the games I want and I don't anticipate collecting much more, even new releases. I've set my boundaries and I'm going to complete my collection. After that, I'll re-live the greats.

[@NoMereRanger73]

I saw a post on r/patientgamers talking about how you can play about an hour of a game from your backlog and the decide if you wanna keep playing or not, guilt-free. It’s been a lot less intimidating than feeling like I need to tackle 100+ hours of a game. :)

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Yeah, the ol' test run is the way to go.

[@benevans7564]

I find a check in at around the 3 hour mark is thr sweet spot for whether i want to keep playing or not.

[@Jms2bond]

Love your channel man! I wouldn't say I have a backlog really, but more like a desire to play as many retro games as I can. My eternal midlog is Earthbound, it's soooo good I just can't ever finish it for some reason

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I recently finished Earthbound for the first time. It's a pretty long game. I played it over the course of like 5 months.

[@sirbradfordofhousejones]

I have three tiers: 1- games I’m playing now (2-3 usually) 2- next five 3- a list of games I haven’t played I found that the second tier really helps. Just having a next up gives me focus and enjoyment. I choose that. And it can be adjusted!

[@RetroTechToys]

The midlog is where I have issues. I love gaming, but I don't necessarily always care about finishing games. I don't really have a backlog or a midlog written down on paper or digitally either. It's just all in my head. Maybe I should write one up and get to work reducing it! One tip I can give folks with a huge backlog is to try to play everything you buy for an hour (Or at least a few minutes!) before putting it up, that way, you've got the smallest backlog possible. :)

[@huevonesunltd]

40 seconds in and i already see this is an underrated channel

[@danbauer3669]

I often say "it is easier to buy all the games than it is to play all the games."

[@robertedmonson6825]

About 8 years ago I had some extra time while I was between jobs and decided to re-play Final Fantasy VIII. Then I played IX, then VII after that. Without realizing it, I had started a journey to play pretty much all of them. Some I had played and never beaten, some I'd played numerous times since their release, and some I had never played at all. Cut to today and the only ones I haven't beat yet, as far as the numbered titles and not all the countless spinoffs, are FFIV: The After Years, FFXI, FFXII: Revenant Wings, and FFXIV. lol! Those weren't the only ones I played in that time as I made sure to sprinkle in other RPGs in my collection that I hadn't beaten yet and also newer games but my point is with a little bit of willpower, those backlogs can be taken care of (I type as I look at my collection and think about all the games I still need to play....) 🤣

[@CanadianPenny]

I've been having a bad time getting through FF5 and 6. I've had them since like 2000, but just cannot string enough time together to beat them. I've had to stop 6 twice, even though both times I was deep into it. Somehow, kids and moving across country are not conducive to playing long games.

[@masterbspace]

I like your midlog idea. I have several games I’m at various points at. As adults it’s hard gaining ground while also not ignoring life responsibilities. Also there are some games that I need to be in the right frame of mind in order to play or enjoy. Plus now I’ve screwed myself by getting back into GameCube collecting and getting games I’ve always wanted to play or that I rented back in the day. So combining those with my current gen games and I’ll be busy for awhile. But I enjoy it

[@Not-Great-at-Gaming]

I gave up the whole backlog thing. I just look through my collection when I feel the need to play something. Sometimes it's a particular type of game, other times it might be a particular system I want to play.

[@MasonH9612]

This kinda makes me happy that I don’t really have that many games, so I’ve never actually had a backlog.

[@nubatman]

I can consider mine just a testlog (patent pending). All of my games have been played except my most recent pick ups. I'm trying to go through my Wii games that I picked up over the last month right now. Next will be my PS2 and PS3. If I ever started a backlog I would never finish it. Everytime I want to enjoy a new game I always revert back to games already beaten. And I do feel the need to lighten my collection. It's grown steadily from a modest 20 games to a hefty 1560+ over 6 years.

[@awill891]

I don't beat most games I buy. I feel I get my $$$'s worth if I put in a few hours and enjoy the art and gameplay. I bought Resistance 3 at launch(2011). I loved the mutliplayer in 3D but it was shut down years ago. Every couple of years I play the campaign for an hour lol. Well last week was that time of year, I fired up my 3D projector and hooked up the PS3. Game didn't work, so I bought another copy online, waited a few days and finally started playing... And I beat one mission and the game was over!! I beat it, there's hope for my backlog, I just need a decade to beat a game sometimes.

[@madcat4563]

After discovering this channel and watching a couple of the videos and enjoyed them. Then I subscribed.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Glad you enjoyed them :) Welcome to the channel!

[@luiscortazar6291]

This summer I'm gonna try to beat one game on each of my systems. I already beat Super Metroid the other day. Next I'll take on Ducktales on NES and then Eternal Darkness on GameCube. I have amased a large amount of games over the years. Its time to actually play and not just buy.

[@NoMereRanger73]

Nice! I wish you lots of success.

[@krystianhinz4575]

Great subject video, from my personal experience I will sometimes buy a series of games one after another and think "yeah I can play this and that right after this one and yadda yadda" but the truth of the matter is (at least for me) it's all about mood, do you actually WANT to play a game once you're getting around to it? If not, and you have all of these games you've accumulated, it's okay to look at them and maybe sell some off especially if you get anxious about having them and don't see yourself genuinely playing through them. Of course, you can also be a collector who likes having a bunch of games you might not get to ever, that's your shtick and it works for you. Welp, that's my 2 cents, really like this video!

[@robertcrandell4557]

In a weird way as i child i always wanted a big collection kind of like my own blockbuster. Now as an adult i have over 500 games and feel overwhelmed at times knowing how much ive spent knowing some games will just never be played in that collection.

[@LaLtheGaL]

This might be my favourite backlog video. Some unique tips, compared to the others.

[@bit-squad]

I like having games I haven’t played yet. I don’t see it as something that produces stress, I see them as opportunities for future enjoyment. If I’m really excited about a game, I tend to save it until I have friends to enjoy them with as that makes the experience greater.

[@519MaLoNeY]

I really had never even thought about selling a few games here and there. The mere thought of the thought seemed blasphemous. Lol. But you’re totally right! Worst case scenario we could buy them back, especially if we don’t actually let go of the truly rare/expensive ones. Great video man! PS…my switch backlog is gruesome. Literally over 100 games. I’ve decided to stop counting and also to try to stay away from the Great Deals section of the eshop

[@apexanomaly]

I try not to stress about my backlog which is not insubstantial. Generally I approach games in waves by type that I'm in the mood for (i.e first person shooters, Nintendo style platformers, RPGs, etc.) and this lasts for a few months at least so there's usually 3-5 games similar to the one I'm currently playing that I look forward to. If I don't get to them and my mood changes I don't really stress over it. I like the idea of consolidating the backlog, and crossing games off. I'll try that.

[@NitnerockBobarr]

Every game I have is on my midlog because I can enjoy any game I finished. :D

[@RetroBirdGaming]

There we go. I love that kind of attitude :)

[@skateboardmemories]

Ive started a new way of playing my backlog. The first Day of every month i write down the consoles I have on little notes and draw one at random. The console that gets drawn is the only console im playing that month. So in april Ive played only 3DS and in may only NES. Now in June its time for Ps2 so just started God of war the other day🙂 ive found this is a great way for me to get focus. It has worked brilliantly so far 👍

[@kimjongun2946]

I'm now allowing myself to buy 1 game per month, which has been enough time to complete a game before moving on. So far I'm on game #4 - Contra 3. Never beat it and never owned it, can't wait.

[@unity6926]

Watching playthroughs on youtube is another option for whittling down your backlog! Especially if the game is heavy on narrative but you don't find it very interesting to play (a number of RPGs come to mind). But the best way to deal with it to is to meditate on the transience of being and just be like whatever dood. :)

[@Deadite8593]

My biggest problem with conquering my backlog is I often find myself replaying games I've already beaten multiple times as a form of comfort food. My backlog is extremely out of control, yet here I am playing through Beyond Oasis yet again lol

[@nickwallette6201]

*Things I Didn't Expect to Confront By Watching This Video:* - My mortality - How many bananas is too many bananas In all seriousness, I have two other phrases for "backlog" that I like to use: First, "my collection" -- since it's almost entirely stuff I haven't played yet. Second, "potential new favorite games." Zero guilt. I'll get there when I get there.

[@omegamatsu]

1. If paralyzed by a giant backlog, make a shortlist. About 5-10 that interest you the most. Don't add to your shortlist until you check something off first. 2. Games don't have to be beaten to be moved off a backlog. Play a game for 1-2hrs and just not clicking with you personally? Check it off. Played it plenty but didn't beat yet your satisfied and ready to move on? Check it off.

[@Chris-Courage]

I don't need to control my backlog. My backlog controls me.

[@snotman40]

The struggle is real. My backlog is brutal. Part of the problem is I want to 100% and beat most games. Now I also have an addiction of buying more.

[@gersonestrada4805]

Awesome videos like always.

[@Diablokiller999]

What I would really recommend is, focus your game consumption. Like don't start several games, finish one and then go to the next one. This really helped me enjoy games even more because I don't have to remember what happened and how to play it, staying invested into story and characters. Especially with longer games like Zelda, Control or huge RPGs.

[@PhilWaylon]

You’ve the greatest facial expressions on You Tube. I have to play Final Fantasy 2&3 on the SNES before I expire.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

That's moving from backlog to bucket list!

[@scatterbraineddaily4722]

I keep everything organized In a spreadsheet. I have columns for tip tier series, good series, new series (as in ones that I have no experience with) and one-off titles. Within the first three, I limit the number of series that can represented at any time as well as the number of games per series to 4 and 2 respectively. I also have a limit to the overall list. I can't add a game until I finish one to make space. Sometimes this means juggling around the series blocks occasionally, depending on the mood. Since I'm mostly into J-RPGs, I plan things out around 3 games in advance while placing non-rpg palette cleansers in-between to prevent burnout. I also mark any game I own already with a checkmark, which inadvertantly helps with collecting as well. If a game I don't own makes it onto the backlog, I know to prioritize looking for it out in the wild or on ebay. I also have a much larger spreadsheet for games to collect as well, lol.

[@DarthVader964]

My problem is not wanting to start single-player games if I don't have 4+ hours to play them. ALonisgde school during the school year, I just play multiplayer games. Once summer hits, I'm so used to multiplayer games that I usually stick with them for most of the summer too! Its all mindset for me

[@hyrulegend9786]

My Backlog I've been chipping away at my JRPG games. One game at a time for me lol I get games beatn way faster this way vs playing multiple. I do get games even though I haven't beat my current ones, But I am slowly catching up. ☺️

[@stevenewsome5306]

119 thumbs up and 0 thumbs down says a lot about the retro bird, it means he’s the freaking man that’s what it means. Oh yea and he loves bananas, do something about it bucko.

[@antusFireNova]

Now it's 206 with 0 likes :)

[@phillipalleva-cox3903]

Need motivation to stop/pause buying games, have a kid, it worked for me😂.

[@michaelmanning9028]

Your channel ended up on my feed a couple weeks ago and I am so happy that it did your videos are really entertaining and thoughtful keep up the good work sir Any tips if you're mid log keeps growing? I have played through so many games to 95% completion and then I just lose interest I don't know what the deal is but it happens a lot, I have been sitting at the entrance of hyrule castle in twilight princess for almost 2 years now I really enjoyed it but for whatever reason I just didn't care. And that's just an example there are far more

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Well, in some cases I think it's helpful to determine that playing 95% of a game might be enough for you. Nothing wrong with the game being done when you've had your fill of it. It's not homework. It's entertainment :)

[@Bellyofthebeast6]

I have a massive backlog and I have a whole notebook of all the games I wanna play someday including ones I don't own. It's way more convenient to go through that way because then I can keep all the different series together instead of having them in a random order. I'm only 25 so hopefully I have at least 50 more years to get through it, that might be enough :p

[@vallaurianv6024]

Interesting topic. It doesn’t bother me if I don’t finish a game - as a child of the 80s I didn’t know what completing was until I was 13 with a SNES. Everything before that kicked my ass. That said, Sekiro has been on my mid log for 2 years and it bugs me that it’s the only Soulsborne I haven’t completed. Now 2 bosses from the end... this year I swear I’ll finish it 🙏

[@troystrain2436]

I might try this midlog idea. That sounds pretty interesting and might make the list more manageable.

[@totallyfrozen]

This is like a collecting addict’s therapy channel. LOL! I don’t have an insanely massive collection, but I do have more games than I have time to play. That doesn’t bother me, though. I’m an adult with a career and I can afford my hobby at the level I’m keeping it at. Still, I have a game or two that I plan to sell within the next month.

[@Ty-douken]

I've started buying stuff only if I really want to play it, or if it's a super good deal & I'll play it soon. Also no more collectors editions (unless from limited run)!

[@spedcuber178]

I don't keep a written backlog, but I guess just the games I own on my shelf is my backlog. My way of crossing a game off my list though is just playing it enough to where I am not enjoying it anymore. If I play a game for 15 minutes and really know I do not like it, then it's off the list. I then decide if it has another reason to stay in my collection at all (sentiment, history, etc), otherwise it goes in the trade bin. I can clear games pretty fast using that method, and if I like the games, I make a mental note of the game and what I liked about it.

[@Harken92]

Hey Retro Bird, how about the opposite of a backlog. A BEATEN log. One thing that helped me get over some of the backlog stress was to start a log of games that I had beaten. How Long To Beat lets you create a profile where you can track games that you have already beaten. When I started mine, I started completely fresh without adding games I beat prior to making my account. They add a time stamp when I add a game that I beat so I can go back and see what games I've beaten in a given year. They also have some other cool stats that you can look at as you build your beaten game log!

[@willy11381]

I have Rondo of blood, sonic 3, Mario sunshine, street fighter collection, plus others but yet I’m still thinking of getting the neo geo mini.

[@gustavolopez2599]

Let me tell your sense of humor got me back to subscribe. I just have to have retro bird cause his a nerd just like me =)

[@RetroBirdGaming]

That's how we do it!

[@WanderingWaddler]

Thanks for the tips! Love your videos too!

[@ikki-gaming8933]

I'm keeping a winlog since the 00's, for me it is like a personal room of medals - memories. My backlog isn't that big, maybe 10 games, I usually start all the games and play them for a few hours. As for midlogs - it is really a big problem, I have maybe over 20+ games right now at midlog. I don't consider games that I dislike to be in my back- or midlog, such games get deleted from my list. As on how to tackle the problem, this video came at the right time, this year my midlog grew very much as I spent my time with only one pretty grindy game for many hours, this is why I decided to put a limit on how long I will play a certain game, for instance, if it is a really long one, the limit is 100 hours playtime and to take at the very least a 100 hours pause from that particular game. Other important things that will help me to reduce my midlog: - No to games with much grinding involved. - No participation in online communities, as having an online gaming diary like Miiverse or discussing things in a healthy way with nice people, like in KZbin comments is great if done right on a limited time base anything else is often just a waste of time and energy. The last and most important step is to enjoy gaming as it is supposed to be and to finish the games that I long for by sharing my love for them with family and friends.

[@riggel8804]

What I do now is keep a "beat log". Every time I beat a game I take a picture, or a video, of the ending cutscene and post it on redit. I can go back through my posts and see what I beat and it makes me feel good-instead of anxious.If you have a physical backlog I would recommend deleting it or burning it.There are plenty of games you can think of, off the top top your head. You don't need a chore list. I deleted mine.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

I like the way you think.

[@riggel8804]

@@RetroBirdGaming Thanks!

[@billythecollector]

Best outro song on any gamer channel!

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Thank you Billy!

[@jacobbaranowski]

Sometimes I buy a game I already have, it would be nice to be able to track what you already have and need.

[@RetroBirdGaming]

There are some apps that do that. Never used them myself though.

[@tomallica420]

I have a huge backlog that I'll get to. I'm also collecting to pass down to my sons so I also get games I may not enjoy but I keep them just in case they might like them when they're older. So it's an handmedownlog. That constipation metaphor is even worse now.

[@amuzulo]

I admire your idea, but I have to ask, "Do your sons want to inherit all of these games?"

[@tomallica420]

@@amuzulo idk yet the oldest is four but he seems pretty interested. We'll see as time goes on. If it shows they aren't interested I can always sell them later. And possibly play them all in the meantime lol that's the goal

[@amuzulo]

@@tomallica420 Ah ok, fair enough! Go for it!

[@lonreed9743]

Here’s my 2 cents on this. I like to put a small gold star sticker on my physical game on my shelves after I beat them. That way, at a glance you will know what you’ve completed.