Too Many Games

I don't have this many games. Yet.

Being a gamer is an infinitely enjoyable hobby, but it is not without it's faults. For one, it can get pretty costly. Most new titles generally run for $50 or so and that's just on the consoles. If the 3DS is an indication, $40 could be the standard for portable games. Then there's time investment. Some games require more time to finish than others. Metal Gear games can take about 10-12 hours to complete. An RPG like Dragon Quest? Look to spend 60 or so hours on that sucker and that's if you're not screwing around with side quests. But perhaps what I'm finding to be the biggest negative about my favorite pass time, is that there's just too many games to play. How does one find time to play all that he/she owns and will eventually own?

The only current generation system that I have in my possession is a Wii. As of this writing, I have over 30 games for the Wii and I'm not even close to having all the games I want for it. There's also quite a few games I haven't finished (like Klonoa) and some I've bought that I haven't even started. So I'm already building a sizable backlog on just the Wii alone.

Circa 2001, my copy is still sealed.

What happens when I eventually get a PS3 and a 360? That's two system's worth of gaming catalogs I'll have to dig through. The fact that many of the best games for both of those consoles are now dirt cheap just means the backlog for both of those will add up even faster.

On the portable gaming front, there are still DS games I need to pick up. I'm planning on getting a 3DS sometime next year so that'll just be adding to the pile. I'll more than likely get a Vita so I can finally get around to playing PSP games, so that's even more games.

Some gamers only deal with "too many games" around the holiday season when publishers release a ton of triple A titles to get the most sales. It would be nice if I only had to face this situation around Christmas time, but the fact is, I'm floored with a mountain of games all the time. I'm not just counting games on current gen hardware. I've got tons of PS2 games I haven't finished or even started. Since I missed out on the first Xbox, God only knows how many games I'll end up buying for that system.

Basically, I don't think my backlog of games will ever stop growing. Every time I buy a game, just one game, it gets even larger. I usually like to finish each game I start but that doesn't always happen. Sometimes I lose interest or get sidetracked by another game. I like to think that if I've put enough hours into the game or come close enough to finishing it, that that's enough. Really, does everyone really finish every single game they play? I can be a bit of a perfectionist, but not to that extent.

This game is good. I really should finish it.

Being a huge fan of old-school gaming, I often like to go back and play the classics from the yesteryear. In doing so, that's time I could be investing in newer titles, or a game that I could be finishing up. But dang it, playing through those old greats again is just so much fun!

The digital age has added even more to my plate. Thanks to the Wii's Virtual Console service, I've been exposed to some awesome TurboGrafx/PC Engine titles like Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, and Lords of Thunder.

There are times when I fear that there are just so many games that I'll never be able to experience them all. Seriously, who has that much time to dedicate to so many games? Most of us have full-time jobs, families and other matters to attend to. It was so much simpler when we were kids. No job, no responsibilities. Just sit in front of the TV and game your heart out. Sometimes I wish I could go back to those times, but being an adult means being able to afford many of the games you want. Which brings us right back to the current problem. Aggghhh!! I can't win here!

Sigh. You know, it could always be worse. There could be nothing but crappy games and then I'd have nothing to play at all. As it stands, I have a ton of awesome titles in my library so I'm never really bored. Well, I'm off to agonize over what I should play.