It is 2024, the start of a brand new yr, and you already know what? I am gonna lastly get my gaming life so as: Deal with my backlog, tame my cluttered library, and be free from my hoard of unfinished video games.
Wait, cease laughing at me.
I do know you have heard all of it earlier than—from your self, your family members, or your pal who buys means too many bundles and $1 Steam sale steals. All of us say we’re gonna deal with our backlog, and can we? Hell no. It is an unruly mess, a beacon of guilt, a huge-ass timesink. I am responsible of it too; I’ve misplaced rely of what number of instances I’ve put in video games, proclaimed that as we speak is the day I am lastly going to play it… after which I uninstall it two months later, nonetheless as untouched because it was the day it took up 60GB on my onerous drive.
However I am decided. This yr, I am gonna be totally different. It is the yr of recent and improved Mollie, an individual who finishes their rattling videogames, now not shackled by a digital logjam that grows yearly, mocking my lack of dedication for something. A minimum of, I am gonna truly strive for as soon as.
For somebody who claims to like video games, I certain am dangerous at ending ’em.
I’ve gotten to that time the place at any time when I take a look at my library, all I really feel is disgrace. So many cool video games which have been left by the wayside, victims of my perpetual exhaustion and aversion to sitting at my desk past work hours. Video games I’ve desperately wished to play like Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Hello-Fi Rush, Cyberpunk 2077, Chants of Sennaar, Jusant, all stay unfinished. Even video games I’ve adored this yr like Baldur’s Gate 3 have been left in limbo, ready for me to achieve the ultimate act.
It sucks! For somebody who claims to like video games, I certain am dangerous at ending ’em. I’ve obtained a pair methods up my sleeve this yr although, ones that I hope might help organise my mind, my video games and provides me that kick up the ass I actually need to truly see the credit roll.
Give me construction
I am stealing a trick from our on-line editor Fraser Brown: spreadsheets, child. Fraser retains a spreadsheet of all the pieces he performs in a yr—one thing you may hear him speaking extra about on our PC Gamer Chat Log podcast. It helps to visualise what’s been accomplished, what’s in the course of being performed, and what’s been left untouched.
I undergo from a extreme case of caveman mind, so perhaps a bit of construction is what I want. Or perhaps it’s going to simply be one other methodology of shaming me about all the cash I’ve spent for video games I’ve not touched for six months, who is aware of? It is actually extra on the chore-y facet than I would like and I’ve to belief my scatterbrain to truly preserve issues up to date.
I additionally wish to benefit from collections, a Steam characteristic I’ve lengthy ignored. This complete time I’ve simply been counting on organising my library by most just lately performed. It is nice and all, nevertheless it implies that the video games I neglect about turn into actually forgotten about as I cycle via my small rotation of normal go-tos. I kinda wish to make issues a precedence system: Whack stuff I wish to play essentially the most in its personal folder, adopted by those I am decided to get round to ultimately. Then after all, the digital junk drawer assortment for the entire random Humble Bundle video games I am going to by no means play in my life. Why not throw in a wee celebratory “accomplished” folder to make me be ok with myself, too?
It is lower-commitment than a whole-ass spreadsheet, and as soon as I’m going via the ache of the preliminary organisation it ought to simply be a matter of dragging and dropping every sport as I get it. I really feel like if I mix it with the spreadsheet I might be unstoppable. Possibly. I nonetheless gotta truly play the freakin’ issues first.
Possibly I am going to come again to y’all on the finish of the yr and allow you to know if I truly handle to do it. Show my haters flawed (it is me, I am my hater), do the undoable, obtain the unachievable. I do not anticipate to deal with a backlog that simply spans a decade at this level, however I certain want to clear up the previous couple of years of waylaid video games that I’ve ignored since turning into a Actual Grownup with a Actual Job. And if I fail, I offer you all permission to level and giggle at me. At that time, I am going to deserve it.
