Oska_Go_Wilde on 02/26/2008 3:27 am

FIRST.

But anyway, I find it hard to have that happen, as I'm very very picky about my video games and not real open-minded. But I can say that oh, those unplayed games will have their day.

adam higgins (Guest) on 02/26/2008 3:28 am

I cannot state without enough graditude that someone has finally stated this problem in gamer society. I am playing through call of duty 4 right now(which by the way is pretty darn good so far). and just the other day I come across mercenaries and portal which are both on sale, I bought them, but now I am stuck on three completely different games. HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?

Pentegarn on 02/26/2008 5:55 am

Hell yes I am in that predicament. I have games that have been in their original wrappers for months. If I bought it on the PS2 it inevitably ends up in the "i'll get to it eventually" pile.

It isn't as bad with handheld games though, as I can always play those on break wherever I go. But if it is a home console game, I usually end up distracted away from it.

As bad as I am though, my brother is much worse. He has actually traded in games still in their original wrapping.

Clayman (Guest) on 02/26/2008 6:26 am

I havent actually...There's a few games i have i -haven't- finished though,usually cause the game got boring(shenmue 2 in my case,its just too slow),way too hard (Devil May Cry on Dante must die mode) or i just dont play it because i forgot about it (im almost done with Fable...for 2 years now).

Recently the price of games went up so much that i can only afford 2 max 3 games,then play through them a fairly long time (for the bonuses and all) 'till a new one comes out.For example,im playing Stranglehold and the Club atm,waiting for Army of Two to come out,and the price drop on the recent titles...I have a simple gaming plan

T L Wolf (Guest) on 02/26/2008 6:38 am

Yep. Just got a 360 and I have four games I'm nowhere near completing, plus two more coming in, plus all the games I haven't finished/won't finish on PS2.

Mac Brookman on 02/26/2008 8:06 am

The bargain bin is too alluring for me. Though I am tempted to just keep on stockpiling and shelving those games I still need to play for another forty or so years, something to look forward to for retirement.

Ashmodai on 02/26/2008 8:32 am

Oh, I have a pretty healthy stack of games I haven't tried piling up. Damn you research...damn you.

Butters on 02/26/2008 8:41 am

College is very time-consuming right now. Because of this, I have plenty of games just waiting to be completed.

thecatillaccat on 02/26/2008 8:49 am

My wife gives me four forms of hell for the positively huge stack of games that I've never finished, or even played too much. And I don't mind that.

Ronin S on 02/26/2008 9:25 am

I don't have this issue with my console games, but it is a problem with my computer games. I've fetched old, but good titles out of the bargain bin and played them very little. It's not that I don't have time, it's that my hard drive is nearly full with special programs for my classes and I haven't gotten around to buying more hard drive space.

Eric (Guest) on 02/26/2008 10:27 am

this happens to me every time i pick up a new game.

argonath on 02/26/2008 10:36 am

Wow, I thought I was the only one. I'll go through spurts where I will scour the ebay listings for Xbox games I missed out on, buy 2-3 cheap titles, and there they will sit. For weeks or months sometimes, but I do get around to playing them. The trick is to stop looking at the GameStop clearance shelf when you still have 1-2 games you haven't even cracked the manual open for. It ain't easy, but it's the best advice I can give.

And damn, I pine for a college game night after reading this. Cheap beer, cheap pizza, "aromatic game enhancers," and friends who are as into gaming as you are.

LeNNy (Guest) on 02/26/2008 11:02 am

When I had a PS2(wich just broke)I used to only buy new games when I was done with the old ones, but I just bought a NES and I'm buying any fun-looking game I see because they are only like two to five dollers

Captain PirateFace on 02/26/2008 11:06 am

I have a stack of un-watched movies, like the whole game thing... I buy them used and on sale and I collect the old Herschell Gordon Lewis,Russ Meyer, Argento and etc... Grindhouse films.
Which at my used record store are usually pretty cheap (like $1-$5) So I have been put in your odd situation but in the film aspect.

Magic Flyin’ Lemur on 02/26/2008 11:19 am

See, this is one of the few things that consoles have in their favor; you can just rent the games you want to play.

Jigby Huggletinks on 02/26/2008 11:37 am

Quite. I vowed not to begin playing Zelda: Phantom Hourglass until I was done with all 3 Phoenix Wright games. I'm almost done with PW3, and now the fourth Wright game is out, and I'm considering extending my vow further, out of fear that if get into Phantom Hourglass, I'll lose interest in Ace Attorney, and never find out what happens.

Shane-o-mac Bry (Guest) on 02/26/2008 12:11 pm

I definitely know the problem. Not only in the gaming aspect, but the film aspect as well, and so does my mom. She'll buy any computer game at the store as long as she doesn't already have it already, and now she's had to buy three shelves just to hold all the games she hasn't gotten to yet. And of course, we have a very tall shelf filled with DVDs that are still in the wrapping. The main reason I don't get to my console games is because I'm so wrapped up in stuff on the comp. I really hate this problem, but it seems to easy to get stuck in that habit. The slim bright side is, before reading this article, I didn't think there were that many people out there with the same problem. I'm sorta glad I'm not alone. In the words of Big Bubba Clinton; I feel your pain. :-P

- MB

Fat_Hippo on 02/26/2008 12:22 pm

This isn't a problem for me, as I simply don't have enough money for that, am very picky about the games I buy, and very rarely buy games on impulse. I have one game lieing around at most at one time that I'm not playing and have never played before.

Bartlebycs (Guest) on 02/26/2008 12:34 pm

Dude, I have games that I don't even know I have. Whenever I look through my cabinet for a game to play it's like an adventure, because I end up finding a title that I completely forgot about. And usually I bypass it for something else, anyway ;)

Marthaeus Autolykos on 02/26/2008 1:15 pm

I have a similar problem, but with books. You know, those things some people read instead of playing video games.

Despotofks on 02/26/2008 3:09 pm

Yes, of course Marthaeus; because reading and playing video games are mutually exclusive hobbies...

My wife and I are co-dependent about this topic. I keep her from getting too far ahead of herself buying books and movies she doesn't have time for and she keeps me from getting too far ahead in the books and video games department.

King Credo on 02/26/2008 3:54 pm

My dad bought and old used X-Box about 2 months ago (why he didn't just save for a 360 I don't know. Whenever he gets game consoles he gets used ones from the past generation.) and all his friends keep dumping old games on him. Nobody wants them so we have all these games and we've only played like 4 of them. He even gets doubles like they were baseball cards. He has 4 copies of Oddworld.

twelve on 02/26/2008 4:43 pm

Well here's the thing:,..although that bargain bin is tempting, there's a reason those games are cheap so you procrastinate on playing them until youv'e beaten all the substantially good games before even considering taking them out of the cellophane,...well since I don't have a lot of time on my hands like I used to,.All those unplayed bargain bin games sit around in their wrappers as I buy new games that are,..You guessed it substantially better games along with more bargain bin titles and the cylce continues.

Tren (Guest) on 02/26/2008 5:13 pm

Wow, I can really relate to this article... but my reason for not playing games is not because of college/work (lack of both), I'm just not interested in playing them. Yeah, it's kinda shocking, really. I'd never thought that I would someday grow weary of playing games. But then again, my atention span is somewhat iffy, so I might just return to the realm of gaming in the future :P

From the list of my unplayed/rarely played games are:
Resident Evil GC Remake (mostly because of the stupid controls and camera angles), Metroid Prime (which is fun, but I STILL don't play it...), Body Harvest (Stupid Java level...) Final Fantasy X (but I'm thinking about trying that again soon), Soul Reaver (not even opened), Tekken, Wip3out, Red Alert and Worms World Party (both PS versions, both suffers from "stupid controller disease", as they both are best played with keyboards).

Actually, I have a feeling you guys have a bigger pile than that, and I'm feeling kinda stupid for listing my gameslike this :P. And if you wonder about the overrepresentation of PS1 games in the list, it has a reason: I managed to find a place that sold PS games for 10 Norwegian Kroner a piece (10 NOK = Around 1-2 USD by today's standards). Pretty cheap :D

Autobot Ironhide on 02/26/2008 5:44 pm

yea it sucks. i havent even really begun to play TP on Wii yet because of FE10

KillerMcGee on 02/26/2008 5:56 pm

nope! I got rampart and that has fulfilled me ever since.

Pentegarn on 02/26/2008 5:56 pm

Marthaeus Autolykos on 02/26/2008 1:15 pm

"I have a similar problem, but with books. You know, those things some people read instead of playing video games."

Gamers have that problem as well you know. They have piles of instruction books to read, and if they use them, hint books, walthroughs, and game guides.

Sicarius (Guest) on 02/26/2008 6:31 pm

I don't have this problem at all, but then again, I have -severe- gamer ADD. I think I've only ever finished a handful of games. I'll start one, and begin to play it, and then see a game on sale or something like you mentioned, and I'll purchase it. I'll start to play the new game, and never pick the old one up again. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Ice5098 (Guest) on 02/26/2008 7:28 pm

I think a lot of people have this same problem. I realized it hit an all time low for me when I ended up beating manhunt 2 before I finished manhunt. O_o

a passerby… (Guest) on 02/26/2008 8:17 pm

Being strapped on cash and not time, I have the opposite problem.

"Oh look, I have plenty of time to play that game, but I have no money. FUK"

xscoot on 02/26/2008 8:21 pm

I have something slightly different. You see, I usually never get a new game until I finish the previous one. Currently the only games I ahve not completed is Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn and Guitar Hero III Wii Edition. (But I only got that one last week so it doesn't count.) I do however, have a backlog of games that I want to buy but can't find time for. I want to get Nights, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, Zack and Wiki, Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles and a bunch of DS and PS2 games, but I don't. I also have a bunch of games that I almost completed, but I still need to beat the final boss. Sadly, at this point in time I don't have the motivation to do so.

Nick on 02/26/2008 8:48 pm

I have that problem now as well. I blame last Christmas when all the good games came out at once.

The Duke on 02/26/2008 9:23 pm

As I get older, I too find myself in this situation. I guess I just don't have the time I used to have for gaming. It's somewhat saddening having to see a stack of games I'm yet to try, and even sadder to see a stack of games I have to finish... I seem to have the same thing with books, too.

Spoony (Guest) on 02/26/2008 10:00 pm

Still working on a big stack of Playstation, Playstation 2 and Saturn games here. And they just keep making more for the Wii on top of that!

Tetsu Deinonychus on 02/26/2008 10:15 pm

I have this problem with games, movies, books, and comics!

I still haven't played most of my Gamecube games because I'm still playing my Dreamcast!

I have movies I taped or bought as far back as 10 years that I've yet to watch.

I have a stack of regular books (as opposed to comics) that I haven't read (also as far back as 10 years for some).

Usually I claer my unread comics stack in a few months, though.

I wish I could say my time was taken by something important, but really I'm just a chronic procrastinator.

Dungeonbrownies on 02/26/2008 11:04 pm

its considered unlucky to lend someone something like that they havent used yet unless they dont really plan on using it.

but i know what you mean.

thats why i always finish each game before i get the next.

that and im always picky on which titles ipurchase.

im a poor poor poor student. =[

BBQGoat (Guest) on 02/27/2008 12:02 am

I have games that I purchased five years ago that are still waiting to be played. Back in the days before simultaneous full-time work and full-time school, I once managed to finish 13 60-hour + RPGs in one year. These days, I'm happy to finish one a year, if even that.

Autrach Sejanoz on 02/27/2008 12:28 am

Dr.Boogie, That's happened to me too, albeit with CDs & DVDs rather than video games.

Protoclown on 02/27/2008 12:32 am

I probably have about 30 unplayed games between the PC, DS, Wii and Gamecube. Dammit.

And my stack of unread comics/books makes that look like nothing at all.

Jetpackman89 (Guest) on 02/27/2008 12:38 am

I can say the same, I get one game I don't finish it but then im ADD with games cause i'll buy something else and never pick up the game i was playing because this one has my attention.

OxBlood on 02/27/2008 2:55 am

Hm, the only unfinished Games I own are J-RPG´s. Everything else...well how long is your average Video game nowdays...6-20 hours...thats about 2-5 days of my playtime, so it´s almost never a problem...but then again, apart from doing stuff with my friends on the weekends, theres nothing else to do, so I guess, I play a lot more than the average (working) gamer...

Kitsunexus (Guest) on 02/27/2008 3:58 am

I have a simple solution. I just buy games like SHMUPS, 2D fighters, puzzle games, tournament-style FPS, and racing, games that give instant gratification, and avoid games like RPGs that require lots of time to play. Because even if I had the time, I don't have the attention span.

The lone exception is Ape Escape 3. I could play that for hours upon HOURS.

Peter (Guest) on 02/27/2008 7:17 am

I am an RPG freak and I think the best RPGs available when I was growing up were on SNES and PS1. With ROMs and ISOs so readily available these days, I've tried a number of games and never played through the end. Obviously not the same because you had to pay for your games, but we're kind of on the same level.

TwoToneMurder (Guest) on 02/27/2008 7:35 am

I'm more fortunate than most in this instance...I only work 3 days a week.

Granted, those 3 days I work a 12 hour shift and play NO games on those days, the rest of the days are mine.

0dd1 on 02/27/2008 9:00 am

"I wish I could say my time was taken by something important, but really I’m just a chronic procrastinator."

That couldn't describe me better. Movies, books, games, chores... I even procrastinate procrastinating sometimes!

Prophet of the RNG (Guest) on 02/27/2008 9:05 am

I too suffer from this horrible crime, and it fills me with shame. Even worse, I have many games I have started but never finished--because I don't have time to play games normally, I try and cram whole games into one-week periods, causing me to OD and stop playing a particular game altogether. And I dare call myself a gamer...

Densha (Guest) on 02/27/2008 9:42 am

Pick one MMORPG, stick with it, and everything else be damned. Problem solved!

Tetsu Deinonychus on 02/27/2008 3:18 pm

"procrastinate procrastinating"? I'm do that too.

In fact, I'm doing that now, just being here.

Nice to see a kindred spirit in this regard. We should start a procrastination support group...eventually.

Wyldflame on 02/27/2008 6:16 pm

Seriously, If there are that many of us who have this problem something has to be done about it. Who do we talk to about adding an extra day to the week or something?
I've got 25 games over 4 systems collecting dust, I'm so backlogged that I haven't finished God of War II, think about that.

New day, gotta be done. Or at least sneak another 10 hours or so into the day. Lets make it happen!

–Shoal– on 02/27/2008 8:18 pm

I myself have this problem sort of.. I bought some of the old SNES Final Fantasies for the Playstation, but now I'm not sure if I want to play them or just get the GBA versions.. for some reason I enjoy playing them on handhelds much more. I also have a couple of other good games I just don't seem to want to play. Plus the things are remade so often who knows which remake is the best. >.>

I blame Super Smash Brothers Brawl. It's all I can think of right now.

incognit000 on 02/27/2008 8:19 pm

I am currently BURIED in half-finished games, because I went from being unemployed to having a ten-hour-a-day job.

Personally I love it. I've stopped buying games, and I have something to do whenever I have a free moment.

Jay-tee (Guest) on 02/27/2008 9:49 pm

I just got around to playing Deus Ex, and Baldur's Gate 2. That's how bad mine is.

Kamrom on 02/28/2008 3:44 am

I have so many games built up. So much extra money but such little extra time! Not to mention I've been sucked in by the evils of *two* MMORPGs. Ive had Windwaker, not to mentioned the newest zelda game, shadows of the collossus, two GTA games, maybe three unbeaten final fantasies...I was starting to think it was insane, but now i know I can keep this pattern up since I'm not alone!

kakumei on 02/28/2008 6:06 am

despite that fact that i am a poor student who can only afford choice video games, i too have a stack of unplayed video games-- the worst example of this is my copy of heroes 5: i preordered it and picked it up the day it came out and haven't played it once. i've watched my little brother and roommate play it, but i haven't played it myself. i sometimes wonder if i should sell them all back, but then i convince myself that i can play them on the weekend... not likely!

saturnknight on 02/28/2008 10:16 am

i've been there with the playstation, i was playing through 78 games at one time before, and i hit arut when i had a mod chip and got Dragon ball GT Final bout, before it was re-released and i was stuck leveling up my character for months on end.... then came Alundra.... more or less, i'm still tryna finish that game
god i feel like i'm never gonna finish that game now lol

JRoggs (Guest) on 02/28/2008 11:07 am

I have games that I got for my PS2 that I didn't have time to play, and now that I've upgraded to the XBox 360 and have too many games for that as well, I'll probably never get back to those PS2 games.

Joyride (Guest) on 02/28/2008 12:13 pm

See, the problem you have is that you will never, ever, ever get to those games in this lifetime.

Ever.

And as I see you have gamecube games in that picture, and I just recently bought a gamecube, and I'm married and have a little girl and not allowed to buy all the gamecube games I originally missed out on and only got the gamecube because it was a ridiculously low price, you should give them to me. I'm sure you can see my email, so email me for my address and you can send them all to me tomorrow. Don't worry about me spending time with my wife and baby. I spend plenty of time with them. They owe me.
Thank you!

BurntToShreds on 02/28/2008 5:55 pm

I got Lost Odyssey as a birthday gift on Sunday, and I bought Frontlines: Fuel of War the day after. The problem is that lost Odyssey is FOUR ENTIRE DISKS LONG. ON THE 360. And I've had Super Smash Bros. Brawl pre-ordered since October or November, and it comes out on March 9, so I have a lot of gaming to do.

Dr. Boogie on 02/28/2008 7:31 pm

In case anyone is wondering, that's not a photo of my pile of unplayed games. All mine are in big moving boxes, so I had to just grab a shot off the internet.

ColdFusion (Guest) on 02/28/2008 8:25 pm

Sales?? You see SALES? Jeez. I neva see no sales. Games is expensive...
As far as I'm concerned, I can't put off buying a game enough. They keep on goin' down in price.. and since, as you said, they take a long time, I always buy one at a time.

Sillygoth on 02/29/2008 10:41 pm

I've had to be much more selective with my games purchases, as I really used to almost compulsively buy at least one new game a week. Eventually, my wife (new at the time) began to comment on my gaming A.D.D. particularly when she'd get me a game as a present, and I'd grow tired of it in a week, usually due to frustration (Metal Gear Solid 2 or 3, I can't remember which one, was a particularly bad one) or I'd buy a new one within a week or so, and never touch her gift again aside from trading it in.

My big problem was buying into hype by the game mags. They'd say things like "Even if you don't like stealth games, you owe it to yourself to buy Metal Gear!" Well, shit...if it's good enough to be classed as a memorable gaming experience, it's worth my 50 bucks, right? They somehow manage to leave out "If you suck at stealth games, you'll never fucking finish this."

My wife harped about MGS for probably close to a year, and refused to buy me a game AT ALL for probably two years, because she was feeling her gifts were rather unappreciated. Now I'm much more selective about games, and really force myself to ignore much of the hype surrounding big titles.

I'm not a fighting game fan, unless it's Virtua Fighter, ergo I don't even give a shit about Super Smash Brothers, or any Street Fighter games. I only buy RPG's on sale, or used for 40 dollars or less.

Of course, now my wife's a gamer....and every game I've bought her, she ceases to play after a month, sometimes less,aside from Oblivion or Mass Effect.
She buys into the hype now....oh, the irony.

Okay...end of rant.

Scorpio1976 on 02/29/2008 11:31 pm

I've got roughly 170 PS2 games, and nearly half of them are still unopened. That's not to mention the PS1 games that I have that are still unopened (FF7/FF8/FF9 - hmm, those might be worth something...). Needless to say, I don't think there's enough time available for me to even try to catch up!

Geminate on 02/29/2008 11:44 pm

All I have is a drawer full of games, unplayed (maybe 40 games). I got into the habit of throwing out old games, in the trash, so I wouldn't have them taking over the house again. It looks so bad, you know, when County Mental Health pays a visit and sees such an unbelievable sight. Last time I 51/50'ied, it became an issue of obsessive compulsive behavior, oh sure, they were just jealous with my monstrous collection, but I wouldn't let them have it, no no no! I put it all in neat black Hefties and took it myself to a drop-off station. I watched as it was crushed down and smashed by heavy equipment, then went home a cried.

Dave (Guest) on 03/01/2008 7:43 am

That last post is the saddest story I've heard in a long time. I pity your situation.

You know, I've been thinking....if so many of you have this abundance of un-played games...why even keep them? Why not donate them to say, a children's hospital where sick kids who have the time to play them may enjoy them? I too, have many games, however I have rounded out my collection to keep and buy only the ones that interest me. I too have become really busy, as I work AND go to school, and also participate in extra curricular activities (in particular, fund raisers for hospices, sick children, battered women). You know, these people could really get some amusement on your behalf...why not do something good and donate your old and shitty games? It might be shit to you, but some poor child might really love it.

Might even grow up to become a gamer, and truly appreciate having access to something that would otherwise be unavailable.

As for me, I dare say I have "out-grown" games. I no longer move forward, and only play the ones I've loved since I was a kid. I'm a "retired" gamer, so that I can do other things like help other people. Don't get me wrong....a once in awhile FF marathon has its place in my heart, and always will...but it will never be the same as when I was a child and had endless hours to waste my youth away....no, I've played enough in my life. Time to help others. You can too, and it won't even dent your game collections.

Scorpio1976 on 03/01/2008 7:24 pm

I can understand your post there, Dave. Most of the unplayed games I have are ones that are either not fun to play alone (racing games, fighting games) or can be played by anyone ("The Legend of Spyro" series, "Hot Wheels" series). I'm watching my "adopted newphews" and there's been a few times I've jumped in and played with them (even cracked a few games open). So it's not that I (myself) don't have the time to play, but it's just that it's not really fun to play those games alone. Although I will say that I will have to pick up the Lego Star Wars games here now...

Wyldflame on 03/02/2008 2:09 am

I gotta say I've been inspired.

Last few days I've spent the time I normally spend watching movies or screwing around on the internet and cracked open some of these games.

I was a gamer damnit! I'm not going to let that change just because I've gotten older, at least not without a fight.

Nate (Guest) on 03/05/2008 1:49 pm

How about an unplayed console? I received a double bonus at work in January, and I figured that was the time to snatch up a new PS3, if any.

Well, after buying it and trying out a few games, I realized I still had a bunch of games on PS2 and Gamecube that I haven't finished yet.
I'm usually very guilty of half-finishing games and forgetting about them, but I don't want to keep that trend up.

So, now that I'm working on finishing up games on the PS2 and GC, the nearly brand-new PS3 has sat unplayed for maybe 2 or 3 weeks now. My live-in girlfriend has criticized me because of it, especially because we pool our money together. But hey, it is what it is. I'll get to it eventually LOL.

eric (Guest) on 03/05/2008 9:37 pm

Good lord, do I do this. I bought a three pack of video games at Costco to get War of the Monsters (was cheaper than buying it at gamestop), and those other two games are still in the packaging. I own all three GTA 3's, and I haven't beaten any of them, I own F-zero, Zelda Wind waker and twilight princess, and Ikaruga, and a whole mess more of them that I have barly touched. I beat like the first two levels of God of War and Devil May Cry 4. Basically, out of 40-50 odd games I own, I think I've beaten around 25 of them.

Aegle (Guest) on 03/24/2008 11:52 am

Oh yeah, I definetely have this problem. Particuarly because, at the local game store, they always have used games for a good price (3 for £10 or so) and I'm always buying these things up, so I have like, 10 or so games I haven't even touched, and 30 or more less than half-way finished... I'm surprised to find out I'm not the only one!

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