@@ Backlog Tips

☕ Tips on Dealing With Gaming Backlogs ☕ (self.patientgamers)
submitted 2 days ago * by nitorita

I'm not sure if this is where I should write this post, but I figure that if somebody has a backlog, chances are they have a lot of older games racked up over the years that they want to get through, so I'm sharing tips I've accumulated that could help others get through their backlog easier. I will continue to update this list on a regular basis with tips people share or whenever I think of any additional tips.

Broad Tips - Overall tips for any kind of gamer

@ Focus on the easiest/shortest games first, and focus on the games you already own. You'll get more cleared if you play five 10 hours games compared to one 50 hour game. And stop buying more games and just play what you already have! You can always buy games later on, when they're on sale
@ Play games that you have installed first, and uninstall them when you're done. You installed them for a reason. Stop trying to cherry pick and just play the first one you have installed. Then the second. Then the third. Then uninstall them to tell yourself that you are done with them and can move on
@ Have more than one game installed so that you can move on once you're done this one. Downloading games takes time too, and considering how large games are nowadays, you'll want to have them downloading so you can seamlessly move onto the next one instead of having to wait
@ Focus on games that have high ratings or is your cup of tea. Don't waste time playing games that are known to be mediocre or look boring to you. Play games that you are interested in, not games that you want to play just to say that you did
@ If a game is boring you, give up or set it aside. Don't force yourself to play a game that's really boring or tedious. You could be playing something else that's much more fun. Only keep playing if you actually enjoy playing the game
@ Multitask while you're working or chatting. You'd be surprised how playing a bit and working a bit and then repeating that cycle can keep you energetic, reduce boredom, and help you progress on both fronts
@ Play online or with friends. Playing games with others can be more enjoyable, motivating, and can help get games completed faster
@ Have 1-2 games for dedicated gaming, and another 1-2 for casual gaming. Some games take more of a time investment than others. If you know you're going to be very busy, that's clearly not the day to be playing a heavy game with 20-30 minute quests and cutscenes that can't be paused. You're better off with a casual game that lasts for 3-5 minutes a session and can be alt-tabbed out at any time and is easy to set aside
@ Stop playing competitive games and set goals for games based on replay value. Competitive gaming is a black hole that gets you nowhere on your gaming backlog. For games with replay value like strategy games, set goals such as "I want to beat the main campaign maps" or "I want to play through a few full matches" and then stop playing the game once you succeed
@ Play indie games first. Indie games tend to shorter than AAA games and sometimes even a more enjoyable experience
@ Don't play above normal difficulty. You'd be surprised how much time you save by playing games on normal. There's no shame in doing so, and picking a harder difficulty only makes games longer, more tedious, and burns you out faster
@ If you can't figure out how to beat/get past something, don't be stubborn and consult a guide. You do not want to get stuck on something for hours just to give up and read a guide and then find out that you would never have figured it out anyway if you didn't do so
@ Go with the flow and follow your heart. If you're enjoying a game, instead of pondering over whether something in the game is worth doing, it might save you more time instead to not second guess yourself and just do it and move on
@ Share your experiences and write reviews for the games you play. Sometimes sharing your impressions about a game can get you into a better gaming mood. And if you review your games somewhere, it'll help you track what you've beaten for you to occasionally look back at and praise yourself for

Efficiency Tips - How to avoid wasting time

@ If you're doing side quests as well, play the quests closest to you first. You'd be surprised how much time you can save by going to the closest quest instead of trying to plan out which ones to play or what order to play them in. Sometimes completing a quest will place you close to another one, which saves you even more travel time
@ Recognize that specific areas may be locked off for a reason. Some games only allow specific areas to be accessible once you achieve certain goals, acquire specific items, or progress far enough into the game. Don't waste time trying to force your way in
@ Explore later on in the game once you're experienced and have all of the tools at your disposal. Like the last tip, it can save a lot of time to first gain an understanding of the game's mechanics and unlock the key items that the game uses so that you can freely explore without anything hindering you from doing so
@ For adventure games, follow the storyline until you've at least unlocked fast travel or a means of transportation. Fast travel is the new norm for open world games and driving is commonplace now, so there's no point spending time walking around. You tend to unlock these early on, so wait a little and explore later
@ Stop min-maxing and trying to optimize your gear. Most games aren't super hard to the point that you'd be doomed to fail if you didn't improve your gear. Only do so if you're falling behind and the enemies are clearly overpowering you
@ For games with more than one ending, watch the other endings on YouTube instead. Instead of spending hours doing another playthrough or going through specific instructions just to unlock other endings that are probably two minute cutscenes at best, it's better to simply go onto YouTube and watch them. This applies for secret endings as well
@ Time management, in general. This isn't intended for casual gamers, but if you're looking to put in a concentrated effort to clearing your backlog, you'll want to cut out unnecessary time wasters from your lifestyle. Watching less YouTube, chatting less, even sleeping less hours, gives you more time to play

Speed Tips - If you just want to finish games fast

@ Evaluate what you want to get out of a game that has extras. Do you only want completion? Play the main quest and ignore everything else. Do you want a more meaningful experience? Do the main quest and any sides that aren't errand runs and have actual cutscenes. Once you beat a game, you're likely never going to play it again and will probably forget most of what you did besides the more memorable things
@ Don't go around liberating outposts in open world games unless you have to. Sometimes the quests you take involve liberating the outposts you're interested in anyway, so clearing them would only add extra work and travel time and potentially even warrant you having to liberate it again
@ Consult the Internet/ask friends about what is worth focusing on in the game. Others have probably played the game before and may remember what was and wasn't meaningful. If a friend knows that the side quests in a game were really boring and stupid, that's a clear sign you shouldn't waste your time with them
@ Game passes/streaming plans may help motivate you to completing games faster. Since most plans are monthly, you'll feel tempted to get through their games quickly to finish as many as possible for the best bang out of your buck - Credit: Battles_Sign
@ Stop achievement hunting. Achievements are designed to waste time and they set unrealistic goals. Just pretend they don't exist and don't let them weigh on your conscience
@ Stop collecting pointless loot/reading random lore. You will save so much time if you just stopped exploring and actually completed the objective. You'll usually make enough money or earn enough items just from playing through the game. If you really need something, fetch it later
@ Stop playing stealthy and just go Rambo in shooters. Stealth only increases the time you dedicate to the game. Plus, you might fail and be forced to try again. It's better to attempt fast Rambo runs than spend hours trying to get a perfect ghost run. Only go stealthy if you really need to
@ Use cheats or mods. If you don't mind fiddling around with the game, using cheats or mods can make the game easier and perhaps even more enjoyable to play
@ Having an SSD for games can reduce load times. You'll be surprised how much time you can save by installing games on an SSD instead of an HDD. Some games take forever to load, so the 10-30 seconds you save with each load can add up over time. This is even more significant in games that have to load every single building or area when you enter them