Wow, looks like I got a lot more feedback on that last post than I originally anticipated! Several people, either in passing or via Facebook, mentioned some of the games I took off my backlog. It’s kind of flattering, actually, that so many people took notice of the games I pulled of the list. I wasn’t aware that this blog was hovering on so many people’s radars. Either way, the support everyone gave me has made me want to reassess my decisions and have another go at a couple of the games I eliminated, though not all of them will be returning to the list.
Tim was the first to chime in after I published my previous entry when he saw that I had taken WarCraft III off the list. In fact, he came over to my room just to ask me why I felt compelled to remove it. Nothing else on the list bothered him, but WarCraft III – that was a keeper. I told him that my original motivation for taking it off was because I never originally bought or owned it. As I explained in my last post, my brother got it off his friends for DotA and I played the single-player campaign on the side for hoops and giggles. Tim then offered to let me borrow his disks just so I could play it (even though the age of digital downloads has basically rendered that need obsolete). He really wanted me to play it.
Since then I have heard four others mention my removal of WarCraft III from the backlog. I’m not sure why it was that game in particular that seemed to catch everyone’s attention. Maybe the game is just that good. I asked Andrew his opinion on the matter and was constructive in his assessment that since I actually wanted to play WarCraft III, then that game rightfully deserves to be on there with the rest of them.
Fair enough. I did admit to wanting to play it right there in my last entry, so I don’t have much of an excuse. But that leaves a lot of room for interpretation for… well, the entire rest of the backlog.
You see, I wanted to eliminate some of the games from my list to avoid what my friend described as a “Completion Mentality”. It’s the idea that you’re doing something simply to see the end of it, and it not only applies to video games but movies, TVs, books, and projects as well.
As I stated before, I realized I don’t like doing it with video games. It makes the games not only boring but also incredibly frustrating, because every setback is another obstacle blocking you from moving on to another game. I wanted to take out those games that I do not want to play so that I felt more encouraged to continue on with those that I do.
However, that makes my job tough because I want to eliminate some games from the list, but not cheat myself of a real challenge. Therefore, the rule I’ve decided to go with is to eliminate some of the games that I never bought with my own money, but merely had the chance to own by happenstance. All of the games on my list were physically in my collection at some point in time. Not all of them were there because me, however. Some of them were only borrowed, and many of them are actually my brother Chris’s games. This is something I even explicitly mention in Rule #3 of my ground rules for the backlog. I even anticipated wanting to take some of the games off at one point or another.
Therefore, I decided to keep off SOCOM: US Navy SEALS, Devil May Cry 2 & 3, and Road Rash. Forza 5 was also Tim’s, and as great as everyone said the game would be, I still can’t convince myself I want 55 hours of it. I’ve probably sunk about three hours into it so far, so I feel like I gave it a chance before passing it up.
What’s returning then? WarCraft III, obviously. Back by popular demand it seems. Even though it wasn’t my game originally, enough people have convinced me to give it a try. Also, Grand Theft Auto needs to stay and so does Serious Sam: The Second Encounter. Sadly, Final Fantasy Legends is returning, it’s weight already returning to my sagging shoulders like an albatross strung across my neck. Oh, and I think Conflict: Desert Storm will stay beaten for now. Who knows, maybe I’ll get to it after all this is done. It is actually quite a fun game.
I haven’t posted a lot of progress reports lately, but that’s only because I’ve been doing a lot more gaming than I have writing. I’ve already been through Oracle of Seasons and Duke Nukem 3D since my last post, and I’ve got Call of Duty, System Shock 2, and Scribblenauts due within the next week or so. I should have plenty to keep me busy in the next week or so presuming I manage to sit down and get typing.
Well, I just name-dropped a bunch of different people there. Hopefully everyone isn’t lost in the myriad of first names I just mentioned (I get tired of referring to everyone as my brother or my roommate). If anything, people have reminded me that anything worth doing takes time, and that if I stick to my plan I will eventually reach my goal, however slow that may be. And I can already tell I’m going to feel really good when I’ll be able to look back and see what I’ve accomplished. Thanks again all for the feedback!