How to Manage / Keep Your Backlog Under Control - Retro Bird 

Games Being Played in This Video: Dynamite Headdy, Donkey Kong Country, ToeJam & Earl, A Link to the Past, Super Mario 64

I stopped calling it a backlog since it sounds so negative. A backlog is an obligation, a Game Library is something to be explored and enjoyed.

So glad I found this gent’s channel.

The facial expressions have me dead 😂💀

My midlog is almost exclusively RPGs I've put one hour into until i see a new shiny RPG to try

"Ok I should stop collecting so I can clear most of the backlog, I'll start with Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, then Resident Evil Code Veronica, then maybe Little Nemo..." Goes out, buys 15 games, 2 consoles, a CRT, an arcade cabinet, a cat, and a brand new leather couch. "Ok I should stop collecting so I can clear most of the backlog, I'll start with Neo Turf Masters, then Little Samson, then maybe Nintendo World Championships..."

Recently I started working on the "midlog" getting the shorter ones off so I can focus on the longer ones

I did the math to see how long it would take me to finish my backlog of games (counting any game I haven't beaten as in my backlog) I currently own. It was a rough estimate and I didn't want to invest more than 15 hours a week playing games (I have to do adult things) and allowing myself 10 video game purchases a year. Anyway, I estimated it would take somewhere between 6 and 9 years. At this point I just try to play through games I haven't yet and try not to think about it.

After I beat a game I check the backlog and go to "How long to Beat" and decide if I want to put in 5, 10, 20, 40, 100 hours. Once my decision is made, I play that game to completion.

I found the biggest factor in controlling a backlog is being honest with yourself about the current game you're playing. If you're not enjoying it, forcing yourself to play it to completion isn't doing you any favors. Since gaming is meant to be a fun pastime or relaxation, the game being played should make you feel good about the time you're spending. I realized that making myself play a game I wasn't enjoying was just taking time away from a game I may actually like even more. For example, I started playing the Fairune Collection, but I found that I was spending half of my time either bored or frustrated. I ended up shelving the game so I could move on to something else. That something else was The Gardens Between, which I fell in love with from start to finish. So that allowed me to remove two games from my backlog. Fairune because I knew I wouldn't really get much enjoyment out of it, and The Gardens Between because I was enthralled I couldn't put it down. My new approach has definitely helped me to move through more of my collection.

I like having a big backlog, it gives me something to look forward to.

That outro is amazing, I want to hear a full album of that.

I’ve beat The Legend of Zelda “A Link to the Past” over a dozen times and it never gets old.

Backlog after watching this video: ‘I don’t feel so good’. Midlog: ‘Hello there’

My backlog is almost eternal as I am not finding time to actually play through the list. I am saving it for my retirement or something. It will be nice to have 500+ games to go through when that day comes.

I learned to relax and not worry about what I haven't played and just enjoy what I'm playing atm life is short we can never play EVERYTHING just enjoy what you can when you can however you can.

Playing guitar is another hobby I have besides playing video games. If I'm feeling a bit burned out on games or it's feeling like a chore, I just play guitar. It's a good stress reliever too

Retrobird's brand of relatable humor is the perfect "pick-me-up" after an awful day.

Everytime I look at my backlog, it flexes and it frightens me. I run away and hide under my piano.

I'm not a retro gamer by any stretch but my trick to games is to only have one game on my backlog at any time. I always know what I'm going to play next without the stress of feeling over burdened. I use the same approach for books. The feat feels less Herculean and more enjoyable.

I see you love Diddy Kong Racing's soundtrack as much as I do

I recently took a very honest look at my collection and got rid of everything I owned. I separated the games i loved owning and games I actually played. Once I purged my collection fit in a single box. I love games but nobody seemed to care when I showed them so now my collection is impressive to the only person that actually cares. Me

I love how you have the exact same order of 4 shirts for each thumbnail. Thats dedication!

Up until a few years ago I never really had an issue with my backlog. Then I started collecting more and buying new games for my older systems as well as modern games and things have gotten a bit out of control. What I’ve been doing to manage the backlog is by not playing 2 long games back to back. I’ll use shorter games in between like pallet cleansers, which helps to make the list shorter quicker. Another reason why my backlog picked up is being afraid prices will skyrocket in the future if I don’t get the game now. I’ve come to terms that there will always be a game that I’ll want but I should play what I have first and if the price goes up I’ll deal with it then. If the price goes too crazy there are always other means to play it. Great job on the video with awesome suggestions. Also, I still love that term “midlog”

In the past I used to be really burdened and plagued by my backlog. But nowadays ive changed how I see my backlog and it has been a big relief. My backlog now just means "some games here and there im interested in" and thats it. Whether i get to them or not isnt that big of a deal.

My backlog caused me some anxiety back when I was dealing with other personal issues. I trimmed the fat mostly by ignoring all but my favorite consoles and trimming the games I simply didn't enjoy as much as the rest off of that list.

119 thumbs up and 0 thumbs down says a lot about the retro bird, it means he’s the freaking man that’s what it means. Oh yea and he loves bananas, do something about it bucko.

This summer I'm gonna try to beat one game on each of my systems. I already beat Super Metroid the other day. Next I'll take on Ducktales on NES and then Eternal Darkness on GameCube. I have amased a large amount of games over the years. Its time to actually play and not just buy.

I gave up the whole backlog thing. I just look through my collection when I feel the need to play something. Sometimes it's a particular type of game, other times it might be a particular system I want to play.

I've consigned myself to the fact that I will never play all the games I own to completion. That's why I prefer arcade style games where you can play for a few minutes, drop it, and then come back again later without much hassle. Portable systems in particular are my favorites because I can bring them with me wherever I go. Gaming on the toilet is probably my most effective use of time. =)

I can consider mine just a testlog (patent pending). All of my games have been played except my most recent pick ups. I'm trying to go through my Wii games that I picked up over the last month right now. Next will be my PS2 and PS3. If I ever started a backlog I would never finish it. Everytime I want to enjoy a new game I always revert back to games already beaten. And I do feel the need to lighten my collection. It's grown steadily from a modest 20 games to a hefty 1560+ over 6 years.

I saw a post on r/patientgamers talking about how you can play about an hour of a game from your backlog and the decide if you wanna keep playing or not, guilt-free. It’s been a lot less intimidating than feeling like I need to tackle 100+ hours of a game. :)

In a weird way as i child i always wanted a big collection kind of like my own blockbuster. Now as an adult i have over 500 games and feel overwhelmed at times knowing how much ive spent knowing some games will just never be played in that collection.

Your channel is amazing. I love how you take care of the shirt colors, so many details. Great content all the time!

My backlog really only consists of NFL 2K1. (Not that I really even like sports games, I just have very few games in general) My midlog on the other hand... - Rayman 2 - Fallout 1 - Doom 3 - Doom 64 - Halo Wars - Assassins Creed: Odyssey - Crash Bandicoot (1,2, and 3) - Spyro the Dragon (just 2 and 3) - Punch-Out!! NES - Punch-Out!! Wii - Sonic and Knuckles

The midlog is where I have issues. I love gaming, but I don't necessarily always care about finishing games. I don't really have a backlog or a midlog written down on paper or digitally either. It's just all in my head. Maybe I should write one up and get to work reducing it! One tip I can give folks with a huge backlog is to try to play everything you buy for an hour (Or at least a few minutes!) before putting it up, that way, you've got the smallest backlog possible. :)

The struggle is real. My backlog is brutal. Part of the problem is I want to 100% and beat most games. Now I also have an addiction of buying more.

40 seconds in and i already see this is an underrated channel

Excellent video! I needed this...

Both my back and midlog is filled to the brim. Time to panic and play some games. 😂 I have to say bird you're on the dot with these discussions and the faces.

A big issue for me is the overwhelming choice, and what happens is I often stick with games I am familiar with and I know that I will enjoy. So now I've started a project to capture some play time for all the games in my collection, just to have some stock video available. Funny thing is I keep running into games I actually enjoy and having some video of it makes it easier to choose playing them.

i dont have a backlog, instead i do things a little different. i typically play different types of games.. like for example, ill have a game im working on like chronotrigger or something, some huge game im playing that takes time, but on the side multiplayer games for friends like mariokart 64, and other games like that. also i like to have one unbeatable game (mine is ninja gaiden 2) to keep going back to, and 2 or 3 wildcards.. things that you just start up and play like mario bros or r-type, wildguns.. i never liked the idea of a backlog because i think it would be hard to really get into a really good game with other games hanging over your head.. i agree with you retrobird in that having a backlog could add a sense of stress and urgency when people should just be able to just chill out and play something they like whatever it is.. perhaps its a symptom of modern life? that everything has to be ordered and structured (put on a to-do list).. but i think with a hobby like ours, that sort of thing defeats the purpose, we just want to have some fun lol

I like the game status categories for Member Profiles used on Mobygames: "Favorites" (= "Never Finished") "Currently Paying" (= "Midlog") "Up Next" (= "Backlog")

This kinda makes me happy that I don’t really have that many games, so I’ve never actually had a backlog.

Thanks for the tips! Love your videos too!

Here’s my 2 cents on this. I like to put a small gold star sticker on my physical game on my shelves after I beat them. That way, at a glance you will know what you’ve completed.

I’ve got a backlog.... a backlog of retro bird videos to watch!!! I just love this channel. For me it’s the best and I love the style. Just fantastic. I love the analogies and the funny faces. Pure genius 👍👍

Awesome videos like always.

About 8 years ago I had some extra time while I was between jobs and decided to re-play Final Fantasy VIII. Then I played IX, then VII after that. Without realizing it, I had started a journey to play pretty much all of them. Some I had played and never beaten, some I'd played numerous times since their release, and some I had never played at all. Cut to today and the only ones I haven't beat yet, as far as the numbered titles and not all the countless spinoffs, are FFIV: The After Years, FFXI, FFXII: Revenant Wings, and FFXIV. lol! Those weren't the only ones I played in that time as I made sure to sprinkle in other RPGs in my collection that I hadn't beaten yet and also newer games but my point is with a little bit of willpower, those backlogs can be taken care of (I type as I look at my collection and think about all the games I still need to play....) 🤣

Needed to hear this, it's rough being an adult gamer and it's definitely not the easiest thing when it comes to managing time for your hobbies

The mid log is interesting.. I have a issue with starting a game getting so far into the story and dropping it.. those would all be midlog. Hard to track that. I guess I could take one of each style of game. like I have ff9 destiny 2 and fallout 4 off the top of my head.. one turn based long story RPG, one fast action packed shooter and one slower shooter that still has a big story. My relationship with my backlog? Well it's a interesting one. I always intend to play any game I pick up for the list and go by the master list of games I really want where I have one left. I adore gaming so much and pretty much do spend every free moment but my issue ends up being I have too big a taste and a eye for deals. Easy to play it off as "I'll play it later" but I know I'm mainly bs'ing myself. I have a Gameboy DS that may as well be covered in a pile of dust and I honestly can't tell you what games I have on there. I know that's a issue but it's not like I'm going to throw away the system or sell. I always go "I may want to play X game and I need Y console" It's a pretty crazy set up the more I consider it and I'm inspired now to go through my collection and make these lists. I may just have to admit I have a gaming version of hoarding..

Great vid and definitely a topic that crosses my mind a bit. My backlog is comically big, ranging from classic 16-bit goodness to some modern stuff. Other than the downsizing the collection part, the tips are solid 😅. The only tip I would add in attacking a backlog is going for the low hanging fruit. Knocking out shorter/quicker games can put a nice dent in a backlog.

As a kid, backlogs weren't even a thing as I only had about a dozen or so games. 😅 However, now I manage my ever-growing collection by making a small list for each console of 5-10 "must-play" games. I rank which games I am most excited to play and start with the top-ranked first. I then focus on only playing one or two games at a time. I find more enjoyment on not spreading myself too thin with playing too many games (especially longer single-player games). Also, sometimes it is a good idea to take a small break from playing video games. Enjoy other aspects of your life and then return to your games with a fresh mind. Gaming should never feel like a chore.

my favorite retro gamer on youtube

Not being able to play my games after death? Ha! 😂 Challenge accepted!!!

My problem is not wanting to start single-player games if I don't have 4+ hours to play them. ALonisgde school during the school year, I just play multiplayer games. Once summer hits, I'm so used to multiplayer games that I usually stick with them for most of the summer too! Its all mindset for me

I don't beat most games I buy. I feel I get my $$$'s worth if I put in a few hours and enjoy the art and gameplay. I bought Resistance 3 at launch(2011). I loved the mutliplayer in 3D but it was shut down years ago. Every couple of years I play the campaign for an hour lol. Well last week was that time of year, I fired up my 3D projector and hooked up the PS3. Game didn't work, so I bought another copy online, waited a few days and finally started playing... And I beat one mission and the game was over!! I beat it, there's hope for my backlog, I just need a decade to beat a game sometimes.

As soon as I watched you chug that glass I subscribed

Thanks RB, this was actually helpful. Your positive attitude is infectious 😀

I'm now allowing myself to buy 1 game per month, which has been enough time to complete a game before moving on. So far I'm on game #4 - Contra 3. Never beat it and never owned it, can't wait.

I have Rondo of blood, sonic 3, Mario sunshine, street fighter collection, plus others but yet I’m still thinking of getting the neo geo mini.

I have three tiers: 1- games I’m playing now (2-3 usually) 2- next five 3- a list of games I haven’t played I found that the second tier really helps. Just having a next up gives me focus and enjoyment. I choose that. And it can be adjusted!

I consider all the games in my collection that I haven’t played yet to be part of my “backlog.” But I don’t treat my backlog like it’s a beast that needs to be conquered. I determine what I want to play next based on how high on the priority list the game is, which I usually have 3-5 in mind that I get excited to play next. I’m comfortable with the fact ill never finish every game in my collection, but I do love having options and knowing there’s always something waiting for me. And I do feel a sense of accomplishment when I finish a game. Not that I’m excited I don’t have to play it anymore, but that I had my fun with it and I know there’s other fun games I get to make time for now

Great video thanks for the tips

This is like a collecting addict’s therapy channel. LOL! I don’t have an insanely massive collection, but I do have more games than I have time to play. That doesn’t bother me, though. I’m an adult with a career and I can afford my hobby at the level I’m keeping it at. Still, I have a game or two that I plan to sell within the next month.

Need motivation to stop/pause buying games, have a kid, it worked for me😂.

Fantastic video as always man! Since I have two jobs and two kids there's only so much time to play video games. My personal strategy is to only put games on my backlog that I really really want to play! And I think one great way to knock off a backlog quickly is to tackle the shorter Games first. My problem is that while my backlog is only 30 to 40 games deep at least half of them are very long games like breath of the wild LOL

Best outro song on any gamer channel!

I like having games I haven’t played yet. I don’t see it as something that produces stress, I see them as opportunities for future enjoyment. If I’m really excited about a game, I tend to save it until I have friends to enjoy them with as that makes the experience greater.

What I would really recommend is, focus your game consumption. Like don't start several games, finish one and then go to the next one. This really helped me enjoy games even more because I don't have to remember what happened and how to play it, staying invested into story and characters. Especially with longer games like Zelda, Control or huge RPGs.

This might be my favourite backlog video. Some unique tips, compared to the others.

I try not to stress about my backlog which is not insubstantial. Generally I approach games in waves by type that I'm in the mood for (i.e first person shooters, Nintendo style platformers, RPGs, etc.) and this lasts for a few months at least so there's usually 3-5 games similar to the one I'm currently playing that I look forward to. If I don't get to them and my mood changes I don't really stress over it. I like the idea of consolidating the backlog, and crossing games off. I'll try that.

I cut out paper rectangles and slip them into the spines of my game cases. Anytime I beat a game I get the satisfaction of pulling out that bit of paper and Anytime I want to start something new I just look for ones with it. I got about a 50% completion, 10% midlog and 40% backlog rate at the moment.

After discovering this channel and watching a couple of the videos and enjoyed them. Then I subscribed.

I don't have a backlog because I never play a game to finish it. Just to see how far I can get. This is much easier for me, because I mainly play NES games.

Having a bunch of games isn’t bad. It’s the feeling that you’ll never get to beat them all or even most of them. It’s gets existential, how many doors will I be able to open before my time is up. 😂 how many things will I be able to see when your life is consumed by work, life, school, etc

My backlog is the biggest it's ever been, but all things considered, it's quite small and I don't ever plan on seeing it grow any more than it has. I have 90ish percent of the games I want and I don't anticipate collecting much more, even new releases. I've set my boundaries and I'm going to complete my collection. After that, I'll re-live the greats.

Love the channel and really enjoyed your take on this topic. My issue is I love playing "never ending" games like strategy games and rogue lites but I also really love RPGs so I'm always torn between doing a run/match in one of my endless games or starting a new rpg which is usually a huge time commitment.

I wrote a list down and I’m sticking to it, I never have to stare at my games for 30 mins again just to play sonic the hedgehog. I’m currently playing chrono trigger and right after on the list is bugs bunny lost in time.

I have a massive backlog and I have a whole notebook of all the games I wanna play someday including ones I don't own. It's way more convenient to go through that way because then I can keep all the different series together instead of having them in a random order. I'm only 25 so hopefully I have at least 50 more years to get through it, that might be enough :p

I often say "it is easier to buy all the games than it is to play all the games."

1. If paralyzed by a giant backlog, make a shortlist. About 5-10 that interest you the most. Don't add to your shortlist until you check something off first. 2. Games don't have to be beaten to be moved off a backlog. Play a game for 1-2hrs and just not clicking with you personally? Check it off. Played it plenty but didn't beat yet your satisfied and ready to move on? Check it off.

Love your channel man! I wouldn't say I have a backlog really, but more like a desire to play as many retro games as I can. My eternal midlog is Earthbound, it's soooo good I just can't ever finish it for some reason

I like your midlog idea. I have several games I’m at various points at. As adults it’s hard gaining ground while also not ignoring life responsibilities. Also there are some games that I need to be in the right frame of mind in order to play or enjoy. Plus now I’ve screwed myself by getting back into GameCube collecting and getting games I’ve always wanted to play or that I rented back in the day. So combining those with my current gen games and I’ll be busy for awhile. But I enjoy it

Your channel ended up on my feed a couple weeks ago and I am so happy that it did your videos are really entertaining and thoughtful keep up the good work sir Any tips if you're mid log keeps growing? I have played through so many games to 95% completion and then I just lose interest I don't know what the deal is but it happens a lot, I have been sitting at the entrance of hyrule castle in twilight princess for almost 2 years now I really enjoyed it but for whatever reason I just didn't care. And that's just an example there are far more

My backlog is curently 10 games 😅 I usually beat my backlog games in the summer vacation. I'm aiming to beat at least 5 games this summer.

Watching playthroughs on youtube is another option for whittling down your backlog! Especially if the game is heavy on narrative but you don't find it very interesting to play (a number of RPGs come to mind). But the best way to deal with it to is to meditate on the transience of being and just be like whatever dood. :)

I don't need to control my backlog. My backlog controls me.

Great subject video, from my personal experience I will sometimes buy a series of games one after another and think "yeah I can play this and that right after this one and yadda yadda" but the truth of the matter is (at least for me) it's all about mood, do you actually WANT to play a game once you're getting around to it? If not, and you have all of these games you've accumulated, it's okay to look at them and maybe sell some off especially if you get anxious about having them and don't see yourself genuinely playing through them. Of course, you can also be a collector who likes having a bunch of games you might not get to ever, that's your shtick and it works for you. Welp, that's my 2 cents, really like this video!

Hey Retro Bird, how about the opposite of a backlog. A BEATEN log. One thing that helped me get over some of the backlog stress was to start a log of games that I had beaten. How Long To Beat lets you create a profile where you can track games that you have already beaten. When I started mine, I started completely fresh without adding games I beat prior to making my account. They add a time stamp when I add a game that I beat so I can go back and see what games I've beaten in a given year. They also have some other cool stats that you can look at as you build your beaten game log!

Every game I have is on my midlog because I can enjoy any game I finished. :D

What I do now is keep a "beat log". Every time I beat a game I take a picture, or a video, of the ending cutscene and post it on redit. I can go back through my posts and see what I beat and it makes me feel good-instead of anxious.If you have a physical backlog I would recommend deleting it or burning it.There are plenty of games you can think of, off the top top your head. You don't need a chore list. I deleted mine.

Ive started a new way of playing my backlog. The first Day of every month i write down the consoles I have on little notes and draw one at random. The console that gets drawn is the only console im playing that month. So in april Ive played only 3DS and in may only NES. Now in June its time for Ps2 so just started God of war the other day🙂 ive found this is a great way for me to get focus. It has worked brilliantly so far 👍

*Things I Didn't Expect to Confront By Watching This Video:* - My mortality - How many bananas is too many bananas In all seriousness, I have two other phrases for "backlog" that I like to use: First, "my collection" -- since it's almost entirely stuff I haven't played yet. Second, "potential new favorite games." Zero guilt. I'll get there when I get there.

Sometimes I buy a game I already have, it would be nice to be able to track what you already have and need.

I am starting to get caught up in my backlog of games ranging from 10-20 years old lol. How I am getting caught up is not buying many new games anymore unless it’s one I know I will enjoy. Too many recent games are just too repetitive like being the same as the game prior to it or just too similar to another game.

I hear you on the concept of consolidation, I just can't get myself to do it. I have many regrets from selling games when I was younger.

I really had never even thought about selling a few games here and there. The mere thought of the thought seemed blasphemous. Lol. But you’re totally right! Worst case scenario we could buy them back, especially if we don’t actually let go of the truly rare/expensive ones. Great video man! PS…my switch backlog is gruesome. Literally over 100 games. I’ve decided to stop counting and also to try to stay away from the Great Deals section of the eshop

Interesting topic. It doesn’t bother me if I don’t finish a game - as a child of the 80s I didn’t know what completing was until I was 13 with a SNES. Everything before that kicked my ass. That said, Sekiro has been on my mid log for 2 years and it bugs me that it’s the only Soulsborne I haven’t completed. Now 2 bosses from the end... this year I swear I’ll finish it 🙏

You’ve the greatest facial expressions on You Tube. I have to play Final Fantasy 2&3 on the SNES before I expire.