Backlogging + 4 in February

 

One of the best things about console gaming is the shelf in the room with all the games you own. It houses so many memorable experiences of stories you played, rare items that can feel like they are one in a million, or pride in owning a complete collection of a certain console or franchise. Physical media in entertainment will always be one of the most satisfying parts of our hobby just because of the tangible nature of what collections bring to us. But what if there was a bad side to wanting to own every game ever?

Welcome to the world of the gaming backlog, the evergrowing mountain where games you bought sit to collect as much dust as humanly possible. Sales and discounts, such as Black Friday deals, make it worse. Multiplayer games that are infinite in replay value compound that severity. Who wants to play some Deathloop right now when I can play 60 rounds of Fortnite or COD Warzone, right? Theres the backlog curse striking. Oh Cyberpunk 2077 is on sale for 30 bucks right now? Cool let me grab that now, but time to collect those skins in Halo Infinite Multiplayer! Buying games just to put them down is a curse for those in our hobby and while visually impressive, you lose so much from the experience of what this medium should provide to people.

My house about to look like a Gamestop shelf, but less messy.

This is why events like the Four in February Challenge exist, to help a gamer like me focus and experience games that I completely missed out on or re-experience in some cases. For those new to this, the Four in February began in 2013 through the classic gaming blog Joystiq, now Engadget, which encouraged gamers to take down their backlog one title at a time. In this case, 4 at a time. Pick any 4 games you own, and just beat them all within the month of February. It is my favorite time of the year because it helps me to focus my gaming time to specific titles. Last year was the first year in the history of the challenge where I was able to beat all 4 in one shot and this year I look forward to doing it again. 

For all my fellow gamers out there, take pride in your gaming collection, but stop and smell the roses amongst your collection. Appreciate some of the stories that you have available to play at any time. Strive to play more games from your backlog, which I hope to do myself outside of just February. Take pride in your collection of games on that shelf, unless the gaming overlords turn it all to dust and take is to a digital age, then who knows what to do.