Good thing your nickname is not TheClearer.

Heh, good one.

Just to continue this line of thought. If the average per game would amount to 25 hours, it would take 3,5 hours per day to finish games at that pace. Since he's already 34, and the average life expectancy in the US is 78 years, he would probably have to finish two games a week to be on the safe side so it only takes about "38 years". Sickness and other things might factor in, especially after 70.

With that in mind, for this to be doable, OP would have to play games 7 hours a day for the rest of his life without buying any additional games.

Seriously though. . .

We're talking around 4000 titles here. . .

Since the late 80s-present, I can't think of any more than, say, maybe. . . 200-250 titles that actually amounted to anything. . . 2600 VCS - PS2/Wii/PC (I never bought a PS3/PS4. . . just wasn't impressed with their library). And, I really don't consider "Apps," titles.

Historically speaking, I'd say at least 75% of all software is market-capitalisation-clone of some other game. So, I guess what I would do, is maybe fine a guide or listing of avant-garde titles and note the studio houses that made them, and that'd probably help you separate the wheat from the chaff. For example, when it comes to movies, like when I'm trying to pick out a good movie to watch. . . if I see something interesting, I'll look up the production company that made the move; if it's Focus Features, Spyglass, Lionsgate, Miramax, etc. I probably have a good feeling about he movie. . . Universal, Fox, Sony, etc., nuh-uh. . . just wait for it on Prime.

So, software-wise, titles that, IMO, had high production quality would be Lucasarts, Frontier Developments, Insomniac, Arkane, Blizzard (pre-Diablo 3)/Blizzard North/Runic Games, Core Design, Eidos, Gremlin Interactive, Interplay, Troika, Cyan, Piranha Bytes, etc. Maybe this'll help.

Re. a digital legacy for your kids, I wouldn't worry about that; they'll just dowload the software from somewhere, and play it in emulation. . . this DRM stuff will be about as effective as game-copy protection codes were in the '90s.

Think of your gaming library the same way you would think about a book library: that is as a tool to be used when you feel like it. I have about 300 books and most are non-fiction that contains knowledge about a great many subjects. You don't finish or clean out your book backlog but instead you come back to it time and time again. Some books I read and reread many many times over. Some books I only need to read a chapter or two in to get the information I need.

Games are the same. You don't need to finish every game you play and you don't need to play every game in your backlog. Assuming you don't put yourself and your family in debt over your game purchases then there really isn't a problem here.

Personally I stopped buying most games just because they are cheap or they have a good reputation. I now only buy games that I will either play right now or in the near future. Buying a game on sale that you know you will never touch is kind of a waste of money. But a backlog is not a problem unless you make it so. If you have the money to spare then buy what you want and let's be honest: most of us would just waste money on something else if we didn't spend it on games. And you could worse by spending it on drugs or booze or hookers so there is that.

Sounds like you're wasting your life and money. Put your money in an account and save up for a fun trip with the kids or something.

Eat more vegetables.

Well, you said any advice would be helpful! And that is helpful because then you might live a tad bit longer, being able to finish a few more games before you croak.

In heaven/hell, you can start collecting a whole new gaming backlog library, and there you have the whole eternity to play them. No need to fret there.

Don't clear your backlog. Treat the games like collectible items. I have a lot less games in collection than you and I'm sure I won't be able to play them all, not to mention finish them.

In Hell you will agonize for all eternity over what game to play, without ever getting to play anything. ;)

Well the steam ones will dissapear shortly after steam gets notice of your death; so at that point with neither you or the evidence around seems to me you won't need to worry about it.
That leaves only the GOG titles and if you take a simple approach of playing em for 15 minutes each and not being in the mood for them like I do then you should clear that pretty quickly.
There is an old philosophy around death; that it is not to be feared because while alive you know nothing really about death, and if you should encounter it then you will not be alive to experience knowing it.
In essence your on this comsic bus with the rest of us and the only thing that matters is the trip.
The practical heart of the matter is organise by genre, weighed by firstly popularity (especially if any community has sprung up around it) and secondly by recency.
By that method you seperate the huge wad into smaller piles remove a third of the least best, then that has at least a third of the least recent removed making that pile significantly smaller.
Then you just occasionally question what sort of mood your in and let that decide which folder and game you play.

And since hell is an Ikea store, some assembly will be required.

As the W.h.o.p.p.r. from Wargames(great movie, btw) said: "The only winning move is not to play"

========================
Not to sound mean, but these points are "bad" for a couple reasons.

1. To me it isn't wasted if the games are DRM free or can be played on standalone hardware one can maintain for future generations(kids of one's own or others) they might want to pass such down to.

2. You might, though, which is why I never toss anything that isn't actually junk/trash out in case that day does come. That and I was raised not to waste anything or throw out much of value.

You make some other good sentiments as well that I snipped(to save space), and your heart is in the right place, but those points(imo) are not and shouldn't be absolutes. :)

===================
Maybe, but this saves them the time/effort, and makes sure those kids have those games with no problems.

1st bit: Me too. I finished a few games from years back very recently due to finally setting down time to finish them and sticking to it, and I agree it is a waste of sorts to "throw such games out".

2nd bit: I also have a few old big boxes saved(just the boxes mostly, sadly) for some games, and also many old physical discs from decades of gaming and different setups/systems. Some are scratched to sh*t but I cannot part with them due to memories.

And yeah, many old physical games sold online are way overpriced(like some DS games I want, which sell for 40-50 bucks at the minimum on some sites).

(Also sent friend req if that is ok)