(The bold is mine). This and other posts go in the same direction. Yes, we have this "opportunity cost" of things that we are missing, so we have to choose. There are more games than time and there will always be. We can mix what we like with what we do not know if we will like yet (but have a hint that we might), to keep fresh. I find myself revisiting now and then a few games, mostly strategy games were starting conditions for games or campaigns always change. Yet there are great games coming quite often as well.

A difference with the days of yore: every game was to be squeezed, and steep learning curves were not a problem. Now, in the conditions mentioned above, a game with a steep learning curve must really be worth it, or else. So, either pc gaming toy makers provide games that are "easy to learn, hard to master" or they better make the game appealing, and then they better deliver on the promises they make (that the tough learning will be worth it). Then again, games that integrate the process of learning the basics successfully into the gameplay might be the best. Also, remember Dune II? The game was offering new tools all the time, and it practically ended when there were no more new units to learn (to handle or to counter). You are right, we have become collectors instead of just players of games!
Then, in the light of remakes coming more and more often, and efforts like The Making of Karateka, maybe both publishers and online stores (especially GOG) would add some value in commenting about the impact of the game at the time, the background, why it was a clone that improved on the original (or failed to do so), etc etc. A bit like the venerable Home of the Underdogs. Agreed. This seems like a constructive and healthy attitude. However, personally, I'd better be careful when considering that "I need to play the games..." Part of the pressure comes from the feeling of playing becoming a chore instead of something that we do freely, for fun.

But yes, like other posts mentioned as well, the thing is allowing games to stay there and accept that maybe we do not play all of them or maybe even give a fair chance to all of them. Or maybe we do someday. Plus, there is also other stuff to do, too! :)

KOTOR II for me... I would not start afresh, the first chapter in those empty hallways still make me shiver. There was a good game there. The problem is, there was a lot of padding too (IMHO). (The bold type is mine). Sound advice to keep in mind, thank you. I have thought of that sometime, yet some games are better when there is a challenge. On the other hand, nowadays the artificial increase of difficulty to lenghten some games goes against the grain. Some players complain about games being "too short" (it would mean that the game was good). Others thank that a game is not too long, does not overstay its welcome, tells their story, shows its tricks and gracefully ends leaving a sweet taste for the player, who maybe will get another game from the same maker.
He, that is interesting! Sometimes we remember only the fun part. Also, there are games, movies and whatnot that are better left as good memories, since they do not stand the test of time too well (others do).

The ending's the problem with KOTOR2, didn't strike me as having issues in the early parts.
Arcanum comes to mind for a particular bit of early slog, the Black Mountain Clan Mines, that really stuck to mind as really, really tedious at that point in the game.
What comes to mind is https://www.gog.com/forum/general/gentlemans_backlog_club though I'm sure I recall newer ones too, but not their exact names so not sure what to search for.

I guess I do a mix of the two above: Generally having a mix of installed games and jump from one to another. Only one game of each kind in the mix. Like, just one 4X, just one turn based RPG (or at least one in a SF setting and another in a fantasy setting, or in different styles), just one shooter, and so on. It helps to try to give a "fair chance" to games. Some games get a second chance to finish, very much as some books.

I think it started with 4xing. Especially total war for me. I know i'm not alone when i say that usually the best part of total war is the start of the game. It is very easy to reach point where you reach a sort of dead zone. Be it because of to easy settings or maybe to hard. Or maybe not that hard but, to you as a person the time investment does not fit in your personal conditions of that moment etc etc.

Atm i'm working with periods. Such as.. in the wkends Tomb Raider for example. But Tomb Raider can also change into Forspoken, or Control. But... for the most part it is Tomb Raider atm. During wkdays atm it is Wizardry or A Bards Tale IV. And also total war WH 2.... or 3 depending. In 3 i have a strategic challenge, or at least ... it does feel like one. And 2 is more of a breeze. But both are pretty interesting... So i need stay in touch with both so to speak. But some weeks anno 2205 or 1806 are better fits you know... Not to mention that game of Humankind, which is still pretty easy to pick up and leave behind..... and of course Gears 4 deserves a spot, and i'm very very commited to playing through NFSU Payback but not atm of course.. You know

What I do for many years already, Carradice, is stick to only one game at any one time and treat it as if it's the only game I own. That way I play it at my own pace and I appreciate it more. And especially in the last few months, I started to act the same if I happen to own multiple games in a series: I play them back to back. This way I follow the overall lore more easily and I find the games of this series to flow better.

I will never understand people who are playing multiple, non-sport/racing, games at the same time. E.g. a bit of Gothic in the morning, some Baldur's Gate before lunch, a quest in Cyberpunk 2077 after siesta, some Firewatch before the evening dog-walk, and a finishing touch of FEAR by night! I think this makes matters worse.

Started that this year 🤓 🥂 and revived my will to play. Smart stuff.

Hmmm not sure about you, but a list really doesn't cut it. I 'm much better off seeing a portion of gameplay to get me going, rather than just reading it.

And an image/video is worth a thousand words right?

I'm the opposite there, I want to read thorough, detailed articles. Images, sparingly, only if they really aid what's written. Videos, very rarely. If someone posts a video about something, even if I'd otherwise be interested in the issue and/or a discussion that'd be based on it, I'm very likely to completely ignore it.

I'm going to refer to how I manage my Steam library since I've only recently joined GOG and bought only two games. But going back to the question, I don't think I've ever experienced any backlog pressure from my games catalog. This is attributed to my perfectionism where I would like to have all my games capable of running smoothly (the graphics don't have to be the highest, but smooth in performance). If I noticed there are just too many fps drops (I don't really mind the ones that take place occasionally), then I'd quickly look for a solution and if none worked, then a refund. So yeah, there aren't many games in my catalog because I made it to be.

Agree, but for newer games or games you've played fairly recently, clicking the play button is the best solution :D

Own your collection, never let your collection own you.

(I say this surrounded by books... many, many, many books)

As for games, I have gone from playing a lot to playing a little... from purchasing a lot to purchasing a little... from trying almost everything to mainly (although not exclusively) settling in to a few "old friends." I'll always have a backlog, but that's ok... as long as I've enjoyed the journey... and it hasn't become a slog. That's the only crime in gaming. ;)

Like you I am surrounded by many many books, many of which, maybe half, I haven't yet read.

And so what do I mostly do nowadays .... read ebooks. Have many thousands of them too. LOL

Still ... I love looking at my damn fine collection of physical books in several bookcases, in various rooms and hallways ... occasionally I even read one. ;

Thanks for the suggestion, CarChris. I will consider it seriously.
Sounds familiar, playing a little... Also yes, the moment playing a game feels like a chore, it is the time to stop.
Indeed XD

Then we have the situation when one is enjoying a game fair enough, then another shiny thing appears, be it a launch or within a sale... I do know now that the right thing is sticking to the game that is nice enough, but then one can accumulate games still unplayed... So in the end the problem is too many games again...

So it is possible to decide: No matter if there is a sale, I can get it anyway if I really want it later... (possibly in another sale)... But then there are game makers that are worth supporting, because we know that they make the kind of games that we want to keep coming... But maybe adding it to the wishlist helps them a little... I do not know if store owners enjoy that people talk about getting less games, but surely they do not want players getting burnout and abandoning games altogether.