That´s exactly how I feel. I have a big "library" in my home with books, CDs, movies and so on. Beside that I´m not a programmer, but a hobby writer. So yeah, days are much to short :)
Usually I play four to five games in turns. Sometimes over months. For example at the moment I play Shovel Knight, Starbound, Dragon´s Dogma, Enter the Gungeon and some others.

A 16 year old sapling here, I have started my backlog too, I have games that I plan to play (mainly console games) but never got around... All of them I have played at least once (not complete, but start the game).

I think getting a collection of stuff you like over the years is a inevitable process which occurs naturally to humans :)

I agree with that, but beware of the dangers! Being off your guard one falling bookshelf can crush you :)

Well, it is good to know I am not alone in my somewhat addiction/craziness.

That really is an interesting article I linked to in my first post, if you haven't checked it out.
https://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/01/were-buying-more-pc-games-than-we-can-play/

I don't necessarily agree with all the conclusions or seeming suggestions.

For starters, it makes it sound like we should be purchasing our game at full prices, so that we bother to play them, and not be in the position where we don't care that we put some aside for another day, because they cost diddly squat.

That might be great for peace of mind for the developers etc of a game, who feel their work is truly being checked out and appreciated, but I see it as a definite loss overall. Buyers would buy far less, be far more cautious about what they do purchase, and the gaming world would become far less interesting and robust ... indeed quite unhealthy. We have enough clones of games as it is.

Not much, if anything was said about new AAA games being sold cheap.

My belief, is that sales would and do go through the roof, when great games (or those eagerly anticipated) are sold very cheap on release.

Here's the thing. Selling a new game at current high prices, and yes, if it is eagerly anticipated or had a significantly good review by early testers, it can sell well and many do, you are setting yourself up for a fall, despite the big numbers of those with more money than sense. And a seller is also insulting those same fools on another level, for they subsidize the low cost that the rest of us eventually buy them at.

In other words, those who are the biggest fans, pay more ... and in my view, get taken for a ride, considering the instant support they give the sellers and developers.

Over time, that can be resented, and in fact, if a game doesn't live up to the hype, a backlash can occur, especially early in the sales cycle.

Now if they were sold cheap in the first place at a far more reasonable price, then far more are going to be sold, well before too many complaints or grumbles come to light. Many of those of course, by average standards are a pile of garbage by some know nothing critic or someone who just expects too much.

Many games often go on too classic status, even though they were heavily criticized early on. There are many such sleepers in the gaming world.

So for me, it is far more important to have sale numbers high, even if many just sit on a shelf somewhere and go unplayed. The odds are, that they will eventually get played one day, and further purchases result, with belated accolades to all involved.

One only has to look at the success of GOG, to realize most games are never really dead and buried and just keep on giving and living on and on.

P.S. And honestly, by the time many games come down to a fair price, there are far many at that price range vying for your money. And the eagerness that was once there for a particular game, has become dulled over time ... especially if the game was obtained by other less legal means, and there are other now that one is far more interested in, and only so much money and time to spare.

P.S.S. It is my view, that despite how the industry has been working, developers and financial support especially, need to take a longer time view of things ... and GOG is perhaps spearheading that notion.

GOG library:

83 games (as they show in library, unbundled where the case is).
11 completed.
4 started and abandoned, I'd say for good (3 freebies, 1 from a bundle).
2 currently playing.
3 installed and started (only one with a lot of advancement, another barely started, third at a dead end, both will be restarted if I'll get there).
4 started at some point but not reinstalled (2 with significant advancement, 1 just barely started but should continue from there someday, fourth may be abandoned).
22 in backlog, interested but not touched.
23 uncertain, as in untouched and may not touch them (20 were freebies, 3 from a bundle purchase, 1 of which I had started and abandoned years ago).
14 (all freebies) untouched and not interested.

However, GOG library of purchased games:

23 games.
3 completed.
1 started and abandoned, I'd say for good.
1 installed and started (at a dead end, will be restarted if I'll get there).
1 started at some point but not reinstalled (with significant advancement).
14 in backlog, interested but not touched.
3 uncertain, as in untouched and may not touch them (1 of which I had started and abandoned years ago).

From other digital stores:

2 games (freebies).
1 completed.
1 in backlog, interested but not touched.

Physical (not counting the 2 I also have on GOG since they were counted there):

7 games.
3 completed.
2 started at some point but not reinstalled (1 with significant advancement, 1 with little advancement but should continue from there).
2 in backlog, interested but not started (not saying not touched because I poked around 1 of them years ago, but got myself in dead ends and didn't keep saves).

Not sure how many more than that, that I have actually completed. My guess is only a few more ... maybe double or so.

There are many I never did complete, but still intend to. Quake 2 for sure, Hexen(s), Heretic(s), Tomb Raider(s) and a whole host of others. Life and responsibilities often just got in the way, especially when children come along in my life ... that and ill health, and necessary other interests.

A good number I got quite a way in, before they got put aside for pressing reasons.

Of course, my love affair with Quake 1 and mission packs and hundreds of extra levels etc, meant less time to devote to other games. I was also besotted with the Redneck Rampage series of games.

I was always big on secrets too, so would painstakingly search for all of them, before moving on.

P.S. Who knows how many more games I may have played or completed, if I didn't keep finding more Quake mission packs, conversions, levels, etc. Same for Blood too and Doom and Duke 3D.

Yes, I've played (or even installed) maybe 5% of the games I own, and probably finished 1% of them. Just guessing there, but I presume it can't be much higher than that. This includes also old boxed games I've bought years or even decade(s) ago.

To me it is quite understandable especially nowadays, as games can be bought dirt cheap, and it is much easier and faster to buy games than to play or even finish them. I don't fret about it too much either, I consider them as my personal library of games from which I can pick something interesting to play. Like yesterday, I suddenly decided to install Heroes of Might and Magic (the first one) and started playing it. I've never even installed any of the HOMM games before.

Another thing is that unfortunately Team Fortress games (online multiplayer games) have eaten quite a lot of my gaming time over the years, slowing down the rate of trying out new single-player games.

That is also why I prefer DRM-free, so that at least the closure of a service won't stop me from playing my games (something else might like technical reasons, but that is one extra thing to worry about).

To be honest, and this might shock some, I have never played a multiplayer game online.

For sure, I may have played a couple of Flash Games, but I don't really count them, and the sessions were less than the fingers on one hand.

I have never even played LAN wise either, except the N64 variant and a little Wii.

That might seem strange for someone who indeed played heaps of N64 multiplayer games, and who played a fair bit with Bots in Quake levels.

The most relevant reason I guess, is the web connection I was un-blessed with until recent years. And since then, until just recently, I have not been a gamer again. Even now I am still only just leaving the womb of abstinence.

Several factors drove me away from being a gamer, though I have had a keen interest in my kids gaming exploits and the amazing progression of high quality and realistic graphics. In a sense, I still played games, but through them ... certainly once the N64 went by the wayside ... though it often got pulled out of retirement once or twice a year when a specific friend & family visited from interstate ... just to play Goldeneye, Mario Kart and Diddy Kong Racing.

One of the factors, was the level of DRM was just getting way too absurd, and I seriously rebelled against Steam when I finally realized what it was and what it meant to gamer freedom ... despite some of the benefits. Steam is really akin, to someone else taking over your (gaming) life, and while they may appear benevolent, you are totally dependent on them. I have always wanted more control of my life not less.

178 / 288 played games
67 / 288 won games

The main culprit are bundles. Game anthologies on GoG (like M&M) and Humble Bundle where I don't want all the games, but some seems interesting enough, so I don't gift them to random strangers on the internet. They are sitting there, sad, lonely games, waiting when I will care for them.

In a sense, they are a bit like Dragon Egg's waiting to hatch ... perhaps awaiting some key attention or ingredient. :)

I have some unplayed games, but most of them are games from my childhood that I bought to have the chance to play them again in the future. The only games I haven't truly played (yet) are the freebies.

I guess I am not an impulse buyer.

My played raito is 108/538 for GOG games. Although I have not downloaded the GOG versions for most of those 108 games.

I have a few that I have not even had a quick look at yet, the Orange Box game collection from Valve being one (with the Half-Life games in it... Yup). It is collecting dust on my shelf uninstalled.

Got too many unplayed games. It is shameful, really. Those damn sales, you know.