Ha with my 184 games (library count) on GOG and my physical copies I must have about 800 games, maybe more.
In my case buying games (especially on GOG) becomes the more compulsory the less time I have to actually play. Like when I'm pulling 12h shifts at the office and only come home to kiss my wife goodnight and the weekends are reserved for family activities. In those times I will often spontaniously buy something that sound remotely interesting and maybe on discount. I guess it's kind of a compensation - if I can't do anything else with games, I just buy them.
On the other hand, when I do have time and can dig into some massive and long RPG at least several times a week for one or two hours straight, I don't feel the desire to buy anything new that much.

My focus is more on not buying than it is on backlog-clearing. I'll buy a game because it looks interesting or I like the premise, but if I already have something similar in my library that I can play for free, I should probably go with that option.

Also I seem to not buy that many short games. FTL is "short" in that you can play it in short sessions, but I've still spent many hours on it ...

This is a just a ruse to get us to buy even more games from GOG, isn't it... well, it works.

The only problem I see in buying games and not playing them is the lack of money. It's not like the digital games will expire.

It can be more than this. First of all, it's wasting time on the sales. You can become obsessed with getting deals, and spend time that could be put to better use on getting these deals, or at least checking them out.

Then there's the issue of just having too many games. It can have several psychological effects, from making it harder to choose what to play to cheapening the experience. When you have a lot of games it's easy to judge them more, to think they're not worth the money even though it's not a lot of money. It's also easy to put them aside at the slightest difficulty and move to another game, that kind of thing.

Of course not everyone will be affected by this, but it's certainly a possibility that some people will enjoy games less when they have more of them, and that they'll play them less because they care more about buying and spend more time on that.

Hmmm.... *looks at checking account*...

Looks like I haven't made a gaming-related purchase since December 29 of last year. That's a start, I guess :-P

Nice. I haven't made one since the 5th of the month. I'm very proud of myself.

Yes, I believe your capability to acquire game is inversely proportional with your ability to play games.

Logically the more time you put into work, the more you earn and less time you can play. With a fatter wallet and a bigger yearning for something to escape work related stuff...... that makes a deadly combination.

Ha, I did not make a purchase yet today. I am proud of myself.

I managed to this already last year. Seeing how I didn't get any games anymore and continued buying them, I just stopped. The only exceptions were some GAs and the Secret Santa.

I really have to finish some games till I buy more. I'm still not even half through the Witcher, started PoP: WW, started Fahrenheit and am still at the beginning of Magrunner (I don't think I'm good enough to ever progress with Tyrian...maybe I need to get a controller or something x'D).

So the only games I'm buying are for GAs (usually after having won some myself in a GA...which I enter rarely nowadays) and if there are some games I'd want to play immediately or it's urgent (like some über Kickstarter or whatever).

You can do it guys :D

And I just saw I am close to the 200-games mark...only 11 to go. Let's see how long it takes =))

This is well put. I actually feel this can be extrapolated into other areas of modern life as well, in which many people possess much more and have so many more choices than they can realistically consume -- be it games, movies, music, websites, food, fashion, hobbies, vocations, relationships... it can make it hard to focus and I think it is easy to get lost in a sea of endless choices mired in self-doubt and melancholic stupor. First-world problems, yes, but something that may be a burgeoning issue as more and more of the world's population settles into comfort and abundance.

In this era of opulence, some things that have helped me to maintain focus is to define clear goals, live with purpose, and instill self-limitations. An example of this specifically applied towards gaming:

* Clear goals = make my own game one day
* Live with purpose = keep a journal with game design notes and thoughts while playing
* Instill self-limitations = keep within strict monthly budget set aside for gaming

There's research showing that people are less happy with what they buy when there's a great selection because whatever they buy they know there's always something better in at least some respects. In gaming the problem doesn't seem to be with what you buy, because games are just so cheap these days, but with what you play. No matter what you choose play, it's always possible that another game you own would have given you more pleasure. I believe that if you want to achieve that goal you should actively work towards it, and I hope that you're doing more than just keeping design notes. There's no replacement for actual development work when it comes to learning to create a game and working towards one.

I'm in the same boat as you are, although my addiction primarily for sales.

Ill just say ive broken the four digit number quite some time ago. Nvm some buys for kiddy comp etc.

Well, luckily huge amount of those are from various bundles and steep gog & steam deals, so its not really -that- expensive hobby as it might first look like.

I mean, i have understood long time ago that these days buying games is closer to collecting post stamps than actually something you play so intensively like i did in my childhood. Different times i suppose.

Anyhow, it -is- smart to learn some self restraint with buying, well anything. Games or otherwise.

*raises hand* Not that I object, but isn't running a group like this in the GOG forums a bit like running an AA meeting in the back of a liquor store? :p