I, like so many of you, have way too many video games to play. I’m sure your video game backlogs weigh heavily on you, just as they do on me. It’s kind of a trip, isn’t it? Think back to when you were a kid, and you played the ever-loving hell out of your one new game because you probably wouldn’t get another for a while. Fast forward to adulthood, and here we are, drowning in them.
I have games I’ve purchased but never launched. I have a to-do list of Xbox Game Pass titles I want to check out. I have a hoard of freebies from the Epic Games Store that I grab out of habit at this point. My backlog goes for miles. But I’ve started making some headway thanks to a website called HowLongToBeat.
HowLongToBeat is more than playthrough times
You may already be familiar with HowLongToBeat at this point. It’s become the go-to website for figuring out how long a game takes from beginning to end — from start to final credits. All of its times come from community members and are then averaged out. In my experience, it’s pretty darn accurate.
HowLongToBeat is actually capable of doing quite a bit more, though. For instance, it’s insanely helpful for helping you organize the games you’re currently playing, the games you still have in your backlog, and the games you’ve completed. And it’s that last part that’s really helped me tackle said backlog. Being able to see your list of video game accomplishments — everything you’ve beaten and moved on from — is downright inspiring.
I made it my goal this year to try and average one game completed for week this year. Of course, real life came along and intervened. I moved. I also started this website. Those were both pretty big time sucks in March, April, and most of May.
Even still, I feel like I can potentially get back on track by going at some of the shorter games in my backlog. And HowLongToBeat, unsurprisingly, makes it very easy to see what those are.
Now’s the time to attack your video game backlogs
The coming months are looking pretty dry in terms of new releases. I don’t even have one I’m particularly looking forward to between now and the fall until The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD arrives. (If 12 Minutes drops in that time, I will also make room for that. Really looking forward to that.)
With that in mind, now is the perfect time to try and trim down your backlog. I think HowLongToBeat is a killer tool to help you get the job done. Just try not to add more games to it while you’re knocking the rest out.
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