Infinite Backlog gives you one place for your entire gaming collection and encourages you to play your games and get your backlogs under control. It provides a visual breakdown of your cross-platform collection, tracks gaming achievements and statistics and lets you connect with other gamers with the same games.
They are also in fediverse: @infinitebacklog@mstdn.games
Interesting concept. Could be a useful service to people, could also just a means to analyse player habits for marketing and game design purposes.
Is anyone using this, and has it had any positive impact for you?
I can’t speak to this backlogging website specifically, it’s one among a fair number of somewhat similar offerings, but I’ve been using Backloggd for a couple years now.
What these apps/sites ultimately help with is getting your gaming library in check, if you also end up buying far too many games every time there’s a sale or if you want to keep track of your physical collection (although there are better sites for that).
Depending on the site’s focus, you might also get average completion times per game or user reviews.
I’ve actually found myself more interested in the “social” aspect of backloggd, eg user reviews (and making my own), ratings, user-made lists, because they’ve helped me discover games I wouldn’t have otherwise given a chance to or even heard about.
I have only 200something titles across my GOG and Steam libraries and I have played all of them and finished 90% at least.
I may be from another generation (I am in my 40s), but I don’t get the point of spending money on a title I don’t know if I will have ever time or interest to play.
Also, this feeds stale mechanics, since most titles are bought in bulk during sales that are usually centered around game categories.
I built a small python app to use howlongtobeat, steam data and isthereanydeal to select the best next title for me to play in terms of price per hour and (steamdb-style) rating.
I may be from another generation (I am in my 40s), but I don’t get the point of spending money on a title I don’t know if I will have ever time or interest to play.
The price isn’t static. If one buys during a sale then it’s available whenever one feels like playing. Much like stocking up on shirts during a sale at a clothes shop - clothing options are then available at home. Of course buying games one isn’t interested in would be strange behaviour but I don’t think anyone else is suggesting that’s normal behaviour.
Also, this feeds stale mechanics, since most titles are bought in bulk during sales that are usually centered around game categories.
Aren’t most sales seasonal?
On Steam there are category sales much more often (right now TPS Fest).
I buy at historical lows via Isthereanydeal any time of the year anyway.
And just like weight and fashion changes for shirts, I may change my schedule and interests not to fit games I bought years ago.
I know they exist (the sales by topics) but my emphasis was on “most”.
And just like weight and fashion changes for shirts, I may change my schedule and interests not to fit games I bought years ago.
Where one draws the line on min/maxing is deeply personal. I’m happy to take a risk that my tastes will remain close enough to justify the purchase, evidently you feel otherwise. Neither of us are wrong (other than you, obviously - we’re arguing on the internet so I need to be needlessly confrontational, it’s the law or some old charter or something).
I was mostly replying because I don’t think your way is wrong but I don’t think mine is either. I have at least a thousand games in my collection. Unless something really enticing is released that calls to me (rare) then I always have fresh experiences waiting in my library. It’s probably cost a few thousand pounds over nearly twenty years and I feel that’s a reasonable trade-off to have that facility.
It’s not the result of frivolous spending or poor impulse control. It’s a deliberate choice to min/max in a different direction. I too use IsThereAnyDeal and slowly hoover up titles that I’ve got my eye on. I rarely immediately play things I pick up!
I definitely am a victim of over purchasing during deep sales and building an insurmountable backlog, but there is also something kind of nice about having a library waiting to browse after each game just waiting to install.
Regardless though, what I really wanted to say was: I’m seconding interest in your Python app, that sounds very useful actually!
To me, it is. Just shy to share something definitely only half-done, when it is my first ever programming project.
I built a small python app
Cool! Wanna share?
I am trying to give it a publicly acceptable form in Streamlit before sharing it. Bare with me, it is my first ever programming endeavour and I remained without a mentor half-way into it.
It’s a shame we can’t follow individuals around here, so please @ me whenever you do decide it’s ready to publish. I don’t want to miss it.
Seems cool, but isn’t this a bit similar to backloggd?
get your backlogs under control
Why would I want to deplete my entertainment options?
That’s like attempting to watch everything on a streaming service. The goal would be to run out of novel entertainment, which seems antithetical to the point of the product.
