Chronic gamers could use the Backloggery

Hey guys, it’s been quite some time since I posted. Other than that FFIV Complete post (which I’d written ahead of time), it’s been months. If you listened to our last few podcasts, you’ll know why. My excuse for not posting are twofold. First, there was the death of my old computer. Then, there was the purchase of my new computer.

Indeed, I have not been mourning the loss of irreplaceable media for this entire period. Far more time was spent configuring my new rig, including (finally) getting on Steam and purchasing loads of good, cheap games. Props, of course, to the Humble Indie Bundles (which I’ll be writing more about in future articles).

One serendipitous event that took place a mere two weeks before my old computer’s hard drive gave out: I transferred my neurotic little spreadsheet of RPGs I’ve beaten, ranked from favorite to least favorite, onto a website called The Backloggery. I only did it because a friend of mine wanted me to join, and I thought I’d give it a shot.

There was a learning curve involved with the advanced options (ownership status? What’s the difference between “Complete” and “Mastered”? etc). But the fact is, I quickly came to love the tool. Of course, my list wasn’t so much a backlog as it was a list of games I’d actually completed. I didn’t own too many untouched games.

But! Now I do, thanks to the new PC and Steam. Tracking my own progress on these games has been a strange organizational joy, and I suspect it’s one many a gamer would love. The numbers suggest the site is already quite popular (well over 50,000 accounts registered in the last four years). I’m doing my part by telling the four of you reading this article that you should sign up as well. If you’re the kind of person who buys more games than he beats (see: Pete), or the kind of person who loves to catch up on the classics and knows which ones he wants to visit (see: me), The Backloggery will help you tremendously.

Side note: when Pete and I launched Gameosaurus in 2009, we had an alternate name picked for the site: “Sad Stack.” It was in reference to all the games, movies, books, and music we want to dive into but don’t have time. We are avid, unapologetic consumers. Now we can keep track of our consumption rate, and that much more, with The Backloggery. Get on it. Oh, and feel free to be my friend! Link to my Backloggery here.