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Are huge game backlogs a form of Hoarding?

The size of the collection or backlog isn't really an issue here, IMO. I've got a pretty sizable game collection spread out over 10 or so systems, and also with quite a large backlog to boot. Some of it is on display, and some of it are stored safely away. I don't feel it's hoarding since I manage to hold down a decent job, have a healthy social life and (now) begin considering starting a family of my own.

If the collecting becomes detrimental to your personal health and social life, THEN is when it crosses the line, IMO.

For example, spending literally all of your money on games I think is unhealthy. Budgeting properly so you still have enough in the wallet to carry on functioning normally (eat properly, have some semblence of a social life, take care of the kids, etc.) and still getting the games you want is not.
 
What I'm reading and understanding about hoarding it is like an irrational behaviour that hoarder is ashamed for

Collector in the other hand, is a rational activity, mostly around a theme (retro games, Saturn games, etc) and causes proud.

It's very clear to me
(that Saturn's collectors are not hoarders)
 
I would think it would have to be different. Yes, i read the OP and the disassociation from demonstrating an actual hoarding compulsion but then at the same time that's kind of repurposing the word for no reason.

The creation of a backlog isn't keeping old games around in case you ever need them/want to play them again. Of course most of us do that with some games as well, but then most people do that on general and it isn't the same as hoarding.

A backlog is created from buying new things rather than not throwing away old things and i think that's an important difference. At best it's too much money not enough time. At worst, it's compulsive spending. Wouldn't call it hoarding until you have rooms full of it. Digital is forced hoarding but minus the health risks so I'm not sure it matters.
 
It can be, kind of, but I like to think I'm not there yet.

The main reason my Steam backlog is so huge is because of those damn sales and indie bundles, and I know full well I won't get to them all in my lifetime.

It's just like having a big library of books.
 
I see there being a difference between collecting and hording, I have about 2000 or so physical games, and 1500 on Steam. I'm in a postition where its not effecting my life in a negative way, and its all organised on a shelf
 
Whenever I ask myself what the definition of words are, I always look it up.

to accumulate for preservation, future use, etc., in a hidden or carefully guarded place:
Click to expand...

Considering you're not hiding or guarding the games, I'd say you're not hoarding. I guess I can kind of relate to wanting to play a lot of games I probably will never get around to. But hundreds of games seems excessive. Even like 50-100 seems like a lot for me. As I say this I'm looking at my Steam wishlist at 25 games and probably about a dozen or so games I've started and never finished.
 
Sunnington said:
Whenever I ask myself what the definition of words are, I always look it up.
Click to expand...
That's cute and all but the definition you posted has nothing to do with the real disorder that exists in real life and the majority of English speakers refer to by the word "hoarding" so best case scenario your dictionary is out of date. You should look into that next time.
 
IronicSonic said:
What I'm reading and understanding about hoarding it is like an irrational behaviour that hoarder is ashamed for

Collector in the other hand, is a rational activity, mostly around a theme (retro games, Saturn games, etc) and causes proud.

It's very clear to me
(that Saturn's collectors are not hoarders)
Click to expand...

Those aren't necessarily the case. A lot of hoarders aren't even aware that something is wrong with them, much less ashamed of the problem. There are also cases were the hoarding is themed and there is pride involved, such as one woman on Hoarders that had an enormous amount of books, so many that she could barely get around the house.

Usually it does seem to be random crap, though.
 
This is why digital sucks. The games hold zero value and don't exist in any tangible form, making you less inclined to care enough to actually play them. Obviously resale isn't an option either. You think you're saving money but it's really just going down the drain.
 
I guess my grandfather hoarded stamps, my brother hoards comic books, and Jay Leno hoards cars.

It's a fucking stupid comparison that downplays a real psychological issue.
 
MrCookiepants said:
This is why digital sucks. The games hold zero value and don't exist in any tangible form, making you less inclined to care enough to actually play them. Obviously resale isn't an option either. You think you're saving money but it's really just going down the drain.
Click to expand...

Thats why I buy digital only when massively discounted, I mean I dont think Ive ever paid more than $10 for a digital title. At that level its pretty much dispensible cash along the lines of a $5 cup of starbucks.
 
I think i've become a hoarder. More so for PS3 games because i'm worried that I won't be able to play them in the future if I don't buy physical copies asap.
 
By the pathological definition of the term no because it has to affect your ability to function in normal life but there are still unhealthy degrees of collecting or accumulating things where you might lose sight of the reason you were maintaining the hobby in the first place. The collecting for some people might be a manifestation of keeping up with the social aspect of the hobby where we talk about games. We humans crave connections which can lead to a state of affairs where we talk about games on the internet more than we actually play them (for some it might be more difficult because there is a hole there in their life). I've made an effort to reduce the amount of meta activities I engage in (not only in games)
 
I think hoarding has to affect your life and/or the lives of those around you in a negative way.

If you have a huge game collection spilling out onto your floor or if you are spending all your money on games and cannot afford to live your life or provide for your family then it is hoarding.

If you have a 500+ backlog and continue to buy games, then you might have a problem, but you are not a hoarder.
 
Thinking about it for half a second, I can see how it can be similar but obviously without the health issues.

Leads me to think I need to sell some of these GameCube and OG Xbox games I'll never play again.
 
soxinthebox said:
Leads me to think I need to sell some of these GameCube and OG Xbox games I'll never play again.
Click to expand...



I used to be a game collector before it was trendy. I was collecting CIB SNES games in the late 1990s (when you could still find them new at Best Buy!) and using Ebay to buy games before it was popular. My goal was to have every game I couldnt afford when I was a kid and to play them whenever I wanted.

I eventually grew older, got a real job, and became too busy to play games. I moved a lot so my collection got boxed up and put in the garage at my parents' house. Last year I went through and sold about half of it, made 1500 bucks. And it felt good to look through it one more time, remember that time in my life but eventually part with it. When I have more time I will sell the rest.

Now I have come back to playing games but I dont feel obsessed about collecting them like I once did.
 
I've been dealing with the issue of having a huge backlog for the last 6 months or so. I've finally come to the realization that I have no desire to play most of them and really no reason to keep them just to look at. So outside of a small handful of games I am going through the painstaking process of selling nearly 750 others. It feels good.
 
pmg7uf2.jpg
 
I don't think it is. It's just a manifestation of modern society - most of us rush to buy things under a SALE banner, even though we don't need/want them, just because they are so cheap and we feel we might be missing something out if we won't buy.
 
Last gen I had a large collection of physical games that I hadnt played but was "totally going to."

One day I just decided to sell them and take life one game at a time.

I find I enjoy games more now. Like when I was younger.
 
jurec84 said:
I don't think it is. It's just a manifestation of modern society - most of us rush to buy things under a SALE banner, even though we don't need/want them, just because they are so cheap and we feel we might be missing something out if we won't buy.
Click to expand...

I think a lot of us are also in our 20s where we remember having loads of time to play games (in school or living at home). That said, I don't mind not finishing games and prefer to sample them all rather than play one all the way through. I'd love to have the time to finish them all but modern society being what it is 80% of my time is spent making money so I'm trying to focus on being more efficient with the time I waste when I'm not working.
 
flatearthpandas said:
That's cute and all but the definition you posted has nothing to do with the real disorder that exists in real life and the majority of English speakers refer to by the word "hoarding" so best case scenario your dictionary is out of date. You should look into that next time.
Click to expand...

Not trying to be cute. I'm being literal. I like the fact words have distinct and standardized definitions. It's a large reason why humans were able to become so civilized. I checked a few more sources. The definition is largely the same. Although some sources say hiding the act isn't necessary, but typical. Does the OED says something different? I don't have a subscription, so I could be wrong. The OED is basically the authority on the English language. In any event, I highly doubt the OP is concerned that he has a mental condition. In fact, his edit kind of spells that out.
 
Sunnington said:
Not trying to be cute. I'm being literal. I like the fact words have distinct and standardized definitions. It's a large reason why humans were able to become so civilized. I checked a few more sources. The definition is largely the same. Although some sources say hiding the act isn't necessary, but typical. Does the OED says something different? I don't have a subscription, so I could be wrong. The OED is basically the authority on the English language. In any event, I highly doubt the OP is concerned that he has a mental condition. In fact, his edit kind of spells that out.
Click to expand...

I think he's not referring to the English definition of the word - he's referring to a disorder as defined by professionals e.g. in the DSM. The common usage of the term as defined by a dictionary is irrelevant to that purpose.
 
Sunnington said:
Not trying to be cute. I'm being literal. I like the fact words have distinct and standardized definitions. It's a large reason why humans were able to become so civilized. I checked a few more sources. The definition is largely the same. Although some sources say hiding the act isn't necessary, but typical. Does the OED says something different? I don't have a subscription, so I could be wrong. The OED is basically the authority on the English language. In any event, I highly doubt the OP is concerned that he has a mental condition. In fact, his edit kind of spells that out.
Click to expand...
Like I said, not interested in fighting, but I'll say that useful dictionaries are descriptive and not prescriptive. You know what the OP is taking about. I know social workers that work with hoarders. Shame is not a necessary part of the disorder.
 
I was going to say no, but especially moving recently, packing all the games I had I didn't ever play or never played anymore...well. I keep thinking I'm going to want to play these in the future, but even Bayonetta or Mass Effect 2 or AC Brotherhood, probably 3 of my top 5 last gen, I don't see me playing again. So now I'm just hoarding. Just for me though.
 
Chinbo37 said:
I used to be a game collector before it was trendy. I was collecting CIB SNES games in the late 1990s (when you could still find them new at Best Buy!) and using Ebay to buy games before it was popular. My goal was to have every game I couldnt afford when I was a kid and to play them whenever I wanted.

I eventually grew older, got a real job, and became too busy to play games. I moved a lot so my collection got boxed up and put in the garage at my parents' house. Last year I went through and sold about half of it, made 1500 bucks. And it felt good to look through it one more time, remember that time in my life but eventually part with it. When I have more time I will sell the rest.

Now I have come back to playing games but I dont feel obsessed about collecting them like I once did.
Click to expand...
Yeah that generation (GCN/Xbox) aligned with my first job so I bought too many and didn't play enough. No attachment to most of them and have just been taking up shelf space. There's probably 40-50 games between the two consoles.

The n64 games I had before that are far fewer and more sentimental so I don't have issues holding on them.
 
Shai-Tan said:
I think he's not referring to the English definition of the word - he's referring to a disorder as defined by professionals e.g. in the DSM. The common usage of the term as defined by a dictionary is irrelevant to that purpose.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Hoarding as a disorder has little to do with the dictionary definition of the word.

Definition
By Mayo Clinic Staff
Hoarding disorder is a persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions because of a perceived need to save them. A person with hoarding disorder experiences distress at the thought of getting rid of the items. Excessive accumulation of items, regardless of actual value, occurs.

Hoarding often creates such cramped living conditions that homes may be filled to capacity, with only narrow pathways winding through stacks of clutter. Some people also collect animals, keeping dozens or hundreds of pets in unsanitary conditions because they can't care for them properly.

Hoarding ranges from mild to severe. In some cases, hoarding may not have much impact on your life, while in other cases it seriously affects your functioning on a daily basis.

People with hoarding disorder often don't see it as a problem, making treatment challenging. But intensive treatment can help people with hoarding disorder understand their compulsions and live safer, more enjoyable lives.
Click to expand...

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hoarding-disorder/basics/definition/con-20031337
 
flatearthpandas said:
Like I said, not interested in fighting, but I'll say that useful dictionaries are descriptive and not prescriptive. You know what the OP is taking about. I know social workers that work with hoarders. Shame is not a necessary part of the disorder.
Click to expand...

Steven Pinker has poked holes in what he calls a pseudo controversy about prescriptivist and descriptivist (edit: ref). I think what is really relevant here is taking conventional usage as authoritative when there is a linguistic division of labour that is dependent on experts for some of the relevant senses of those words. Conventional usage may drift but to some extent it's fixed by what experts think.
 
My friends got into PC gaming before I did, so watching the steam sale ravage their wallets for so many games that they'd later complain about backlogs was something I viewed initially as an outsider.

I try to buy/play one game at a time, my recent emulator endeavors have left me with a huge backlog of old games I still need to play, so I'm usually trying to focus on one recent release at a time so I can still make progress with my retro stuff.

At the moment, I'm playing Majora's Mask, Earthbound, Donkey Kong 64, Mario Galaxy 2, and more recent stuff like smash and Mario kart.

Gotta get through all those by whenever halo 5 comes out, since I know I'll be wanting to also buy other Xbox one games!
 
Yep... guilty as charged.

Like probably a lot of people on here, I grew up with a much more limited amount of games on my NES, SNES, Genesis, etc. As a kid, outside of Christmas and holidays, it's hard to convince parents to drop say... $110+ on a single game ($70 RPG from early 90s accounting for inflation). Luckily nearly every weekend I got to rent a game, or once I got a paper route I was able to afford at least 1 game a month.

So fast forward 20+ years, I have disposable income, games are cheaper than ever (accounting for inflation), there are many free quality titles, many near free in cheap bundles, Steam and PSN sales can offer games under $10... how can I say no? The real irony though is I have much less time to play these games, and I'm convinced my 9 year old self would shake his head at how soft I have become with my reflexes and patience these days.

For what it's worth, I've sold off nearly all physical titles I've owned, including retro systems. Nowhere near what would be classified as a "hoarder", people with real serious problems, but it was getting messy enough that enough was enough. I'm a digital hoarder if anything now.
 
i always think about how i am old and i will have infinite fun with all my old games bought for dirt cheap. those games will cost a fortune in the future. looking at nintendos e-shop-prices makes my mind boggle.

snes prices are already insane (iam already not able to afford earthbound anymore :( )

so no, its not hoarding, its "preserving" or "saving it for the future".
 
Camwi said:
Those aren't necessarily the case. A lot of hoarders aren't even aware that something is wrong with them, much less ashamed of the problem. There are also cases were the hoarding is themed and there is pride involved, such as one woman on Hoarders that had an enormous amount of books, so many that she could barely get around the house.

Usually it does seem to be random crap, though.
Click to expand...

I'm talking in general here. I understand there could be special cases. It's seems to me that irrational/rational behaviour could discriminate well between hoarders and collectionists
 
My collection is organized, and relatively small, but I personally keep buying games I want to play at some point... I just haven't had the time because of other not-gaming projects. If I was still compelled to buy games I might think I was heading that way, but I'm buying one game every two months, if that, simply because my backlog is huge. Even then, I'm only picking up stuff that I will actively play (like I plan to do with Rock Band 4) or that is going to be hard to find later.

Leafhopper said:
Some people have bought games, like a friend of mine, still in the shrink wrap and never play them and probably never will and yet it's in their "backlog".
Click to expand...

Is your friend me? ;)

One of my friends hates it when I offer to loan him a game and I bring it in still in the shrink wrap haha.
 
I've wondered about this myself. I have 422 physical games and 448 digital games (yes I keep track). Probably well over 80% of them have never been completed, and I would say that about 20-30% of them have never even been played.

With the exception of a few Collector's Edition games, I never buy a game with the intention of never actually playing it, but it has happened many times. My house isn't overflowing with games or anything. I have plenty of shelf space for everything. But I keep buying games even though, right now, I have more than enough to keep me busy until the day I die.
 
themagicalkitsune said:
Just because the collection isn't scattered all over the room doesn't mean it's not hoarding.
Click to expand...

This is the thing.

'Hoarding' is an emotional and mental thing. It's not just 'having lots of stuff in an untidy way'.

I can have 150 games in my backlog and not be hoarding.

Then my friend can have 150 games in his backlog and be hoarding.

It's not about quantity or structure. It's about your emotional/irrational attachment to products/objects. I definitely know one guy who is irratially protective about his games, even ones he hates, and he would never delete one/throw one away. That sounds like hoarding to me. His backlog is crazy and he'd never do anything about it.
 
I can't say no to a really good deal. I wouldn't call it hoarding since I actually want to play these games - at some point with the little time I have to spare. However, I'm getting better with deciding if I'm realistically going to play vs I will play eventually; I manage to cut down my spending on the Golden Week Sale from $60 to $25.
 
It's a backlog as long as you have the intention to play said games.

Hording is like collecting, but without rational purpose.
 
Words have meaning. Look up what hoarding actually is, or just read all the good information that's already been posted in this thread. Having a large unplayed video game collection might indeed be wasteful or silly but it's not the same as hoarding.
 
In my experience, people switch to the word hoarding when they are trying to shame someone who has more stuff than them or disagree with their reason for collecting it. Either that, or they use it as a derogatory term to describe the condition the collection is being kept in.

For me, the term has more to do with intent. Having a compulsion to purchase certain items regardless of intended use , is a completely different state of mind than the calculated purchases of a knowledgeable collector.

Ever since they decided to highlight people with serious problems on that TV show, the term 'hoarding' seems to be laced with disgust... just the like the word 'gamer' was always used with negative undertones for a long time. A people who uses it to describe other people who collect things that they personally think are stupid, are just ass-hats.
 
I get games just for the general experience of playing it. I don't fully beat that many games. I don't think of it as a backlog though because usually if I don't beat a game I probably got bored of it in which case playing through it just to finish it can be kind of torturous.
 
Picking up titles when deals are good, backlogging because of time and collecting to me isn't hoarding. Holding onto to a game with the thought that maybe it will be played again sometime - knowing it will never get played fits more so to the hoarding behavior.
 
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