My 2022 Videogame Backlog

This year, one of my passive resolutions is to really make a dent in my gaming backlog…and it’s May already, so this might not land!

My backlog exists simply because I am notorious at buying games and not actually playing them. Playing videogames as an adult is having more money than spare time; the complete reverse problem of having more time than spare money as a youngster. And on that note, embarassingly, I still have purchases from 2008, the Playstation 2 era, yet to play.

I’ve been using Letterboxd for a few years now to track all the films i’ve watched (2021 wrap up here), and a poorly updated Goodreads account for similar logging with books. Now i’m giving GG a shot for games.

Last year I only completed five games in total, so i’m looking to make a lot more progress this time around. I made a list for tracking everything i’ve completed as I go, as well as a list of everything i’ve played. Some games are only multiplayer, service-based, or there just for dipping in and out of, so this list will catch the rest of the games that aren’t necessarily completeable. My “completed this year” list is here.

This year already, Sonic Mania and Streets of Rage 2 are obvious redos, but Horizon: Zero Dawn and it’s DLC are first plays. I’ve had both of the latter since launch, five years ago. I greatly enjoyed both, giving them a proper chance outside of release hype, rushed launches, and the competition of other games, but it frustrates me too that I basically left something awesome like that on the shelf for as long as I did. It was really fun hunting and shooting arrows at Robot Dinosaurs in a lush techpocalype vastness, probably to the surprise of no-one at all. I planned to write a bigger post about Horizon earlier this year, but hopefully this is something I can actually do with the other titles when I start digging into the backlog.

There’s already a few things that i’ve really got circled on that backlog. Pikmin 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, Persona 4…lots…more. Catching up on everything I already own but missed, and just playing more outright, that’s the objective. Hopefully by the end of the year i’ll have some good news to report!

Spending the morning hunting robo dinosaurs in Horizon- what a final shot! #HorizonZeroDawn #PS5Share, #PS5 pic.twitter.com/DENz7Q1sVw

— richardam (@richardam) January 3, 2022

New Year Goals

Happy New Year! Last year I set myself some resolutions for the year ahead and while I met some of them, rando factors such as leg injury and GLOBAL PANDEMIC meant there were plenty of travel and running based ones I couldn’t actually achieve. I still managed to propose to a long-waiting Ailish though, so some very big life goals ticked there instead!

Resolutions are funny ones- I realise today is just like any other…Friday, but goals, aspirations, bettering and challenging yourself as a person should never be something seen as cynical or negative. The world and society can change on complete whims however, so while I’m loosely aiming to do some of the things below I’m mindful as well of their viability. Writing them down keeps me accountable I guess, but also, maybe, inspires others?

• After reading 25 books last year, this year I want to read even more. It might not sound like much but last year I ream more than any other year in my life, and I really want to continue that. I’ve got a big pile of things I’m starting on shortly, if you want to follow my process give me a follow on Goodreads.

• Something I’m also looking forward to starting is Creative Writing! Last year over lockdown I took some online courses, did a few writing prompts and read On Writing by Stephen King. Full of ideas and shit, I’m hoping to start writing something properly in the first half of the year.

• This year I want to finish my Lego Castle WIP and I’m not planning on posting or talking about it anymore until it’s finished. This one’s definitely getting done! If the virus and the world behaves I’m hoping to display the Castle in public and attend a few Lego shows too, but this is very subject to change.

• Equally ambitious is travelling more. I really want to visit different places again and see new sights, and if travel abroad isn’t viable I’d still like to explore Scotland a bit more and have some staycations instead.

• If I’m able to I’d like to get running again. A leg injury (diagnosis leading towards a trapped nerve at the moment) means I wasn’t really active at all in 2020. If possible I want to get moving again, but completely at my own pace and distance, so no races or PB targets at all. Just gentle running for fun.

• Last year I watched 141 films, and 82 films I’d never seen before- a lot of films! A lot of Michael Caine, Christopher Nolan, and Daniel Craig, and blockbuster tentpole franchises. I want to watch more this year again, but this time I want to diversify a bit with different directors, actors, and voices, and probably more low-key stuff.

And just generally look after myself physically and mentally a lot better, through exercise, better eating, and less doomscrolling! 2020 was a bit of a disaster on this front, but I’m hoping to take steps to get back to where I should be, and that should make all of the above a lot easier. Lets see how well that goes…

2020 Reading Goals

Back in January I made a lot of New Year Resolutions and things I wanted to do this year, but with 2020 being the absolute worst, few of these have have actually been acheievable or even realised. Things like travel plans and running have been big no-gos as global pandemic and backache continue on, but one resolution this year was to read more and it is actually on track!

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I set myself the goal of reading 25 books before the year was out, and while initially that doesn’t sound like much, it’s five times more than what I would normally get through in the same period. I never read as much as I’d like to (lets blame nights out, doom scrolling and social media) and while lockdown and distancing have been absolutely terrible it’s been quasi-good at partially eliminating some of those distractions. With eight weeks now left this year I’ve now got only five books left (see above) to hit my target- they’re an odd mix of books started last month, earlier this year, and even from a few years ago during house and job changes. What I want to do is get everything finally wrapped up ahead of next year. I am notorious for starting things and never finishing them, having backlogs, and slow progress on media across the board so I’m looking forward to completing this self-challenge and more excitingly, looking forward to doing even better next year.

A list of everything I’ve read so far this year is over on my Goodreads page. Once the year is over I’m planning on doing a post here summarising them all with my thoughts and faves, potentially another looking for 2021 recommendations too (if I actually get my backlog cleared)!