I figure the only way I’ll ever really make a dent in my overflowing collection of games is to buckle down and force myself to play things, so that’s going to be the ongoing theme of 2013. “2013: Year of the Backlog” has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Of course, you don’t have to literally join me, you could do so in spirit or just follow along as I chronicle my journey and laugh as I try to cram a 20+ hour game into the last weekend of every month (I’m going to pray, for my sanity, that it doesn’t come to this). But, if you’re a fellow game hoarder and have a looming backlog you’d like to conquer, by all means, make it your goal to play at least one of them! The more the merrier! It is a club, after all. (Speaking of which, my friend and fellow blogger The Gay Gamer unwittingly pledged his membership with his recent “Bye-bye backlog” post, so we’re already at a whopping two members) 

There will be just a few (loose) rules: 

1) Each month you must start a new game

2) The game must be one you already own

3) Play as much of the game as you want during the month, but try to push yourself to beat it! 

4) Share your attempts to clear your backlog with others! This can be on social media outlets (Twitter, Facebook), your own personal blog, or in the comments here! 

That’s it! Easy, eh? I really want this challenge to be a fun way for everyone to knock a few games off our backlogs without feeling pressured to reach any certain goals. I plan on writing weekly update posts to keep myself honest about my progress, so I encourage anyone who’s interested in giving the Beat the Backlog Club (or BBC, for short!) a go to comment with your own progress when those posts go live. 

And if you think 12 months sounds a little too overwhelming, why not just start with one and see how it goes? The most important thing is to have fun – I know I won’t be losing (too much) sleep over it if don’t make my monthly goal.

Just a small sample of games I own but haven’t played. Most of the Wii games were acquired during my trip to the US.

But a backlog-beating plan isn’t anything without a list of potential game candidates, right? Luckily, I’ve come prepared! Here’s just a sample of some of the games I’m thinking of tackling over the course of the year: Harvest Moon: A New Beginning 3D, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, Rune Factory Frontier, Ghost Trick, Nier, The Last Story, Muramasa: Demon Blade, Gravity Rush, Fossil Fighters, Atelier Annie, Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love, and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. 

You know what? That looks downright daunting. Some of these games may just be too long to even attempt to complete in a month, so this list is definitely not set in stone. If anyone has any suggestions as to which of these might be most doable in month (I’m thinking ~20 hours long), please let me know in the comments! 

But since it’s already mid-January, I’ve already gotten started on this month’s backlog pick: The Legendary Starfy! Okay, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking you heard me talk about attempting to beat Starfy before, right? Well I did, and just recently, at that! Unfortunately I found myself overwhelmed by other things over the holiday break and didn’t even really attempt to play it or Ghost Trick and Atelier Annie as was originally planned, hence why they’re now on this list. I hope I have enough motivation to make it through them during this challenge! 

So, who’s with me? I know it’s a little late in January already to start playing a game, so if you’re interested in joining in, how about choosing a game you played for a while but never got around to beating? Look forward to an update from me next Monday, and happy gaming!