I'm too busy playing games to play games

[Freya]

It's the social aspect and the gear progression. When you have done the majority of the story, the small story stuff, especially if you've played the game for a decade, isn't as interesting so you're left with a monthly subscription for... what to run around leveling more toons to see the same content? So there's Raid content. I get better gear so I can beat better endgame bosses. To get better gear I have to raid. With their Random Number Generator, I may not get it this week, so I have to come back next week to try again. Well it's going to be more difficult to progress with people who are just random themselves, so you join a guild and your guild sets a schedule so you know when reliable people will be on.

So if you don't get on at certain times, you wont have a reliable team meaning you wont be able to down bosses so you wont be able to get gear and to see the content.

And you bet your butt I want to fight fel kilrogg, a resurrected Mannoroth, and Achimonde in the next patch. I can't do that unless I'm geared enough to go there. (Plus, BOATS AND SHIPS AND I've been waiting since warcraft 2 to build ships again. and tier 18 looks lame for druids but holy hell does the warlock mythic tier look badass
) So I raid to see story content as I'm thoroughly invested in all things Warcraft (working on War Crimes right now, good book, I highly recommend it). Socially as well your online buddies and guildies expect you there too. And if you're closer with them, you're playing with friends. Heck I'm currently losing against a guildie in hearthstone while I'm at work (shhhhh) Then some feel an obligation to be on to help those friends.

Like my boyfriend is my social aspect and he's really invested in it. So I feel obligated to help him out, and I also have fun with it! So win-win!

[Pike]

What I meant was that raiding alone doesn't keep me subbed. I see so many people who are like "I'm bored with WoW but I'm still subbed just to raid." I don't get it. Like I said I have done serious raiding in the past and when I got bored I would quit WoW entirely. Mid-raid tier too. Didn't matter. I don't see the obligation I guess. Guildies and friends understand burnout.

[Freya]

Well as I explained, there's the social aspect to it. You feel obligated to help friends out or your guild. And if it's not a horrible experience, why not.

Also some may feel obligated to help guildies out because they spent the time to help you gear so why wouldn't you spend the time to help them?

[Vermachtnis]

If you'll want to play a game that's a chore and keeps you from playing other games, play a MOBA. Those games are a chore and you can't have fun with them because the other players won't let you. Although them being a game might be subjective because anytime you suggest that "It's just a game," the already huffy players get even more huffy.

Periodically, i make rules such as "finish two games for every new game i buy". Even with that, my backlog just keeps growing.

That's my rule I adopted this year and I've been pretty good about it.

[metagloria]

Yooooo, this is me ALL THE TIME but it's not even new games. I have a massive backlog of games I want to replay for the second/fifth/seventeenth time. The good thing about that is it helps me be patient for new games. Why rush to get a PS4 for Type-0 when I can easily spend the next year playing X|X-2 HD, III, XII, Star Ocean 3, Xenosaga I-III, IX, KH1.5 and 2.5, and the XIII trilogy without spending more than 50 bucks?

[Fox]

I spend my entire working day playing games. Which is great, but it does mean the backlog piles up! Cause you get home at the end of a long day, see 250 uninstalled games in the Steam library and just say... "To hell with this, I want to relax in my spare time, not play more video games!"

Then I watch anime. Or replay a Final Fantasy game cause those transcend apathy.

[fat_moogle]

Last year I bought Tales of Graces F digitally for PS3, and then bought FFX / X-2 digitally when I hadn't even completed that. This year I'm not doing that. So far Ive bought Assassin's Creed Unity (almost completed but got rid of it), The Order (completed) and Type-0 (completed). I didn't buy a game before completing another. I won't count DriveClub because it's just a game I go back to now and then. Last night I ordered Bloodborne, and I won't buy another retail game until I'm done with that (let's see how it goes as I've never played any of the Souls games).

[theundeadhero]

I think my backlog of games has actually passed the amount of games I've beaten, and I stopped collecting them a while ago. Eventually there will be time for them.

[Sephex]

I find myself taking long breaks from games and then coming back to them. If I barley started I'll just start over. I'm getting better at getting rid of my backlog, but I'm glad that at least I have the excuse of having real life things get in the way now instead of me being a lazy bum.

[CimminyCricket]

I have so many games to play it's actually preventing from playing at all. I have half a library of PS2 games to play (.hack//, Shadow Hearts, Growlanser) It's not a good thing.

[theundeadhero]

I enjoyed the trout out of Growlanswer when it first came out, but that was also the last time I played it. I wonder how well it stood up.

[CimminyCricket]

It's standing up pretty well to be honest. Which one did you play? I actually started with the II instead of I for whatever dumb reason. I've been playing the same uncompleted save file since the Generations came out.

[theundeadhero]

It was the collectors edition Generations game that came out in 2004 with both II and III. I eventually got the next generations that came out a few years later too.

[CimminyCricket]

That's right, it has II and III, not I. I grabbed IV when it came out for the PSP, never put it in though. BACKLOG LOL

[BlackFire]

Well right now I am grinding (farming) away in FF-XIII so I can get everyone maxed out in all six roles. Not just the ones they learn from the start, but all of them too. That and doing all the Cie'th Stone missions on Gran Pulse. Then I got achievements to get too. So yea, FF-XIII has me busy.

I also want to get 100% in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. Beat Mass Effect 3 again. Beat Alice: Madness Returns. Level up my Siren to level 72 in Borderlands 2. Beat LR-FFXIII on hard mode and get better weapons and garb, become stronger, kill Aeronite, etc. Lots to do.
Can't do it all now. For now, I will just focus on FF-XIII and get to those other things later.