Local man Ben Bibbington has confirmed he will not start another video game until he finishes his backlog, a sensible purchasing rule that has prevented him from playing anything for three years. “I need to clear what I’ve already got,” he explained, opening a spreadsheet he updates most evenings. “Otherwise gaming just becomes another thing you do for fun without any structure.”
Bibbington’s current priority is a lengthy role-playing game he bought in a sale and no longer wants to play. It remains first on the list because he has already installed it. He cannot move on to the detective game beneath it because that would establish a worrying precedent. He cannot play the racing game he actually feels like playing because that was purchased later, and allowing enjoyment to influence the order would make the spreadsheet meaningless.
“Once I get through the RPG, things should really open up,” he said. The next entry is its expansion. Friends report that Bibbington’s enthusiasm for games remains undiminished. He watches reviews, follows release announcements and can explain precisely which titles he intends to enjoy once the outstanding work has been dealt with.
Last month he reorganised the backlog by estimated completion time, briefly moving a two-hour puzzle game to the top. He then spent the evening deciding whether starting with something short would count as cheating. The puzzle game has since been returned to its original position.
A friend’s suggestion that he simply stop playing games he dislikes was rejected on financial grounds. Bibbington explained that abandoning a game he bought for £3.49 would mean the money had been wasted, whereas keeping it installed indefinitely preserved the value.
He has considered declaring the entire backlog optional, but would first need to go through each entry and decide whether it should qualify. There is now a separate worksheet for this.
Bibbington expects to have a free evening this weekend and plans to make a serious start. In preparation, he has bought a bundle of twelve more games. They were too good a value to miss, and none of them will interfere with his current commitments because he has no intention of playing them.
