The more I watch this channel the more I realize why I love it. I too was a history major, got a huge backlog of books, and games, love playing with my kids. 4 of them too. We all go on nature walks and I approach my game playing decisions the same way... like I just decided to start playing FF15... I got about halfway through it when it came out now I've got the bug and I'm going to finish it. Next I'm thinking xenoblade chronicles 3. Which is a game I bought day one... and never got around to playing... but I love xenoblade 1 and 2 so much. I think I just knew I didn't have the time I was building a deck refinishing the basement etc... but now I've finished construction of my game room/music room and I'm going to take a week off from work and just hang out in there. Anyway, just wanted to say, love the channel I find we have a lot in common and perhaps that's why I keep tuning in as soon as I see the notification!

If having a backlog of games is a problem, you have no problem.

I just love that Clayton has a side project sharing his enthusiasm for gaming

man....praise be to your understanding wife that yes, gaming is a way to relax and disconnect for a bit. That's a rare thing.

I did the math once on my backlog. I'm officially "middle aged", and assuming typical life expectancy, I do not have enough hours of life left to finish my whole backlog, even if I were to quit my job today and do nothing but play games for 12 hours a day. This was an extremely eye opening realization to me. I do not need to play everything, and life is too short to worry about it. I'm pickier about what games I pick up now, and I don't stress so much about needing to finish a game to get my money's worth. It's been a huge load lifted off my back.

To all the hardcore gamers out there, play as much as you can!! Work hard, take care of your responsibilities and family. Life is short and if playing is your thing as long as you don’t let it interfere with your daily activities that’s ok, I’m 43 married with 2 kids and have lots of games and consoles to enjoy what I like doing in my free time !

Next time somebody tells you gaming is for kids or losers tell them Elon & Clayton are gamers. Both are big thinkers & out of the box revolutionaries.

I've watched you a lot on Redacted but had absolutely no idea you were so into gaming. I was NOT expecting this! So weird and awesome!! 😂😂😂

Man we all never knew you were a Gamer Clayton! love it!

Seeing your collection is like walking into a well furnished used gaming store. A lot of nostalgia and realization that your just a dude like me who likes to game in his spare time.

I dont think theres enough games that are worth playing but the good ones get hammered forever . Thats a gamer specialist

Phendrana Drifts in the background... A man of culture, I see.

And still people are complaining that there isn't good games anymore or that the industry is doomed. Literally I have so many games on my backlog, old and new; that no new games might not come out ever, and still not finish all my backlog. That doesn't happened 20 or 30 years ago. There are so many new games, AA games, indie games, AAA games that is imposible to keep up.

Exactly! Finally someone who talks about backlogs with a calm level-headed approach. Backlogs should not be viewed as a problem. The problem is built into the name. Being a "log" of things that are hiding there "back" behind you, implies you must conquer this log of things so you don't have to feel like there's a growing monster ready to pounce on you. Gaming libraries are not monsters, they are not problems. They are libraries. Libraries are _meant_ to provide selection, not completion, and video games are no different as you've pointed out.

Nice gaming collection Clayton. Like the gaming room also😎

I'm horrible at finishing games. I recently swallowed my pride and started playing my games on easy mode just to get through them faster. I think my main issue is that I always play on the hardest mode and the games take too long to play through. I've been enjoying easy mode and just flying through the games.

gaming has been my go-to for getting away from all this garbage in our world.... now they are going after games. about time to go play in the woods again.....

Irony is listening to Clayton talk about conquering backlogs while I'm combing Amazon for deals on old Xbox and X360 games cause I don't have a big enough backlog as it is 😂

You've no money and lots of time when you're young, you've money and no time when you're an adult... Just scrolling through my Amiga collection. Feels like travelling through milky way

Just collecting games is part of the fun. Otherwise I usually cycle between around about 3-4 games on mood or genre. Games should just be about the fun of them and no need to overthink it. Great video!

As someone that enjoys marathons I've been working through my backlog by doing franchise marathons. For me this generally means replaying a portion of the games that got me interested in the franchise in the first place while tackling games across all systems that I've never played. So far this year I've cleared 22 games from my backlog with 40 total games beaten.

This advice is great. No pressure on any of it and accepting what you feel like enjoying and/or learning and keeping things organized so it feels manageable.

I didn't realize others felt this way. I have a few favs like Snake's Revenge, Nier and Odin Sphere that I try to play at least once a year. And if I don't, I actual feel some sort of guilt. 😬

I watched a lot of videos on backlogs and I have to say yours was the most down to earth and realistic. I have a huge backlog which along with the games I want to replay is about to eat me alive. This made me anxious. You made me realize I dont have to be anxious about something that I love and have fun with. Just go with the flow. And I believe the problem begins when people talk about their backlog. Its making it sound like a job. I see it more like a collection of a hobby I love since I was very young. So thank you for putting things in perspective.

Probably the only way of catching up to an ever growing backlog is by not completing most of the games. You can sort of try them out, experience them for an hour or two. You can see what they have to offer, and only finish the ones that you really, really enjoy, the ones that grab you to your core. If you have a backlog of RPGs, and like me you are mentally ill in the sense that you have to 100 percent each and every one - you might as well come to terms with the fact that you're not finishing those in your lifetime. I'll never stop playing though, as long as I have my sight at least, but it's getting more and more difficult to find the time for my favorite hobby. I wish I could have access to an alternate dimension where the time freezes, and I could simply enjoy all the content I love without it affecting my private life. Maybe some day...Here's hoping. 🤞

Love your content Clayton.. have been a long time lurker of redacted and this is the first time of me verging upon your personal channel. I have backlog anxiety TO A POINT. I have a massive library though and often think I am lucky to have access to so many masterpieces and I allow my fantasy of whatever I can get lost in to drive my love for whatever I am playing or choosing. MMOS make this difficult though because of fomo of missing current content or trying to keep up with the content curve. I just turned 38 and grew up playing games with my dad and it was what allowed us to facilitate a closer bond. Video games are an extremely unrealied media that haven't gotten the credit they are due.. I hope with time I age into the level of zen you have at 47. I think it's truly brave how you ahve formed redacted and I deeply appreciate you as a person who has the cajones to be the change you see in the world.. Also seems like you ahve the patience of a saint with your co-anchor and truly are a loving husband and dad.

Clayton, Great video! Great collection! I’m 51, very similar to you. It can be mood, it can be seasonal. I just like to be able to relax with a game, book, movie, etc. sometimes on my own, sometimes with family or friends. Hope your move goes well and thank you for these great videos!

This is a great topic. I'm 49, two kids, two grandkids and busy with work and many hobbies including games, music, model building etc. I have a library of around 2,200 games and a few hundred books. My game backlog is around 800 and my book backlog is around 60 right now. I've spent so much time hunting every achievement in games I've made myself more overwhelmed than I should be, as I could probably complete 2-5 games in the time it takes to get every achievement in one. I'm trying to stop caring about them and just enjoying the games as they should be. It doesn't help that my wife, friends, and kids all play games also so we spend a lot of time playing online co-op games together, but that's something special to have too. Building spreadsheets so I can organize my games and books based on time to complete helps be prioritize what to do when I have the time.

This collection is insane, wow. Blown away

loving the awesome metroid prime music in the background man! Keep up the great content! 100 percent agree with your overall attitude toward backlogs too. Noticed you have a robot named fight in your switch collection too! What a beautiful physical edition of a great game!

This is very helpful. Thank you Clayton.

Longtime Redacted fan. I appreciate your new channel and the refreshing take you have on gaming. Keep up the great work on both channels! Also, excellent music choice. Personal favorite OST of all time.

Great collection.

Exactly the right approach. Being worried about a backlog is a sign games are becoming a job rather than a hobby. Take that energy and effort and put it into your real job, & save what energy’s left for fun hobby mood-driven moments.

Great to see you talking my favorite hobby - gaming. I remembered you on Fox and guest on Leo Laporte’s tech shows

Getting a steam deck has helped me a lot with cutting my backlog list .

The fact that you have this channel brings me hilarious amounts of joy. I didn't think you could get any cooler. Here I was wrong 😂😂😂

Appreciate you giving this perspective

Another thing is that you don't need to beat every game you play. I collected the entire N64 PAL library and have played them all but I know I'm never going to beat them all... A lot of newer releases I'll pickup once they're on sale, play for a couple of hours and feel I've experienced enough of it and move on. I don't have an official backlog, if I don't get to a game I don't care. Maybe one day I will want to play that one game that's just sitting in the collection

I had no idea about this side of you. It makes me appreciate you more. Just subscribed

Respect! It’s awesome to see what your hobbies are!

Mario sunshine is a game I need to beat annually. Every summer🥲

This video appeared recommended to me and man you are a legend thank you for this video you’ve earned a subscriber.

I like your take on how you game. Enjoying games at a leisure pace and playing what and when you want. It's so easy to get caught up in the hype of new game releases. And with so many releasing with such frequency these days compared to late 1900s early 2000s, there's not enough time in ANYONE'S day keep up with playing all the new games. I've been using IGN playlists to bookmark and log games as they're played/completed as it has some neat features (integrated reviews/walkthroughs, estimated how long to play counts, and sorting options, but will check out Backlogged. Thanks for the video and suggestions!

Sick collection man!

I saw Rocksmith and my gamexiety went off. I gotta get back on that to get my guitar skills back up. .but yeah in like late 90s, early 00s, you had to WAIT for an awesome game worth the $50 bucks. Sometimes months. And you'd get upset when a game only took 9 hours to beat, so you went back in and tried to beat every hardness level or find every Easter egg. Those days are gone. They come out with 200 hours of amazing games now for every 10 hours of free time you have. Can't ever get to any of it. Just gotta pick one solid one and focus or you won't even enjoy the full game that you're working on.

Thank you for your perspective, sir.

Great collection

Nailed it! Mad respect for this I've always just picked a game an ran with out no other game mattered until i was satisfied with it most cases I spend 3-4 months on the average game unless its live service with constant updates and changes but mostly stick with good story games.

Clayton, I love this channel I just stumbled upon it, and Redacted what a win win.

I couldn't have summed up gaming anxiety any better. Moods. Do I feel like dying a lot, do I want a story, do I just want to go for a drive. Yes indeed, your current mood will show you the way.

glad to see someone that has more games still in shrink wrap than me! 😂

Holy COW your collection is crazy !❤

One of the most thoughtful videos about this amazing hobby/entertainment. You get my sub. I hate how folks give in to all that FOMO over new releases. For instance I recently got Dragons Dogma 1 on sale for the Nintendo Switch and once I get through that one, I might pick up the sequel (once its on sale and patched up). I feel that backlog anxiety on occasion, even making a list of games is a huge effort also having 500+ games on PC (also emulation), a few dozen on Switch and a few on PS3... I have just accepted that I won't be able to get through 90% of my games in my lifetime which is okay, I am lucky to have had the opportunity to collect so many games over the years without even resorting to piracy. Spoilt for choice is the correct term here. What a time to be alive!

This is a great video! I also base the game I want to play by my mood. I like to have a variety of different games from all genres and decades that I can pick up and play wherever I have time. Keep up the great content on all of your channels!

Much respect for showing BLUR in the thumbnail, one of the best racing games ever.

I enjoy your content on this channel. Keep it up Clayton

This is like a parody of people with serious debilitating anxiety 😂

Awesome Clayton, love redacted but happy to know you got some hobbies. I've been playing games for twenty yrs but finally decided to take up some new hobbies like exercise and reading more.😊😊

With the way entertainment is heading, everyone needs a quality backlog right now.

My first thought reading the title was that I can't relate. Then I saw that shelf of games and it gave me anxiety.😂 I think you just need to put all that where you can't see it lmao

Holy crap, you were not kidding about your collection. 😀😀

Your Thought process on playing your games is the exact way I have been tackling my games. My brother has this weird artificial, crippling fomo Because they are all single player games. He will start a game and then completely drop it to play the next new game.. the game he drops is still considered a new game too. I'm 37 for reference

Nice collection sir!

Great topic for sure about dealing with a huge backlog! Like some others here, i'm guessing i'm not alone in saying i'm hundreds of titles spanning multiple generations now behind that i hope to somehow get to play! My main issue is I code small indie games as my a hobby and keep convincing myself i'll reward myself by finally playing something like Metroid Dread or Zelda TOTK once my latest project is done. Then i'm off to another project and end up missing another system generation. I love the suggestions you made in this video and i think this is what i needed to finally peal the shrink wrap off my copy of Metroid Dread! thanks for the advice!

That's awesome collection

I have a backlog as well. Mostly Nes, Snes, and switch is what I collect for. Some sega titles and ps1 titles as well. I started off with Resident evil 4 remake for the ps4 and was very satisfied lol. Then I started playing Mario RPG for the switch and had a blast. Now I’m starting a new file on Octopath Traveler. Still hoping Nintendo will remaster Ocarina of time that would be awesome! I’m a huge fan of Redacted and it’s really cool to see you branch off into a video game channel, watching videos like these helps me get my mind off of all the craziness going on in the world. Thanks Clayton for all the hard work you and your wife put in! 🙌

It is a real problem but one I have dealt with finally in recent years. I accepted the fact I am a terrible gamer and will clear next to nothing. I accepted that I bought way too many games and even if I was a really good gamer it would be tough to get through all I have. I am glad I am over all this as it made worse my debilitating anxiety. Anyway thanks for sharing what you do and happy gaming to you.

I first started following your because of your real estate advice. I even got your short book. Currently have 4 rentals but This is mind blowing. Didn’t know that you’re such a gamer. Btw I would love for you to play xenogears, I know there’s millions of games out there but yea. Keep doing your thing. ❤

Good God, Clayton!! That's a lot of games hahaha Very cool!

Wow what a collection! I started to download a steam game which I last played in 2015. I’ll get to it… in a few weeks. 😂

I really like your channel. I am a 53-year-old gamer. I have over 100 games on switch PS4 PS5 Xbox. Like most people our age I’m quite busy with career and family. At the end of my day, when everyone is in bed, and I’m still awake, lol-I’ll enjoy playing my games and as you’re discussing here I’ll play a game depending upon the mood I’m in. Lately, I’ve been dealing with Japanese RPG’s. Finishing up the original FF7 so I can move on to Rebirth which I purchased a couple weeks ago. Excellent advice!

Y’all need to stop thinking of backlog gaming as some sort of anxiety. We’re already anxious about life already. Let’s not add gaming into the mix. 1) Turn that anxiety mindset into excitement. 2) Tune off from social media pressuring you on what’s hot right now in gaming. And before you know if your backlog is clearing up. Easy does it.

Thanks for sharing your opinion on backlog. You are correct, gaming should be fun, not an anxiety inducing hobby.

You know what the used to call man caves? Libraries.

I greatly appreciate Gris being on display, my favorite playable art piece! And honestly, I feel more urgency for my backlog due to it being almost entirely digital and with the trend towards lack of physical ownership. The mood part is so true as well. I woke up one morning and just randomly decided that I want to play a rhythm game. That led to a quick playthrough of one of my favorite rhythm games to date, Thumper!

I think it's a general middle aged gamer "issue". We have the money and enthusiasm to buy, so we keep buying and collecting. Unfortunately not enough time to play them all. My backlog is around 75 Switch games, still in seal, and about 30'ish ps4 games fresh in seal. I also have a few dozen of ps3 games I haven't even touched yet, and a few mini consoles with 100's of games combined which I haven't played yet. By the time I finished a handful of them, I'm sure I already bought a handful new ones as well.... Reality check: I'll never finish them all, and that's fine. The idea of having them also gives me a sense of fulfilment.

I totally feel the anxiety. I travel so much for work that I have over 600 digital games between my PS5, Switch, and Steam. I now make a 5 game list of what I feel like playing (shooter, RPG, horror, side scroller, et cetera) and use a randomizer. If I don’t enjoy it right away, I move on and maybe come back to it later.

For me, my crowded man cave, packed with most beloved titles of my 35 year gaming "career", which I am not able to complete in the rest of my life, give me a nice cosy feel. Because being always able to play whatever I like, especially also, no real good games releasing anymore nowadays. IMHO...

I needed this.

Did not expect this man to be a huge nerd. Lol wow. He understands us.

Whoa! I did not know you are a gamer too! This is amazing

Bruh I had no idea you were such a man of culture. Impressive!

I fell behind about 10-15 years due to college and medical school/residency/family, having played mostly PS1 RPGs in the 90s when they were first released, and some PS2 and Dreamcast games. When I finally got back to gaming it was exciting to play through the PS3 era games for the first time in 2019 when everyone had long since moved on. I’m up to PS4 and switch now, but not in a hurry to move up for a while.

I have a closet filled with my games. I decided to put them all away around a year ago and pull only what I need to play, around 2 to 3 games per system. The goal behind the method is to keep all my games out of sight and mostly out of mind. It's helped out quite a bit as the stress is only centered on what I have pulled.

Wow your Switch stack is crazy/amazing. I play mainly JPRG and my backlog runs into somewhere 2165 already to finish I think. But I won't give up! Nice Metroid Prime music choice btw.

What has helped me is adding all of my games to HLTB. I ended up with over 2,500 games. All across OG Xbox and Playstation 1 and PC, up to Nintendo Switch, XSX, and PS5. A bunch of older games tool. Now that I have a well organized log of the games I own, I pick a game or series at random and start playing them. The Steam Deck has been Amazing for playing games in my backlog. The older I get, the less time I have to sit at my desk and game. Especially after sitting at a PC at work. I use to play PVE and PVP games for hours with friends online and LOVED it. But I wasn't really playing through my log. I'm older too(48), and when I retire, I plan on gaming and streaming, mostly for fun, and getting through more games. I still LOVE a good PVE and Teamwork based PVP game, even though they take up a lot of time and don't help with the backlog.

Turrican and Jim Power in your collection, love it! 🙂

I realize that im more of a collector now than a gamer. I only play the games that i really have been wanting to play the most. Trouble is, I'm still even backlogged with those too 😂🤷‍♂️

TOTK took over my world for about for about a year. Incredible DLC :P I could not even think of another game. I am grateful that my kids like to watch me play or play with me on many games. it broke up the spell of dedicating my time to one game at a time.

Before I watch this, I think best thing for me to do, to get rid of backlog anxiety, would be to sell all my games. 😭

Crazy collection.

So cool to discover a serious news guy is into gaming.

I really like this channel. I see Clayton as this very professional news anchor, very to the point and no nonsense. But this is like if he finished work and came over after to hang out and not talk about work.

So many of my PC games I picked up really cheap. I've got my favorites that I can play over and over, like DCS World, Arma III, Ready or Not, Race Room and others. But, the majority that I have are, like you said, based on mood. It's my own personal arcade. Back in the 80s and part of the 90s, it was rare to finish a game in the arcades. Customers played what they were in the mood for in that moment to relax and have a good time. Achievements were not a thing but a high score. So, I have my "arcade" titles and I have my dedicated titles that I never stop enjoying.

That is not collecting, that is hoarding - lol

nice collection ..........

I have a backed up log of backlogs 💩 but it has turned ne into a collector 😅 love the metroid BGM

You have a great healthy perspective

I’ve been having a Backlog issue but in my past I use to buy a game and play it. So I’m more feeling like I’d like to return to the days I buy a game and play it and not add games to some sort of collection. I also look at my backlog as some sort of issue with how I handle my finances so I’m hoping to wield my backlog in an attempt to be better at handling my funds. But this video really caught my eye because I want to turn my backlog into games I played, go back to buying games to play and not buying them so I can have them later on to play.