Video Game Journal
One of my main hobbies is gaming. Initially started as just a fun way to pass the time growing up, but it has evolved into my favorite type of media. There's so many different ways to experience games, either that be through a tailored story with fleshed out characters and world, an open-ended experience where you create your own experience, or just a interactive way to spend time with others, the possibilities are truly endless.
While games provide that similar realm of entertainment as other forms of media, the concepts behind creating games and mechanics that make a game good have become all that more interesting. Whenever I find a game I enjoy, I try to reflect on what aspects of it stand out to me. Is it the story? The gameplay loop? The soundtrack? What aspects fall flat? There's so much to learn from each experience that keeping track of it all is difficult.
That brings us to here. Recently I watched this video by Daryl Talks Games about his experience of working through his backlog of games within a year. It resonated with me since I have my own backlog that I want to work through, but once I finish one game, it's difficult to figure out what to play next. He used a spreadsheet to organize his games to help him determine what to play next and it helped him a lot, so I wanted to do something similar. Below are a couple of lists of games that have been categorized into Completed, In-Progress, or The Backlog. Each game will have it's own page about the game with varying amount of detail. Games yet to play will just have a brief synopsis of the game and why it interests me, where completed games will be my complete thoughts on it.
This will help me organize my own thoughts into which games to play next and allow me to reflect on completed games as to what I liked or disliked. Not necessary formal reviews, but just thoughts on what I thought about it. Who knows, maybe some of this will convince you to try some games you've yet to hear!
Completed Games | |
---|---|
Name | Date Completed (MM/DD/YYYY) |
Garden Story | March 16th, 2024 |
Helldivers II | Live Service |
Hi-Fi RUSH | March 8th, 2024 |
In Stars and Time | April 25th, 2024 |
Modded Cobblemon | Continuous |
Palworld | February 20th, 2024 |
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky | Multiple Times |
Pokemon Violet | December 14th, 2023 |
Super Mario RPG | November 25th, 2023 |
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition | February 23rd, 2023 |
In-Progress Games | |
---|---|
Name | Date Started (MM/DD/YYYY) |
Stardew Valley | Continuous |
The Backlog | |
---|---|
Name | Reason to Play |
Axiom Verge | Interesting |
Balder's Gate 3 | Highly Praised |
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling | Want to Replay |
CrossCode | Want to Replay |
Cult of the Lamb | Never Finished |
Dwarf Fortress | Interesting |
A Hat in Time | Want to Replay |
Metro 2033 Redux | Interesting |
Psychonauts 2 | Interesting |
Satisfactory | Factorio but 3D! |
Sea of Stars | Interesting |
Secrets of Grindea | Never Finished |
Tales of Symphonia | Never Finished |
Zoo Strikers | Fun Party Game |