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    1. November 2025 Backlog Burner: Conclusion and Recap

      ~games Text 1087 words
      The November 2025 Backlog Burner event is officially over! Over the month of November, 12 participants moved 155 games out of their backlogs. Congratulations to the following Bingo winners:...

      The November 2025 Backlog Burner event is officially over!

      Over the month of November, 12 participants moved 155 games out of their backlogs.

      Congratulations to the following Bingo winners:

      A big thank you to ALL who participated in the event, whether that was by playing games, joining in conversations, or reading people's posts here.

      As always, it has been an absolute blast doing this with everyone. I truly love this event. Thank you all.

      Use this topic to post your final bingo cards, give recaps of your games, and share any thoughts you have on the event itself.

      See you again for the next Backlog Burner in May 2026!

      Statistics

      • We averaged 12.9 games per person and 36.2 games per week.
      • There were 229 comments posted across 4 topics.
      • Across all 155 game titles with thousands of letters between them, there was only one letter Q (in Titan Quest).
      • We have now passed a cumulative 500 games played since the first Bingo-based Backlog Burner back in November 2023.

      Platforms

      Games were played on at least 16 different platforms.

      • iPad
      • Macbook Pro
      • Nintendo 3DS
      • Nintendo DS
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Nintendo Wii U
      • PC (Linux)
      • PC (Windows)
      • Playdate
      • PlayStation
      • PlayStation 2
      • PlayStation 4 (PS4 Pro)
      • Steam Deck
      • Steam Deck (RetroDECK)
      • Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super Famicom)

      Highlights

      Nobody sent me any highlights. 😭
      Let's just say this WHOLE event was a highlight! 😁🥰

      Full Game List (alphabetical)

      A

      B

      C

      D

      E

      F

      G

      H

      I

      J

      K

      L

      M

      N

      O

      P

      Q

      R

      S

      T

      U

      V

      W

      X

      Y

      Z

      Full Game List (by week)

      Week 1

      Week 2

      Week 3

      Week 4 + 5ish

      12 votes

    2. November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion

      ~games Text 579 words
      Week 4 has begun! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! Quick links: Backlog Bingo Site Week 1 Discussion and Event Guidelines Week 2 Discussion Week 3 Discussion Week...

      Week 4 has begun!

      Post your current bingo cards.
      Continue updating us on your games!

      Quick links:

      Week 3 Recap

      11 participants played 11 bingo cards and moved 40 games out of their backlogs!

      There were 3 bingo wins. Congrats to u/dannydotcafe, u/kfwyre, and u/Wes! 🎉

      • Nearly 70% of the games played this week had a one or two word title (one = 38%, two = 28%)
      • The kitchen was a feature this week, with "knife", "eggs", "coffee", "garbage", and "Pepsi" being mentioned in game titles.
      • If you play magnetic poetry with the titles, you can uncover some sage wisdom:

      The darkest coffee must fandango.
      Literature is irritating; torment.
      Die, prodigal robot beasts of the midtown.
      Katamari Caravan: stick, room, Tokyo, Sun

      Game List:

      Week 2 Recap

      11 participants played 11 bingo cards and moved 43 games out of their backlogs!

      There were 2 bingo wins. Congrats to u/Wes and u/J-Chiptunator! 🎉

      Also, in my rush last week to get the recap up, I forgot to celebrate u/Wes's win from Week 1. So, additional congratulations!

      • Only 1 game this time had an ALL CAPS TITLE, but 9 games had PARTIAL CAps titles.
      • The shortest title was 5 characters: Venba
      • The longest title was 12 words: Tales from Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch (The witch of the Ihanashi)
      • We had the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, and 7 represented. Half of the digits!
        (Note that this only works if I read "I Expect You to Die" as "One: Expect You to Die", which I do)

      Game list:

      Week 1 Recap

      12 participants played 11 bingo cards and moved 24 games out of their backlogs!

      • 25% of the games played started with the letters P and R
      • 13% of the games played have ALL CAPS TITLES
      • 21% of the games played have a number in their titles

      Game list:

      14 votes

    3. November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion

      ~games Text 143 words
      Week 2 has begun! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine! Reminder: playing bingo is...

      Week 2 has begun!

      Post your current bingo cards.
      Continue updating us on your games!

      If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine!
      Reminder: playing bingo is OPTIONAL.

      Quick links:

      Week 1 Recap

      12 participants played 11 bingo cards and moved 24 games out of their backlogs!

      • 25% of the games played started with the letters P and R
      • 13% of the games played have ALL CAPS TITLES
      • 21% of the games played have a number in their titles

      Game list:

      12 votes

    4. November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion

      ~games Text 403 words
      Week 3 has begun! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! If you did not participate in Weeks 1-2 but want to start this week, that's fine! Reminder: playing bingo is...

      Week 3 has begun!

      Post your current bingo cards.
      Continue updating us on your games!

      If you did not participate in Weeks 1-2 but want to start this week, that's fine!
      Reminder: playing bingo is OPTIONAL.

      Quick links:

      Week 2 Recap

      11 participants played 11 bingo cards and moved 43 games out of their backlogs!

      There were 2 bingo wins. Congrats to u/Wes and u/J-Chiptunator! 🎉

      Also, in my rush last week to get the recap up, I forgot to celebrate u/Wes's win from Week 1. So, additional congratulations!

      • Only 1 game this time had an ALL CAPS TITLE, but 9 games had PARTIAL CAps titles.
      • The shortest title was 5 characters: Venba
      • The longest title was 12 words: Tales from Toyotoki: Arrival of the Witch (The witch of the Ihanashi)
      • We had the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, and 7 represented. Half of the digits!
        (Note that this only works if I read "I Expect You to Die" as "One: Expect You to Die", which I do)

      Game list:

      Week 1 Recap

      12 participants played 11 bingo cards and moved 24 games out of their backlogs!

      • 25% of the games played started with the letters P and R
      • 13% of the games played have ALL CAPS TITLES
      • 21% of the games played have a number in their titles

      Game list:

      19 votes

    5. November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion

      ~games Text 921 words
      The blaze has officially ignited! The November 2025 Backlog Burner is officially live. Use this topic to post about the games that you play. Quicklink: Backlog Bingo Etiquette: It is fine to make...

      The blaze has officially ignited!

      The November 2025 Backlog Burner is officially live. Use this topic to post about the games that you play.

      Etiquette:

      • It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the week.

      • It is also fine to respond to your own posts.

      • If you are playing Backlog Bingo, you can share your table either by markdown or through screenshots.

      Gameplay guidelines:

      • Goals for this event (if any) are entirely individual and self-determined.

      • Playing Bingo is optional and not required.

      • You do NOT need to finish games unless you want to. The point is to try out games and have fun, not force ourselves to play things we're not interested in.

      Backlog Burner FAQ

      What exactly is the Backlog Burner?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet. This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences, scratch some long-standing itches, and knock a few titles off our to-play lists.

      It runs every May and November. New discussion topics will go up once a week during those months.

      You do not need to sign up in advance -- the topics are open to all. If you would like to be included in the notification list, comment in this topic to be added.

      How do I participate?
      • Choose some games from your backlog and play them.
      • Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week.

      That's it!

      Optionally: you can play Backlog Bingo which is a fun way of cutting down the choices you have to make and playing games you might not have normally selected on your own.

      Do I need to finish the games that I play?

      Nope! Not at all.

      There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game.

      Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      Can I make multiple posts in the same topic?

      Yes! Each discussion thread stays live for a full week, so feel free to make multiple comments in the topic as you play different games. This isn't considered noise -- it's considered valuable participation in the event!

      Backlog Bingo FAQ

      Important: All data for your Backlog Bingo card is stored on your device, not the server. Clearing your browser data will delete your card. You can use the export feature to make backups or move your card between devices.

      I'm a returning player. How do I reset my previous card?

      If you've already created a card and wish to start over, click the Settings button in the header to access your card settings. Then click the Reset button, and confirm the prompt. This will irrevocably delete your present card, allowing you to start fresh.

      Where is my data stored?

      All data is stored by your browser in local storage. There are no accounts, and nothing is sent to the server, so it's privacy-friendly by design. This does mean that you are responsible for not deleting any browser data on wescook.ca, either manually or through automatic cleanups performed on browser close.

      Backlog Bingo is open-source, and licensed permissively under MIT.

      What is the difference between the "Standard" and "Golf" modes?

      In Standard Mode, each square on the bingo card corresponds with one single game. Duplicate games cannot be entered into different squares. A winning card would have a row of five different games that each filled in one square.

      In Golf Mode, duplicates are not only allowed -- they are encouraged! The purpose of Golf mode is to try to find a single game that will fill multiple categories at the same time. For example: Stardew Valley might fulfill You got it on sale, A solo-dev project, and Has romanceable characters all at the same time. A winning card would have all twenty five squares filled, but possibly only six or seven different games.

      What is the star space in the middle?

      That is the "wildcard" or "free space."

      In Standard Mode, there are no requirements to fill it. You can choose any game you want! Anything goes!

      In Golf Mode, it does not need to be filled. Because Golf is all about stacking up categories on a single game, any game used in Golf would fill it automatically, meaning it has no real function. As such, the square will be pre-filled for you if you play in Golf mode.

      The new Free list defaults to having this space turned off. Because you already have full freedom in how you fill the squares, having a free space is redundant (though if you miss it or just like the aesthetics, you can certainly turn it back on!).

      Can I create custom bingo categories for this, or other events?

      Absolutely! The Backlog Bingo app reads in simple JSON files which define the available categories. We've created a couple prebuilt lists for this event, but you're free to tweak our categories, or create completely new ones. You could even use them for books, anime, movies, recipes -- anything!

      If you are interested in learning more, you can find documentation on the wiki, and use an example JSON category file. You can also ask for help in the topic!

      16 votes

    6. Announcing the Backlog Burner event for November 2025: Shrink your unplayed games list this coming month!

      ~games Text 1569 words
      It's almost time... ...for another Backlog Burner -- the event where you try out games you've always wanted to play (but haven't yet -- for whatever reason). The Backlog Burner for November 2025...

      It's almost time...

      ...for another Backlog Burner -- the event where you try out games you've always wanted to play (but haven't yet -- for whatever reason).

      The Backlog Burner for November 2025 will officially begin in two days on November 1st.

      If you're new to the Backlog Burner, check out our previous events to get an idea of what's going on:

      Backlog Bingo is back (of course) and better than ever!

      If you participated last time, clear your old card and start fresh with a new one. If you're new to the event, click the link above to generate your card (if you want to -- playing a bingo card is NOT required to participate).

      New Category List

      We've got Flux for those of you that like to get specific with their cards.
      We've got Flow for those of you that like a bit of wiggle room.
      We've got Free for those of you that take the "anything goes" approach.

      And now, our newest addition: Form

      This set is a list of genres, letting you fill your bingo card with God game, Tactical RPG, Visual novel and 89 other choices! Go for the bingo of your choice, as long as your backlog has the game types to fulfill it...

      New Site Features

      u/Wes, coding wizard that he is, has added some incredible new features to the site:

      • AI Integration: Why rely on a boring set of predetermined, carefully curated, energy efficient categories when you can instead harness the unlimited cognitive power and water usage of an AI? Use Bingie, our new Bingo companion. It can not only set up a card to your liking, but it can actually play the games for you! Trained on millions of hours of League of Legends matches, Bingie is ready to smugly gloat when it wins for you and get shockingly, offensively salty when it loses. Why game yourself this month? Have Bingie do it for you.

      • Blockchain Babies: Think Beanie Babies, but digital. No, even digitaler than that. We've decided to extend you an exclusive offer to join us on this journey. Just let us know how many Blockchain Babies we can put you down for. Our initial offer begins with a limited edition of our most popular baby: Doomscrolling Dolphin! You'd better rush if you still want to get in on the ground floor of this growing empire. Blockchain Babies: they put the fun in non-fungible.

      • Deception: What do you do when the site is already beautifully functional and it doesn't need any updates? You lie about it in hopes of attracting investment money by using key buzzwords like "AI integration" and "blockchain." We've incorporated these lies directly into our changelog by leveraging cross-functional bandwidth to verify ecosystem stability and ensure stakeholder alignment. Our holistic ideation sessions empower dynamic pivoting and scalable content delivery to future-proof our market positioning while streamlining KPIs and deliverables.

      Backlog Bingo: we blackout the competition.

      In all seriousness, Wes didn't need to do much with the site because it's already pretty much perfect! No major updates this time, but everything from last time is still there. It's still wonderfully functional, and still completely private! All data is stored only on your device.

      Of course, with that in mind, I'll be using another seeded card this time, on the off chance that I end up wiping my computer again.

      Shameless Cross-Promotion

      ATTENTION ALL CGA PARTICIPANTS: The Backlog Burner event and our Colossal Game Adventure are not only cross-compatible, they are in fact symbiotic. CGA puts games on your backlog; BB takes them away! Beautiful? Or devious...

      This month CGA is having its first Arcade Special with a collection of five different PlayStation oddities.

      Hmmm, five games all together? That seems like the perfect lineup for a Bingo (if you get lucky with your card, that is). It's almost like it's the perfect time for CGA folks to hop on the Backlog Burner train! :D

      Notification List

      If you are interested in participating in the Backlog Burner, please comment in this topic. Anyone commenting/replying here will automatically be added to a notification list for the Backlog Burner, unless you specify otherwise.

      Start Planning (or Playing)

      Technically the event starts in two days, so you have time to roll your cards (if you're playing Bingo) and plan out what you'd like to play for the month. That said, if you're eager to jump right in, and start early, I certainly won't stop you!

      Let's get ready to burn through these backlogs!

      Backlog Burner FAQ

      What exactly is the Backlog Burner?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet. This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences, scratch some long-standing itches, and knock a few titles off our to-play lists.

      It runs every May and November. New discussion topics will go up once a week during those months.

      You do not need to sign up in advance -- the topics are open to all. If you would like to be included in the notification list, comment in this topic to be added.

      How do I participate?
      • Choose some games from your backlog and play them.
      • Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week.

      That's it!

      Optionally: you can play Backlog Bingo which is a fun way of cutting down the choices you have to make and playing games you might not have normally selected on your own.

      Do I need to finish the games that I play?

      Nope! Not at all.

      There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game.

      Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      Can I make multiple posts in the same topic?

      Yes! Each discussion thread stays live for a full week, so feel free to make multiple comments in the topic as you play different games. This isn't considered noise -- it's considered valuable participation in the event!

      Backlog Bingo FAQ

      Important: All data for your Backlog Bingo card is stored on your device, not the server. Clearing your browser data will delete your card. You can use the export feature to make backups or move your card between devices.

      I'm a returning player. How do I reset my previous card?

      If you've already created a card and wish to start over, click the Settings button in the header to access your card settings. Then click the Reset button, and confirm the prompt. This will irrevocably delete your present card, allowing you to start fresh.

      Where is my data stored?

      All data is stored by your browser in local storage. There are no accounts, and nothing is sent to the server, so it's privacy-friendly by design. This does mean that you are responsible for not deleting any browser data on wescook.ca, either manually or through automatic cleanups performed on browser close.

      Backlog Bingo is open-source, and licensed permissively under MIT.

      What is the difference between the "Standard" and "Golf" modes?

      In Standard Mode, each square on the bingo card corresponds with one single game. Duplicate games cannot be entered into different squares. A winning card would have a row of five different games that each filled in one square.

      In Golf Mode, duplicates are not only allowed -- they are encouraged! The purpose of Golf mode is to try to find a single game that will fill multiple categories at the same time. For example: Stardew Valley might fulfill You got it on sale, A solo-dev project, and Has romanceable characters all at the same time. A winning card would have all twenty five squares filled, but possibly only six or seven different games.

      What is the star space in the middle?

      That is the "wildcard" or "free space."

      In Standard Mode, there are no requirements to fill it. You can choose any game you want! Anything goes!

      In Golf Mode, it does not need to be filled. Because Golf is all about stacking up categories on a single game, any game used in Golf would fill it automatically, meaning it has no real function. As such, the square will be pre-filled for you if you play in Golf mode.

      The new Free list defaults to having this space turned off. Because you already have full freedom in how you fill the squares, having a free space is redundant (though if you miss it or just like the aesthetics, you can certainly turn it back on!).

      Can I create custom bingo categories for this, or other events?

      Absolutely! The Backlog Bingo app reads in simple JSON files which define the available categories. We've created a couple prebuilt lists for this event, but you're free to tweak our categories, or create completely new ones. You could even use them for books, anime, movies, recipes -- anything!

      If you are interested in learning more, you can find documentation on the wiki, and use an example JSON category file. You can also ask for help in the topic!

      22 votes

    7. May 2025 Backlog Burner: Conclusion and Recap

      ~games Text 2028 words
      The May 2025 Backlog Burner event is officially over! Over the month of May, 13 participants moved 170 games out of their backlogs. There were 4 standard bingo wins from: u/Durinthal u/Eidolon...

      The May 2025 Backlog Burner event is officially over!

      Over the month of May, 13 participants moved 170 games out of their backlogs.

      There were 4 standard bingo wins from:

      There was 1 anti-bingo win from:

      There was 1 traditional bingo blackout from:

      There was 1 golf bingo win from:

      There were 31 daily posts(!!!) made by:

      A big thank you to ALL who participated in the event, whether that was by playing games, joining in conversations, or reading people's posts here.

      It has been an absolute blast doing this with everyone. I truly love this event. Thank you all.

      Use this topic to post your final bingo cards, give recaps of your games, and share any thoughts you have on the event itself.

      See you again for the next Backlog Burner in November 2025!

      Statistics

      • We averaged 13.1 games per person and 38.4 games per week.
      • There were 293 comments posted across 5 different topics.
      • We played games that started with every letter of the alphabet except X
      • Not a single game played had "Super" anywhere in its title.

      Platforms

      Games were played on at least 31 different platforms

      • Arcade
      • Bandai Wonderswan
      • Microsoft Xbox
      • Microsoft Xbox 360
      • Mobile
      • NEC Turbografx-CD
      • Nintendo 3DS
      • Nintendo DS
      • Nintendo Entertainment System
      • Nintendo Famicom Disk System
      • Nintendo Game Boy
      • Nintendo Game Boy Advance
      • Nintendo Game Boy Color
      • Nintendo Gamecube
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Virtual Boy
      • Nintendo Wii
      • Nintendo Wii U
      • Panasonic 3DO
      • PC (Windows)
      • PC (Linux)
      • Playdate
      • Sega Genesis
      • Sega Master System
      • Sega Saturn
      • Sony PlayStation 2
      • Sony PlayStation 4
      • Sony Playstation Move
      • Steam Deck
      • Super Nintendo Entertainment System
      • Tabletop

      Animals and more

      Players played as at least 38 non-human protagonists:

      • 1 AI (ctrl.alt.DEAL)
      • 1 badger (Shelter)
      • 1 bird (A Short Hike)
      • 5 cats (I and Me (x2), MLEM: Space Agency, Tales of the Neon Sea (x2))
      • Cthulhu (Cthulhu Saves the World)
      • 2 dogs (Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Recommendation Dog)
      • 1 dolphin (Ecco the Dolphin)
      • 1 dung beetle (Yoku's Island Express)
      • 1 fox (TUNIC)
      • 1 frog (Frog Fractions: Game of the Decade Edition)
      • 1 goat (Goat Simulator 3)
      • 1 god (Hades)
      • 1 golf ball (Golfing Over It with Alva Majo)
      • 1 grimp (PixelJunk Eden)
      • 1 pillow Kirby (Kirby's Block Ball)
      • 1 lynx (Shelter 2)
      • 1 monster (Monster Prom)
      • 1 Nightmaren (NiGHTS Into Dreams...)
      • 1 pawn (Questy Chess)
      • 1 pool ball (Pool Panic)
      • 1 rabbit (Lugaru HD)
      • 2 rats (Propeller Rat, SpaceRat Miner)
      • 1 Rythulian (Journey)
      • 6 robots (BEEP, Choice of Robots, Core Fault, Joy Mech Fight, Machinarium, SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech)
      • 1 squirrel with a gun (Squirrel With a Gun)
      • 1 tapeworm (Tapeworm Disco Puzzle)

      Also, this doesn't technically count but I'm including it anyway:

      • 1 IRL human (JoustMania)

      Highlights

      The following highlights were aggregated from participants and focus on the whole event or other participants. Thank you to those of you who wrote in! I'm sharing these as written and randomized, though I did make some minor edits: for flow and consistency, to maintain anonymity, to add usernames, and to link to specific comments when needed.

      • Shout out @J-Chiptunator who played on more consoles than I played games this month

      • I think one or two people came back to games after a decade, which is really cool to see (u/Wes: Grand Theft Auto V and u/CannibalisticApple: Animal Crossing)

      • I really enjoyed the heartfelt Animal Crossing write-up by @CannibalisticApple, which made me feel ten years old again.

      • I thought it was sweet that aphoenix played a game recommended by someone else on the site

      • @1338's daily recap of the event. While I love the Bingo cards that we've done for the last few, I also really just enjoyed the love of the game and sticking to it every day like a blog.

      • I want to mention @J-Chiptunator for writing a full novella every other week, in alphabetical order.

      • u/aphoenix's deception

      • There were a couple of callbacks to games played in previous events. I think it's neat that some games are getting shared play over time in these.

      • @kfwyre choosing a non-Steam/non-PC gaming platform was very cool.

      • The big one was of course @aphoenix's anti-bingo. That was super clever and well-delivered.

      • Games given away during the giveaway threads showing up in the Backlog Burner

      • Fantastic write-ups from so many people. There were so many thoughtful posts about games, and they helped me to structure my own backlog when there was overlap.

      • I very much enjoyed Wes' post for Golfing Over It with Alva Majo regarding game design, games that defy familiar rules to engage the player, and making improvements after losing progress.

      • Durinthal @ PAX East

      • I respect 1338 for playing and posting daily. What a way to burn through the backlog!

      • aphoenix delivering on his devious plan

      • Awesome that Wes made the site for this event

      • @1338 for being the most consistent poster, contributing a new game every single day. Crazy dedication.

      • @Durinthal playing at PAX East was super cool

      • Wes doubling up on Archipelago and Backlog Burner

      • 1338 signing off from the event with the Oblivion Remaster

      Personal Highlights

      These were highlights that were shared from players that focused on themselves. For these, I have included their names:

      u/Eidolon: I want to say that this has been my most successful Backlog Burner yet, because I actually got a couple of games to 100% completion. So the bingo was just a bonus!

      u/aphoenix: To anyone else who reads, thank you for participating in an event like this. It's nice to feel connected to people. It's easy to feel splintered and disconnected today, and things like this is exactly what I hoped to get from the internet when I was first playing The 7th Guest years ago. <3 for everyone here!

      u/CannibalisticApple:

      • Finishing The Letter to say goodbye to my Wii U as part of leaving my old house
      • Playing the original Animal Crossing for the first time in just over eleven years to greet my new house
      • Getting a chance to chat with people about games I've also played, and see all these other games that could also be fun
      • Seeing the sheer number of games with cats. And then realizing how many games I own that star cats.

      u/Wes: I moved The Swapper from own library into my backlog based on @aphoenix's write-up here, and @1338 put Sea of Stars on my radar.

      Full Game List (alphabetical)

      A

      B

      C

      D

      E

      F

      G

      H

      I

      J

      K

      L

      M

      N

      O

      P

      Q

      R

      S

      T

      U

      V

      W

      X

      Y

      Z

      Full Game List (by week)

      Week 1

      Week 2

      Week 3

      Week 4

      Week 5(ish)

      14 votes

    8. May 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 5(ish) Discussion

      ~games Text 716 words
      Only a few days left! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! Finish your Backlog Burning by June 1st! Quick links: Backlog Bingo Site Week 1 Discussion and Event...

      Only a few days left!

      Post your current bingo cards.
      Continue updating us on your games!
      Finish your Backlog Burning by June 1st!

      Quick links:

      Week 4 Recap

      8 participants played 7 bingo cards and moved 29 games out of their backlogs!
      There were t̵̳̒h̵̡̫͊r̷̘̼̎é̴̪̕e̶͙̭̓̿ bingo wins!
      Congratulations to u/SingedFrostLantern, u/kfwyre, and ų̷̪̭̖͚̮̃̃̃̅̉͒͑̀͊͜/̸͙͇̿͒́̋̽̈̈́ą̷͈̠͍̪̯̩͕͛́̐̈́̾͠p̶͔͕̭͓̫͕͓̬̫̗̉̅̽̈́̇́͘͝ḫ̸̠̤̫̦͖̘̙̣̦͗͜ǫ̴̯̪̣͚̥̝̞̘͊̏͠ȩ̷̛̖̭͕̗̹̹̌͛͌͆̋̈́n̸̯̮͕͂̄̀͗͐̋̈́̿̂͆i̷̱͉̰̻͈̦̗̤͋͌̂̍̋̿͜ͅẋ̶̡̛̘͖͎̰͓̫̼̀͂͗͒̉͑͝͝ͅ

      28% of games played this week started with the letter S.

      There was a 5 letter stretch of the alphabet for which there were no games played: H-I-J-K-L

      At least 2 Linux distributions were installed by participants this week.

      Coincidentally, at least 2 bingo cards were deleted by participants this week.

      Thus far, a total of 136 games have been played for the May 2025 Backlog Burner.

      Game List:

      Week 3 Recap

      10 Participants played 7 bingo cards and moved 38 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      Participants played as at least 7 animals:

      • a dolphin
      • a frog
      • a martian
      • a rat
      • two cats
      • a squirrel

      At least 1 of those animals possessed a gun.

      68% of the games played this week started with a letter in the first half of the alphabet.

      Thus far, a total of 107 games have been played for the May 2025 Backlog Burner.

      Game List:

      Week 2 Recap

      9 participants played 8 bingo cards and moved 46 games out of their backlogs!

      There was 1 bingo win. Congrats to u/Durinthal!

      Games were played at at least 1 major gaming convention.

      8 games played had at least five words in their titles.

      Game list:

      Week 1 Recap

      10 participants played 7 bingo cards and moved 23 games out of their backlogs!

      At least 6 different platforms were used: Nintendo DS, PC, Playdate, Switch, Wii U, Wonderswan

      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 4 people played Flow bingo cards
      • 1 person played a Flow Golf bingo card
      • 2 people played Flux bingo cards
      • 3 people played free choice

      Game list:

      14 votes

    9. May 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion

      ~games Text 532 words
      Week 4 has begun! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine! Reminder: playing bingo is...

      Week 4 has begun!

      Post your current bingo cards.
      Continue updating us on your games!

      If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine!
      Reminder: playing bingo is OPTIONAL.

      Quick links:

      Week 3 Recap

      10 Participants played 7 bingo cards and moved 38 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      Participants played as at least 7 animals:

      • a dolphin
      • a frog
      • a martian
      • a rat
      • two cats
      • a squirrel

      At least 1 of those animals possessed a gun.

      68% of the games played this week started with a letter in the first half of the alphabet.

      Thus far, a total of 107 games have been played for the May 2025 Backlog Burner.

      Game List:

      Week 2 Recap

      9 participants played 8 bingo cards and moved 46 games out of their backlogs!

      There was 1 bingo win. Congrats to u/Durinthal!

      Games were played at at least 1 major gaming convention.

      8 games played had at least five words in their titles.

      Game list:

      Week 1 Recap

      10 participants played 7 bingo cards and moved 23 games out of their backlogs!

      At least 6 different platforms were used: Nintendo DS, PC, Playdate, Switch, Wii U, Wonderswan

      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 4 people played Flow bingo cards
      • 1 person played a Flow Golf bingo card
      • 2 people played Flux bingo cards
      • 3 people played free choice

      Game list:

      16 votes

    10. May 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion

      ~games Text 340 words
      Week 3 has begun! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine! Reminder: playing bingo is...

      Week 3 has begun!

      Post your current bingo cards.
      Continue updating us on your games!

      If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine!
      Reminder: playing bingo is OPTIONAL.

      Quick links:

      Week 2 Recap

      9 participants played 8 bingo cards and moved 46 games out of their backlogs!

      There was 1 bingo win. Congrats to u/Durinthal!

      Games were played at at least 1 major gaming convention.

      8 games played had at least five words in their titles.

      Game list:

      Week 1 Recap

      10 participants played 7 bingo cards and moved 23 games out of their backlogs!

      At least 6 different platforms were used: Nintendo DS, PC, Playdate, Switch, Wii U, Wonderswan

      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 4 people played Flow bingo cards
      • 1 person played a Flow Golf bingo card
      • 2 people played Flux bingo cards
      • 3 people played free choice

      Game list:

      17 votes

    11. May 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion

      ~games Text 158 words
      Week 2 has begun! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine! Reminder: playing bingo is...

      Week 2 has begun!

      Post your current bingo cards.
      Continue updating us on your games!

      If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine!
      Reminder: playing bingo is OPTIONAL.

      Quick links:

      Week 1 Recap

      10 participants played 7 bingo cards and moved 23 games out of their backlogs!

      At least 6 different platforms were used: Nintendo DS, PC, Playdate, Switch, Wii U, Wonderswan

      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 4 people played Flow bingo cards
      • 1 person played a Flow Golf bingo card
      • 2 people played Flux bingo cards
      • 3 people played free choice

      Game list:

      16 votes

    12. May 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion

      ~games Text 921 words
      The blaze has officially ignited! The May 2025 Backlog Burner is officially live. Use this topic to post about the games that you play. Quicklink: Backlog Bingo Etiquette: It is fine to make...

      The blaze has officially ignited!

      The May 2025 Backlog Burner is officially live. Use this topic to post about the games that you play.

      Quicklink: Backlog Bingo

      Etiquette:

      • It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the week.

      • It is also fine to respond to your own posts.

      • If you are playing Backlog Bingo, you can share your table either by markdown or through screenshots.

      Gameplay guidelines:

      • Goals for this event (if any) are entirely individual and self-determined.

      • Playing Bingo is optional and not required.

      • You do NOT need to finish games unless you want to. The point is to try out games and have fun, not force ourselves to play things we're not interested in.

      Backlog Burner FAQ

      What exactly is the Backlog Burner?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet. This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences, scratch some long-standing itches, and knock a few titles off our to-play lists.

      It runs every May and November. New discussion topics will go up once a week during those months.

      You do not need to sign up in advance -- the topics are open to all. If you would like to be included in the notification list, comment in this topic to be added.

      How do I participate?
      • Choose some games from your backlog and play them.
      • Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week.

      That's it!

      Optionally: you can play Backlog Bingo which is a fun way of cutting down the choices you have to make and playing games you might not have normally selected on your own.

      Do I need to finish the games that I play?

      Nope! Not at all.

      There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game.

      Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      Can I make multiple posts in the same topic?

      Yes! Each discussion thread stays live for a full week, so feel free to make multiple comments in the topic as you play different games. This isn't considered noise -- it's considered valuable participation in the event!

      Backlog Bingo FAQ

      Important: All data for your Backlog Bingo card is stored on your device, not the server. Clearing your browser data will delete your card. You can use the export feature to make backups or move your card between devices.

      I'm a returning player. How do I reset my previous card?

      If you've already created a card and wish to start over, click the Settings button in the header to access your card settings. Then click the Reset button, and confirm the prompt. This will irrevocably delete your present card, allowing you to start fresh.

      Where is my data stored?

      All data is stored by your browser in local storage. There are no accounts, and nothing is sent to the server, so it's privacy-friendly by design. This does mean that you are responsible for not deleting any browser data on wescook.ca, either manually or through automatic cleanups performed on browser close.

      Backlog Bingo is open-source, and licensed permissively under MIT.

      What is the difference between the "Standard" and "Golf" modes?

      In Standard Mode, each square on the bingo card corresponds with one single game. Duplicate games cannot be entered into different squares. A winning card would have a row of five different games that each filled in one square.

      In Golf Mode, duplicates are not only allowed -- they are encouraged! The purpose of Golf mode is to try to find a single game that will fill multiple categories at the same time. For example: Stardew Valley might fulfill You got it on sale, A solo-dev project, and Has romanceable characters all at the same time. A winning card would have all twenty five squares filled, but possibly only six or seven different games.

      What is the star space in the middle?

      That is the "wildcard" or "free space."

      In Standard Mode, there are no requirements to fill it. You can choose any game you want! Anything goes!

      In Golf Mode, it does not need to be filled. Because Golf is all about stacking up categories on a single game, any game used in Golf would fill it automatically, meaning it has no real function. As such, the square will be pre-filled for you if you play in Golf mode.

      The new Free list defaults to having this space turned off. Because you already have full freedom in how you fill the squares, having a free space is redundant (though if you miss it or just like the aesthetics, you can certainly turn it back on!).

      Can I create custom bingo categories for this, or other events?

      Absolutely! The Backlog Bingo app reads in simple JSON files which define the available categories. We've created a couple prebuilt lists for this event, but you're free to tweak our categories, or create completely new ones. You could even use them for books, anime, movies, recipes -- anything!

      If you are interested in learning more, you can find documentation on the wiki, and use an example JSON category file. You can also ask for help in the topic!

      20 votes

    13. Announcing the Tildes Backlog Burner event for May 2025: Shrink your unplayed games list this coming month!

      ~games Text 1294 words
      It's almost time... ...for another Tildes Backlog Burner -- the event where you try out games you've always wanted to play (but haven't yet -- for whatever reason). The Backlog Burner for May 2025...

      It's almost time...

      ...for another Tildes Backlog Burner -- the event where you try out games you've always wanted to play (but haven't yet -- for whatever reason).

      The Backlog Burner for May 2025 will officially begin in two days on May 1st.

      If you're new to the Backlog Burner, check out our previous events to get an idea of what's going on:

      Backlog Bingo is back and better than ever!

      New Category List

      In addition to Flux and Flow from the past, we've added a new list: Free!

      This one is dead simple: the letters of the alphabet, and nothing more. You have (nearly) complete freedom in how you fill your squares. For example, Half-Life could fill:

      • H for its title
      • G for Gordon Freeman
      • F for First-Person Shooter
      • X for "Xen is really kind of a letdown, isn't it?"

      The choice is entirely yours! Be as strict or as loose as you want to be with it.

      We also added nearly three dozen words to the popular Flow set from last time. Maybe you'll roll some of the new additions, like Sly, Maneuver, or Whimsy?

      New Site Features

      u/Wes, coding wizard that he is, has added some incredible new features to the site:

      • Seeded Cards: You can now roll the same exact card as someone else by providing the same seed. It's available on the Settings page (just make sure all other settings are the same as well).

      • Import/Export: Need to move your card from your desktop to your phone? And then to your laptop? And then back to your desktop? Use the new Import/Export feature to save your card and its progress and move it between devices as much as you want. (Note: this also doubles as a backup tool for anyone worried about losing their card!)

      • Behind the Scenes Polish: You won't be able to tell just by looking at the site but there's a lot of backend stuff that Wes spruced up. Better error handling, a custom schema and validator for the category files, proper SVG icons, better mobile responsiveness, etc.

      Truly, the site has never been better!

      If you participated last time, clear your old card and start fresh with a new one. If you're new to the event, simply go to the Backlog Bingo site to generate your card.

      Notification List

      If you are interested in participating in the Backlog Burner, please comment in this topic. Anyone commenting/replying here will automatically be added to a notification list for the Backlog Burner, unless you specify otherwise.

      Start Planning (or Playing)

      Technically the event starts in two days, so you have time to roll your cards (if you're playing Bingo) and plan out what you'd like to play for the month. That said, if you're eager to jump right in, and start early, I certainly won't stop you!

      Let's get ready to burn through these backlogs!

      Backlog Burner FAQ

      What exactly is the Backlog Burner?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet. This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences, scratch some long-standing itches, and knock a few titles off our to-play lists.

      It runs every May and November. New discussion topics will go up once a week during those months.

      You do not need to sign up in advance -- the topics are open to all. If you would like to be included in the notification list, comment in this topic to be added.

      How do I participate?
      • Choose some games from your backlog and play them.
      • Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week.

      That's it!

      Optionally: you can play Backlog Bingo which is a fun way of cutting down the choices you have to make and playing games you might not have normally selected on your own.

      Do I need to finish the games that I play?

      Nope! Not at all.

      There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game.

      Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      Can I make multiple posts in the same topic?

      Yes! Each discussion thread stays live for a full week, so feel free to make multiple comments in the topic as you play different games. This isn't considered noise -- it's considered valuable participation in the event!

      Backlog Bingo FAQ

      Important: All data for your Backlog Bingo card is stored on your device, not the server. Clearing your browser data will delete your card. You can use the export feature to make backups or move your card between devices.

      I'm a returning player. How do I reset my previous card?

      If you've already created a card and wish to start over, click the Settings button in the header to access your card settings. Then click the Reset button, and confirm the prompt. This will irrevocably delete your present card, allowing you to start fresh.

      Where is my data stored?

      All data is stored by your browser in local storage. There are no accounts, and nothing is sent to the server, so it's privacy-friendly by design. This does mean that you are responsible for not deleting any browser data on wescook.ca, either manually or through automatic cleanups performed on browser close.

      Backlog Bingo is open-source, and licensed permissively under MIT.

      What is the difference between the "Standard" and "Golf" modes?

      In Standard Mode, each square on the bingo card corresponds with one single game. Duplicate games cannot be entered into different squares. A winning card would have a row of five different games that each filled in one square.

      In Golf Mode, duplicates are not only allowed -- they are encouraged! The purpose of Golf mode is to try to find a single game that will fill multiple categories at the same time. For example: Stardew Valley might fulfill You got it on sale, A solo-dev project, and Has romanceable characters all at the same time. A winning card would have all twenty five squares filled, but possibly only six or seven different games.

      What is the star space in the middle?

      That is the "wildcard" or "free space."

      In Standard Mode, there are no requirements to fill it. You can choose any game you want! Anything goes!

      In Golf Mode, it does not need to be filled. Because Golf is all about stacking up categories on a single game, any game used in Golf would fill it automatically, meaning it has no real function. As such, the square will be pre-filled for you if you play in Golf mode.

      The new Free list defaults to having this space turned off. Because you already have full freedom in how you fill the squares, having a free space is redundant (though if you miss it or just like the aesthetics, you can certainly turn it back on!).

      Can I create custom bingo categories for this, or other events?

      Absolutely! The Backlog Bingo app reads in simple JSON files which define the available categories. We've created a couple prebuilt lists for this event, but you're free to tweak our categories, or create completely new ones. You could even use them for books, anime, movies, recipes -- anything!

      If you are interested in learning more, you can find documentation on the wiki, and use an example JSON category file. You can also ask for help in the topic!

      26 votes

    14. November 2024 Backlog Burner: Conclusion and Recap

      ~games Text 1285 words
      The November 2024 Backlog Burner event is officially over! Over the course of the month of November, 17 participants moved 136 games out of their backlogs. There were 9 bingo wins from: u/aphoenix...

      The November 2024 Backlog Burner event is officially over!

      Over the course of the month of November, 17 participants moved 136 games out of their backlogs.

      There were 9 bingo wins from:

      Also, a big thank you to ALL who participated in the event, whether that was by playing games or joining in conversations.

      It has been an absolute blast doing this with everyone. Thank you all for participating.

      Use this topic to post your final bingo cards, give recaps of your games, and share any thoughts you have on the event itself.

      See you again for the next Backlog Burner in May 2025!

      Statistics

      • We averaged 8.0 games per person and 31.7 games per week.
      • There were 245 comments posted across 5 different topics.
      • Two games were played twice: Hades and Monster Hunter Wilds
      • We played games that started with every letter of the alphabet except Q.

      Highlights

      The following highlights were aggregated from participants. Thank you to those of you who wrote in! I'm sharing these as written, though I did make some minor edits to maintain anonymity.

      • u/Wes made a great bingo site that works really well for this event.

      • It's touching that u/Wes took the time to respond to nearly everyone. He really made this feel like a community.

      • A special mention for @Wes, who seems to have read and thoughtfully replied to every single writeup this month, which was very kind (and I really liked their writeup of Praey for the Gods).

      • I love the evolution of the Bingo card over the past several events, and I really liked this form.

      • There were so many great entries that I enjoyed reading this time around, actually, and I really wanted to keep trying games that other people tried.

      • @SingedFrostLantern for their hole-in-one golf

      • The highlight for the whole event to me was @SingedFrostLantern's hole-in-one and the wonderful writeup that went with the game.

      • My favourite writeup had to be @SingedFrostLantern with their Keylocker Hole in One, a fun little exercise that put me onto a new game that (regrettably) went straight back into the backlog.

      • @JCPhoenix for creating full video reviews for many of his entries

      • @Eidolon's Neverwinter Nights for bringing the classics back

      • @kfwyre for Journey to the Savage Planet, and finally getting to be the dog

      • u/kfwyre completely missing the joke

      • @Evie, with basically every write-up she did. Dead Space, Prey, and Outer Wilds were all very good.

      • @CannibalisticApple with Lost in Blue, finally tackling the game cartridge lost somewhere in a closet

      • @J-Chiptunator with four unique console selections

      Full Game List (alphabetical)

      A

      B

      C

      D

      E

      F

      G

      H

      I

      J

      K

      L

      M

      N

      O

      P

      Q

      R

      S

      T

      U

      V

      W

      X

      Y

      Z

      Full Game List (by week)

      Week 1

      Week 2

      Week 3

      Week 4

      Week 5(ish)

      17 votes

    15. November 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 5(ish) Discussion

      ~games Text 578 words
      Only a few days left! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! Finish your Backlog Burning by December 1st! Quick links: Backlog Bingo Site Week 1 Discussion and Event...

      Only a few days left!

      Post your current bingo cards.
      Continue updating us on your games!
      Finish your Backlog Burning by December 1st!

      Quick links:

      Week 4 Recap

      10 participants played 9 bingo cards and moved 27 games out of their backlogs!

      • 4 people played Flow bingo cards
      • 5 people played Flux bingo cards
      • 1 person played free choice

      There were FIVE bingo wins.

      Congratulations to:

      Thus far, a total of 114 games have been played for the November 2024 Backlog Burner.

      Week 4 Game List:

      Week 3 Recap

      12 participants played 12 bingo cards and moved 34 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 4 people played Flow bingo cards
      • 8 people played Flux bingo cards

      Thus far, a total of 87 games have been played for the November 2024 Backlog Burner.

      Week 3 Game List:

      Week 2 Recap

      14 participants played 13 bingo cards and moved 36 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 6 people played Flow bingo cards
      • 7 people played Flux bingo cards
      • 1 person played free choice

      Thus far, a total of 53 games have been played for the November 2024 Backlog Burner.

      Week 2 Game List:

      Week 1 Recap

      11 participants played 10 bingo cards and moved 17 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 6 people played Flow bingo cards
      • 4 people played Flux bingo cards
      • 1 person played free choice

      Game list:

      19 votes

    16. November 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion

      ~games Text 431 words
      Week 4 has begun! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! Quick links: Backlog Bingo Site Week 1 Discussion and Event Guidelines Week 2 Discussion Week 3 Discussion Week...

      Week 4 has begun!

      Post your current bingo cards.
      Continue updating us on your games!

      Quick links:

      Week 3 Recap

      12 participants played 12 bingo cards and moved 34 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 4 people played Flow bingo cards
      • 8 people played Flux bingo cards

      Thus far, a total of 87 games have been played for the November 2024 Backlog Burner.

      Week 3 Game List:

      Week 2 Recap

      14 participants played 13 bingo cards and moved 36 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 6 people played Flow bingo cards
      • 7 people played Flux bingo cards
      • 1 person played free choice

      Thus far, a total of 53 games have been played for the November 2024 Backlog Burner.

      Week 2 Game List:

      Week 1 Recap

      11 participants played 10 bingo cards and moved 17 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 6 people played Flow bingo cards
      • 4 people played Flux bingo cards
      • 1 person played free choice

      Game list:

      17 votes

    17. November 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion

      ~games Text 315 words
      Week 3 has begun! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine! Reminder: playing bingo is...

      Week 3 has begun!

      Post your current bingo cards.
      Continue updating us on your games!

      If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine!
      Reminder: playing bingo is OPTIONAL.

      Quick links:

      Week 2 Recap

      14 participants played 13 bingo cards and moved 36 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 6 people played Flow bingo cards
      • 7 people played Flux bingo cards
      • 1 person played free choice

      Thus far, a total of 53 games have been played for the November 2024 Backlog Burner.

      Week 2 Game List:

      Week 1 Recap

      11 participants played 10 bingo cards and moved 17 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 6 people played Flow bingo cards
      • 4 people played Flux bingo cards
      • 1 person played free choice

      Game list:

      19 votes

    18. November 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion

      ~games Text 125 words
      Week 2 has begun! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine! Reminder: playing bingo is...

      Week 2 has begun!

      Post your current bingo cards.
      Continue updating us on your games!

      If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine!
      Reminder: playing bingo is OPTIONAL.

      Quick links:

      Week 1 Recap

      11 participants played 10 bingo cards and moved 17 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 6 people played Flow bingo cards
      • 4 people played Flux bingo cards
      • 1 person played free choice

      Game list:

      16 votes

    19. November 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion

      ~games Text 862 words
      The blaze has officially ignited! The November 2024 Backlog Burner is officially live. Use this topic to post about the games that you play. Quicklink: Backlog Bingo Etiquette: It is fine to make...

      The blaze has officially ignited!

      The November 2024 Backlog Burner is officially live. Use this topic to post about the games that you play.

      Quicklink: Backlog Bingo

      Etiquette:

      • It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the week.

      • It is also fine to respond to your own posts.

      • If you are playing Backlog Bingo, you can share your table either by markdown or through screenshots.

      Gameplay guidelines:

      • Goals for this event (if any) are entirely individual and self-determined.

      • Playing Bingo is optional and not required.

      • You do NOT need to finish games unless you want to. The point is to try out games and have fun, not force ourselves to play things we're not interested in.

      Backlog Burner FAQ

      What exactly is the Backlog Burner?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet. This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences, scratch some long-standing itches, and knock a few titles off our to-play lists.

      It runs every May and November. New discussion topics will go up once a week during those months.

      You do not need to sign up in advance -- the topics are open to all. If you would like to be included in the notification list, comment in this topic to be added.

      How do I participate?
      • Choose some games from your backlog and play them.
      • Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week.

      That's it!

      Optionally: you can play Backlog Bingo which is a fun way of cutting down the choices you have to make and playing games you might not have normally selected on your own.

      Do I need to finish the games that I play?

      Nope! Not at all.

      There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game.

      Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      Can I make multiple posts in the same topic?

      Yes! Each discussion thread stays live for a full week, so feel free to make multiple comments in the topic as you play different games. This isn't considered noise -- it's considered valuable participation in the event!

      Backlog Bingo FAQ

      Important: All data for your Backlog Bingo card is stored on your device, not the server. Clearing your browser data will irrecoverably delete your card.

      I'm a returning player. How do I reset my previous card?

      If you've already created a card and wish to start over, click the Edit Rules button in the header to access your card settings. Then click the Reset button, and confirm the prompt. This will irrevocably delete your present card, allowing you to start fresh.

      Where is my data stored?

      All data is stored by your browser in local storage. There are no accounts, and nothing is sent to the server, so it's privacy-friendly by design. This does mean that you are responsible for not deleting any browser data on wescook.ca, either manually or through automatic cleanups performed on browser close.

      Backlog Bingo is open-source, and licensed permissively under MIT.

      What is the difference between the "Standard" and "Golf" modes?

      In Standard Mode, each square on the bingo card corresponds with one single game. Duplicate games cannot be entered into different squares. A winning card would have a row of five different games that each filled in one square.

      In Golf Mode, duplicates are not only allowed -- they are encouraged! The purpose of Golf mode is to try to find a single game that will fill multiple categories at the same time. For example: Stardew Valley might fulfill You got it on sale, A solo-dev project, and Has romanceable characters all at the same time. A winning card would have all twenty five squares filled, but possibly only six or seven different games.

      What is the star space in the middle?

      That is the "wildcard" or "free space."

      In Standard Mode, there are no requirements to fill it. You can choose any game you want! Anything goes!

      In Golf Mode, it does not need to be filled. Because Golf is all about stacking up categories on a single game, any game used in Golf would fill it automatically, meaning it has no real function. As such, the square will be pre-filled for you if you play in Golf mode.

      Can I create custom bingo categories for this, or other events?

      Absolutely! The Backlog Bingo app reads in simple JSON files which define the available categories. We've created a couple prebuilt lists for this event, but you're free to tweak our categories, or create completely new ones. You could even use them for books, anime, movies, recipes -- anything!

      If you are interested in learning more, you can find documentation on the wiki, and use an example JSON category file. You can also ask for help in the topic!

      14 votes

    20. Announcing the Tildes Backlog Burner event for November 2024: Shrink your unplayed games list this coming month!

      ~games Text 1016 words
      It's almost time... ...for another Tildes Backlog Burner -- the event where you try out games you've always wanted to play (but haven't yet -- for whatever reason). The Backlog Burner for November...

      It's almost time...

      ...for another Tildes Backlog Burner -- the event where you try out games you've always wanted to play (but haven't yet -- for whatever reason).

      The Backlog Burner for November 2024 will officially begin in two days on November 1st.

      If you're new to the Backlog Burner, check out our previous events to get an idea of what's going on:

      Backlog Bingo returns again!

      Backlog Bingo is a backbone of this event, so it's of course back and better than ever! u/Wes has made some new tweaks to his amazing site, and we've also further developed our category sets.

      For this event, you can choose between two different official Bingo lists:

      • Flow: A conceptually abstract list of ideas to guide you. Let your imagination flow.
      • Flux: A tweaked and updated version of the May 2024 category list.

      If you participated last time, clear your old card and start fresh with a new one. If you're new to the event, simply go to the Backlog Bingo site to generate your card.

      Notification List

      If you are interested in participating in the Backlog Burner, please comment in this topic. Anyone commenting/replying here will automatically be added to a notification list for the Backlog Burner, unless you specify otherwise.

      Start Planning (or Playing)

      Technically the event starts in two days, so you have time to roll your cards (if you're playing Bingo) and plan out what you'd like to play for the month. That said, if you're eager to jump right in, and start early, I certainly won't stop you!

      Let's get ready to burn through these backlogs!

      Backlog Burner FAQ

      What exactly is the Backlog Burner?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet. This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences, scratch some long-standing itches, and knock a few titles off our to-play lists.

      It runs every May and November. New discussion topics will go up once a week during those months.

      You do not need to sign up in advance -- the topics are open to all. If you would like to be included in the notification list, comment in this topic to be added.

      How do I participate?
      • Choose some games from your backlog and play them.
      • Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week.

      That's it!

      Optionally: you can play Backlog Bingo which is a fun way of cutting down the choices you have to make and playing games you might not have normally selected on your own.

      Do I need to finish the games that I play?

      Nope! Not at all.

      There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game.

      Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      Can I make multiple posts in the same topic?

      Yes! Each discussion thread stays live for a full week, so feel free to make multiple comments in the topic as you play different games. This isn't considered noise -- it's considered valuable participation in the event!

      Backlog Bingo FAQ

      Important: All data for your Backlog Bingo card is stored on your device, not the server. Clearing your browser data will irrecoverably delete your card.

      I'm a returning player. How do I reset my previous card?

      If you've already created a card and wish to start over, click the Edit Rules button in the header to access your card settings. Then click the Reset button, and confirm the prompt. This will irrevocably delete your present card, allowing you to start fresh.

      Where is my data stored?

      All data is stored by your browser in local storage. There are no accounts, and nothing is sent to the server, so it's privacy-friendly by design. This does mean that you are responsible for not deleting any browser data on wescook.ca, either manually or through automatic cleanups performed on browser close.

      Backlog Bingo is open-source, and licensed permissively under MIT.

      What is the difference between the "Standard" and "Golf" modes?

      In Standard Mode, each square on the bingo card corresponds with one single game. Duplicate games cannot be entered into different squares. A winning card would have a row of five different games that each filled in one square.

      In Golf Mode, duplicates are not only allowed -- they are encouraged! The purpose of Golf mode is to try to find a single game that will fill multiple categories at the same time. For example: Stardew Valley might fulfill You got it on sale, A solo-dev project, and Has romanceable characters all at the same time. A winning card would have all twenty five squares filled, but possibly only six or seven different games.

      What is the star space in the middle?

      That is the "wildcard" or "free space."

      In Standard Mode, there are no requirements to fill it. You can choose any game you want! Anything goes!

      In Golf Mode, it does not need to be filled. Because Golf is all about stacking up categories on a single game, any game used in Golf would fill it automatically, meaning it has no real function. As such, the square will be pre-filled for you if you play in Golf mode.

      Can I create custom bingo categories for this, or other events?

      Absolutely! The Backlog Bingo app reads in simple JSON files which define the available categories. We've created a couple prebuilt lists for this event, but you're free to tweak our categories, or create completely new ones. You could even use them for books, anime, movies, recipes -- anything!

      If you are interested in learning more, you can find documentation on the wiki, and use an example JSON category file. You can also ask for help in the topic!

      32 votes

    21. May 2024 Backlog Burner: Conclusion and Recap

      ~games Text 934 words
      The May 2024 Backlog Burner event is officially over! Over the course of the month of May, 13 participants moved 105 games out of their backlogs. There were 7 bingo wins (5 Standard and 2 Golf)....

      The May 2024 Backlog Burner event is officially over!

      Over the course of the month of May, 13 participants moved 105 games out of their backlogs.

      There were 7 bingo wins (5 Standard and 2 Golf).
      Congratulations to @aphoenix, @CannibalisticApple, @Durinthal, @Eidolon, @kfwyre, @Weldawadyathink, and @Wes!

      Also, congratulations to all other participants as well: @Carrow, @J-Chiptunator, @Mendanbar, @Notcoffeetable, @semsevfor, and @Shevanel

      Finally, appreciation to those who didn't play any games but still popped in to talk about them with us: @brews_hairy_cats and @Wafik

      It has been an absolute blast doing this with everyone. Thank you all for participating.

      Use this topic to post your final bingo cards, give recaps of your games, and share any thoughts you have on the event itself.

      Reminder: the Backlog Burner will now run on a regular schedule during every May and November. Our next event is only five months away!

      Highlights:

      Quick links:

      Full Game List (alphabetical)

      #

      A

      B

      C

      D

      E

      F

      G

      H

      I

      J

      L

      M

      N

      O

      P

      Q

      R

      S

      T

      U

      V

      W

      X

      Y

      Full Game List (by week)

      Week 1

      Week 2

      Week 3

      Week 4

      Week 5

      16 votes

    22. May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 5(ish) Discussion

      ~games Text 513 words
      The event is almost over! Only three days left! Post your current/final bingo cards, and get those last few games in before the deadline! A final discussion topic and complete recap will go up on...

      The event is almost over!

      Only three days left!

      Post your current/final bingo cards, and get those last few games in before the deadline!

      A final discussion topic and complete recap will go up on June 1st once the event is officially over.

      Quick links:

      Week 4 Recap

      8 participants moved 31 games(!!!) out of their backlogs!
      There were 3 bingo wins! (1 golf, and 2 standard)
      Congratulations to @aphoenix, @Wes, and @kfwyre!

      • 1 participant played free choice
      • 5 participants played standard bingo cards
      • 2 participants played bingo golf

      Thus far, a total of 80 games have been played for the May 2024 Backlog Burner.

      Week 4 Game List:

      Week 3 Recap

      Week 3 Recap

      8 participants moved 16 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins (but we are SO close!).

      • 2 participants played free choice
      • 4 participants played standard bingo cards
      • 2 participants played bingo golf

      One participant played a game they had been putting off for 14 years!

      Thus far, a total of 49 games have been played for the May 2024 Backlog Burner.

      Week 3 Game List:

      Week 2 Recap

      Week 2 Recap

      10 participants moved 18 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 1 participant played free choice
      • 7 participants played standard bingo cards
      • 2 participants played bingo golf

      Thus far, a total of 33 games have been played for the May 2024 Backlog Burner.

      Week 2 Game List:

      Week 1 Recap

      Week 1 Recap

      10 participants played 10 bingo cards and moved 15 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      Game list:

      12 votes

    23. May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 4 Discussion

      ~games Text 369 words
      Week 4 has begun! This is the last full week of the Backlog Burner. There are only ten days left in May! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! If you did not...

      Week 4 has begun!

      This is the last full week of the Backlog Burner. There are only ten days left in May!

      Post your current bingo cards.
      Continue updating us on your games!

      If you did not participate in previous weeks but want to start this week, that's fine!
      Reminder: playing bingo is OPTIONAL.

      Quick links:

      Week 3 Recap

      8 participants moved 16 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins (but we are SO close!).

      • 2 participants played free choice
      • 4 participants played standard bingo cards
      • 2 participants played bingo golf

      One participant played a game they had been putting off for 14 years!

      Thus far, a total of 49 games have been played for the May 2024 Backlog Burner.

      Week 3 Game List:

      Week 2 Recap

      Week 2 Recap

      10 participants moved 18 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 1 participant played free choice
      • 7 participants played standard bingo cards
      • 2 participants played bingo golf

      Thus far, a total of 33 games have been played for the May 2024 Backlog Burner.

      Week 2 Game List:

      Week 1 Recap

      Week 1 Recap

      10 participants played 10 bingo cards and moved 15 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      Game list:

      14 votes

    24. May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion

      ~games Text 232 words
      Week 3 has begun! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! If you did not participate in previous weeks but want to start this week, that's fine! Reminder: playing bingo...

      Week 3 has begun!

      Post your current bingo cards.
      Continue updating us on your games!

      If you did not participate in previous weeks but want to start this week, that's fine!
      Reminder: playing bingo is OPTIONAL.

      Quick links:

      Week 2 Recap

      10 participants moved 18 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      • 1 participant played free choice
      • 7 participants played standard bingo cards
      • 2 participants played bingo golf

      Thus far, a total of 33 games have been played for the May 2024 Backlog Burner.

      Week 2 Game List:

      Week 1 Recap

      Week 1 Recap

      10 participants played 10 bingo cards and moved 15 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      Game list:

      13 votes

    25. May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion

      ~games Text 119 words
      Week 2 has begun! Post your current bingo cards. Continue updating us on your games! If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine! Reminder: playing bingo is...

      Week 2 has begun!

      Post your current bingo cards.
      Continue updating us on your games!

      If you did not participate in Week 1 but want to start this week, that's fine!
      Reminder: playing bingo is OPTIONAL.

      Quick links:

      Week 1 Recap

      10 participants played 10 bingo cards and moved 15 games out of their backlogs!
      There were 0 bingo wins.

      Game list:

      17 votes

    26. May 2024 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion

      ~games Text 1378 words
      The blaze has officially ignited! The May 2024 Backlog Burner is officially live. Use this topic to post about the games that you play. Etiquette: It is fine to make multiple top-level posts...

      The blaze has officially ignited!

      The May 2024 Backlog Burner is officially live. Use this topic to post about the games that you play.

      Etiquette:

      • It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the week.

      • It is also fine to respond to your own posts.

      • If you are playing Backlog Bingo, you can share your table either by markdown or through screenshots.

      Gameplay guidelines:

      • Goals for this event (if any) are entirely individual and self-determined.

      • You do NOT need to finish games unless you want to. The point is to try out games and have fun, not force ourselves to play things we're not interested in.

      Backlog Bingo: It's back and better than ever!

      Backlog Bingo is a completely optional way of participating in the Backlog Burner. You can generate a random bingo card with different gaming categories such as Has a fishing minigame or Your friend loves it. You then play a game that meets a given category and fill in that square.

      A conventional bingo win happens when you have filled in a full row, column, or diagonal. If you complete a full bingo with time to spare, you can go for another one on the same card. You can also choose to play with the "blackout" win condition if you're feeling extra adventurous, which means that you need to fill every square on the board to win.

      In order to help out with this, our amazing @Wes has singlehandedly made an open-source Backlog Bingo web app from scratch! (and here's the GitHub repo, for those interested).

      The site will:

      • Generate a random bingo card for you
      • Save your bingo card state as you enter games
      • Export your bingo card to markdown for easy copy/pasting into the discussion thread

      But wait, there's more!

      • It has both Standard and Golf rulesets, as well as completely custom rules
      • It allows for resizing the bingo card, so you can play a 3x3 or a 7x7 if you want
      • You can choose which categories you want to allow on your card
      • The categories now have groupings which limit similar ones from appearing on the same cards

      Wes could have stopped there, but he didn't:

      • The site is private by design; all user data is kept in local storage and does not touch the server
      • The site can import custom JSON files so that people can make their own custom categories
      • Because of this, people can use the tool for other events: a yearly reading challenge; an anime bingo month, etc.

      What's that? You thought Wes was done? Nope. He kept going:

      • It supports "dynamic" entries which allow for randomization within specific categories (e.g. "a game you've had for more than RANDOM[2,7] years")
      • It has both light and dark modes
      • It looks great in screenshots, so if you hate markdown tables you can post pictures of your card instead
      • It has some other fun surprises as well

      We've also updated the category list for this year to hopefully make it even better than the last. So, try it out! Generate a card and get gaming!

      Let's burn through these backlogs!

      Backlog Bingo FAQ

      Important: All data for your Backlog Bingo card is stored on your device, not the server. Clearing your browser data will irrecoverably delete your card.

      Is the Backlog Bingo site privacy-friendly?

      Yes! The site is coded by our very own @Wes who made it private by design. It is open source, all data is stored client-side, and the only information entered is the names of games. It does not require an account nor link to your Tildes username.

      My browser deletes data on exit. How do I save my card between sessions?

      You need to whitelist data from wescook.ca in your browser. PLEASE test this before committing to a card. Once a card is deleted it cannot be recovered.

      What is the difference between the "Standard" and "Golf" modes?

      In Standard Mode, each square on the bingo card corresponds with one single game. Duplicate games cannot be entered into different squares. A winning card would have a row of five different games that each filled in one square.

      In Golf Mode, duplicates are not only allowed -- they are encouraged! The purpose of Golf mode is to try to find a single game that will fill multiple categories at the same time. For example: Stardew Valley might fulfill You got it on sale, A solo-dev project, and Has romanceable characters all at the same time. A winning card would have all twenty five squares filled, but possibly only six or seven different games.

      What is the star space in the middle?

      That is the "wildcard" or "free space."

      In Standard Mode, there are no requirements to fill it. You can choose any game you want! Anything goes!

      In Golf Mode, it does not need to be filled. Because Golf is all about stacking up categories on a single game, any game used in Golf would fill it automatically, meaning it has no real function. As such, the square will be pre-filled for you if you play in Golf mode.

      Can I make my own custom categories?

      Yes! The Backlog Bingo site generates its categories from a JSON file. We prepared a default one for the event that everyone can use, but you are welcome to create your own JSON file with whatever categories you want and use that instead!

      If you are interested in doing this, you can find documentation in the wiki and use an example JSON category file. You can also ask for help in the topic!

      Can I use the Backlog Bingo site for something other than games?

      Yes again! Because it will accept custom categories, you can use it for books, anime, movies, recipes -- anything!

      If you are interested in doing this, you can find documentation in the wiki and use an example JSON category file. You can also ask for help in the topic!

      Backlog Burner FAQ

      What exactly is the Backlog Burner?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet. This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences, scratch some long-standing itches, and knock a few titles off our to-play lists.

      How do I participate?

      Once the event starts on May 1st:

      • Choose some games from your backlog and play them.
      • Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week.

      That's it!

      Optionally: you can play Backlog Bingo which is a fun way of cutting down the choices you have to make and playing games you might not have normally selected on your own.

      Is Backlog Bingo a requirement to participate?

      No! You can choose or play games however you like.

      Do I need to finish the games that I play?

      Nope! Not at all.

      There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game.

      Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      What's the timeline?

      The event begins on May 1st and runs through May 31st. I will post an update thread weekly, each Wednesday.

      The next Backlog Burner event will be in November 2024.

      Can I make multiple posts in the same topic?

      Yes! Each discussion thread stays live for a full week, so feel free to make multiple comments in the topic as you play different games. This isn't considered noise -- it's considered valuable participation in the event!

      Do I need to sign up?

      No. You don't have to do anything to officially join or participate in the event other than post in these threads! Participate in whatever way works for you.

      Do I need to wait until May to get started?

      Technically yes but I won't police it. The first official discussion thread will go up on Wednesday the 1st, but feel free to kick things off here if you're wanting to pre-game the month!

      23 votes

    27. Announcing the Tildes Backlog Burner event for May 2024: Shrink your unplayed games list this coming month!

      ~games Text 590 words
      It's almost time for another Tildes Backlog Burner -- the event where you try out games you've always wanted to play but haven't yet for whatever reason. The Backlog Burner for May 2024 will...

      It's almost time for another Tildes Backlog Burner -- the event where you try out games you've always wanted to play but haven't yet for whatever reason.

      The Backlog Burner for May 2024 will officially begin in two days on May 1st.

      If you're new to the Backlog Burner, check out our previous events to get an idea of what's going on:

      Announcement #1: Backlog Bingo returns!

      In the 2023 event, "Backlog Bingo" cards were quite a hit. I am thrilled to report that they are not only returning for this coming event, but they will be so much better than last time. @Wes has been hard at work cooking up some exciting new stuff that he can't wait to show everyone!

      Announcement #2: Backlog Burner is now a recurring event!

      In the interest of making the Backlog Burner as good as it can be, I want people to be able to know when it's going to be happening rather than having it pop up randomly and unexpectedly, as it has in the past. As such, moving forward I will be running two separate Backlog Burners each year during the months of May and November (similar to how I run Timasomo every October).

      Let's get ready to burn through these backlogs!

      Backlog Burner FAQ

      What exactly is the Backlog Burner?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet. This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences, scratch some long-standing itches, and knock a few titles off our to-play lists.

      How do I participate?

      Once the event starts on May 1st:

      • Choose some games from your backlog and play them.
      • Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week.

      That's it!

      Optionally: you can play Backlog Bingo which is a fun way of cutting down the choices you have to make and playing games you might not have normally selected on your own.

      Is Backlog Bingo a requirement to participate?

      No! You can choose or play games however you like.

      Do I need to finish the games that I play?

      Nope! Not at all.

      There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game.

      Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      What's the timeline?

      The event begins on May 1st and runs through May 31st. I will post an update thread weekly, each Wednesday.

      The next Backlog Burner event will be in November 2024.

      Can I make multiple posts in the same topic?

      Yes! Each discussion thread stays live for a full week, so feel free to make multiple comments in the topic as you play different games. This isn't considered noise -- it's considered valuable participation in the event!

      Do I need to sign up?

      No. You don't have to do anything to officially join or participate in the event other than post in these threads! Participate in whatever way works for you.

      Do I need to wait until May to get started?

      Technically yes but I won't police it. The first official discussion thread will go up on Wednesday the 1st, but feel free to kick things off here if you're wanting to pre-game the month!

      26 votes

    28. Tildes’ 2023 Backlog Burner: Final Discussion

      ~games Text 57 words
      November is coming to a close, and the Backlog Burner with it! Post your final updates, your completed Bingo cards, and any closing thoughts you have. What were the best games you found from...

      November is coming to a close, and the Backlog Burner with it!

      Post your final updates, your completed Bingo cards, and any closing thoughts you have.

      • What were the best games you found from digging through your backlog?
      • What surprised you?
      • What disappointed you?

      Also, another HUGE thank you to @Wes for his incredible bingo card generator.

      17 votes

    29. Tildes' 2023 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion

      ~games Text 1118 words
      Three weeks in! Update your bingo cards and tell us about what you played! Q: I missed the beginning of this event. Can I still join? A: Of course! It's open all month. Topic etiquette: It is fine...

      Three weeks in! Update your bingo cards and tell us about what you played!

      Q: I missed the beginning of this event. Can I still join?
      A: Of course! It's open all month.

      Topic etiquette:

      • It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the week if you play multiple games.

      • It is fine to respond to yourself with updates if you're continuing a single game and walk to talk more about it as you go.

      • If you are playing Backlog Bingo, feel free to make a top-level post with your card that you edit as you go, while making new posts underneath that to talk about the games as you play them.

      Gameplay guidelines:

      • Goals for this event (if any) are entirely individual and self-determined.

      • You do NOT need to finish games unless you want to. The point is to try out games and have fun, not force ourselves to play things we're not interested in.

      Backlog Bingo

      Thanks to the amazing efforts of our very own @Wes, we are debuting Backlog Bingo! This is a completely optional way to participate in the month.

      You can generate a unique Backlog Bingo card from a collection of 73 different categories. Choose the ones you want in your batch, and then use Wes's custom-made online tool to automatically create your own individualized bingo card.

      Wes's tool automatically assembles the markdown for your table, so it will paste beautifully into comments here on Tildes. For example:

      Bingo Card Example
      Bingo!
      Not super popular (e.g. <50 user reviews on Metacritic) Is one of the oldest games you own Arcade game Has DLC You own on physical media
      You have to tinker in order to get it running You got from a bundle You wanted to play it when you were younger but never did Owned for more than five years Has cute, feel-good vibes
      Co-op game or campaign From now-defunct dev studio ★ Has a non-human player character Owned for more than one year
      Not found on any distribution service You can save/pet/care for animals Begins with one of your initials You paid full price for it Solo-dev project
      Has an animal player character From a series you have played Has number somewhere in the title Owned for more than three years Came out more than 5 years ago

      Play games throughout the month to check off categories in the Bingo card. The ★ in the middle of every card is a free space -- there are no requirements for that square and any game you play fits there!

      The most basic win condition is five-in-a-row, but, if you're feeling really wild, you might go for a win pattern that's a little more involved. Your choice!

      Here's an example of someone "winning" the card above:

      Winning Bingo Card
      Bingo!
      Not super popular (e.g. <50 user reviews on Metacritic) ✅ Is one of the oldest games you own
      Terminal Velocity (1995)      		 Arcade game Has DLC You own on physical media
      You have to tinker in order to get it running ✅ You got from a bundle
      World of Goo      		 You wanted to play it when you were younger but never did Owned for more than five years Has cute, feel-good vibes
      Co-op game or campaign ✅ From now-defunct dev studio
      Blur      		 ★ Has a non-human player character Owned for more than one year
      Not found on any distribution service ✅ You can save/pet/care for animals
      Super Metroid      		 Begins with one of your initials You paid full price for it Solo-dev project
      Has an animal player character ✅ From a series you have played
      Rise of the Tomb Raider      		 Has number somewhere in the title Owned for more than three years Came out more than 5 years ago

      Bingo Golfing (thanks @Wes and @aphoenix!) is also an option: trying to clear a pattern by counting multiple categories for a single game, thus “winning” with as few games as possible.

      Step 3 of Wes's tool includes instructions for checking off games, which has to be done manually. If you need an in-thread guide, you can use the following example below:

      Filling in a Square

      This markdown:

      ||
|:-:|
| ✅ ~~Struckthrough Example Category~~ <br> **Bolded Game Title** |

      Gives this completed square: (ignore the header row that markdown requires for its tables)
      ✅ Struckthrough Example Category
      Bolded Game Title

      If you can't figure out how to check off categories or you break the Markdown for your table, feel free to ask for help in the comments or PM me and I can help you out!

      FAQs

      What is this?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet. This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences!

      How do I participate?

      Choose a game (or several) from your backlog and play it/them. Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week! If you're not sure what you might write, take a look at our 2022 or 2020 events to get an idea.

      Do I need to finish the games I play?

      Nope! Not at all. There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game. Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      What's the timeline?

      I will post an update thread weekly, each Wednesday, all through November. At the end of the month, I think it would be neat to tally how many collective games we all removed from our backlogs, as well as what the best finds were from our collective digging into our libraries. I expect we'll turn up some good hidden gems, as well as interesting insights.

      Do I need to sign up?

      You don't have to do anything to officially join or participate in the event other than post in these threads! Participate in whatever way works for you.

      But November has `Big Name Release` coming out. Why *this* month when people will be focused on that new game?

      I'm doing the best that I can! A "problem" with 2023 is that it has been an absolutely stacked year for gaming releases. There simply hasn't been a "slow" month. With limited time left, I figured November was at least better than December. Think of this as an opportunity to cut down on your backlog before all the end-of-the-year sales hit.

      10 votes

    30. Tildes’ 2023 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion

      ~games Text 1118 words
      Two weeks down! Update your bingo cards and tell us about what you played! Q: I missed the beginning of this event. Can I still join? A: Of course! It's open all month. Topic etiquette: It is fine...

      Two weeks down! Update your bingo cards and tell us about what you played!

      Q: I missed the beginning of this event. Can I still join?
      A: Of course! It's open all month.

      Topic etiquette:

      • It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the week if you play multiple games.

      • It is fine to respond to yourself with updates if you're continuing a single game and walk to talk more about it as you go.

      • If you are playing Backlog Bingo, feel free to make a top-level post with your card that you edit as you go, while making new posts underneath that to talk about the games as you play them.

      Gameplay guidelines:

      • Goals for this event (if any) are entirely individual and self-determined.

      • You do NOT need to finish games unless you want to. The point is to try out games and have fun, not force ourselves to play things we're not interested in.

      Backlog Bingo

      Thanks to the amazing efforts of our very own @Wes, we are debuting Backlog Bingo! This is a completely optional way to participate in the month.

      You can generate a unique Backlog Bingo card from a collection of 73 different categories. Choose the ones you want in your batch, and then use Wes's custom-made online tool to automatically create your own individualized bingo card.

      Wes's tool automatically assembles the markdown for your table, so it will paste beautifully into comments here on Tildes. For example:

      Bingo Card Example
      Bingo!
      Not super popular (e.g. <50 user reviews on Metacritic) Is one of the oldest games you own Arcade game Has DLC You own on physical media
      You have to tinker in order to get it running You got from a bundle You wanted to play it when you were younger but never did Owned for more than five years Has cute, feel-good vibes
      Co-op game or campaign From now-defunct dev studio ★ Has a non-human player character Owned for more than one year
      Not found on any distribution service You can save/pet/care for animals Begins with one of your initials You paid full price for it Solo-dev project
      Has an animal player character From a series you have played Has number somewhere in the title Owned for more than three years Came out more than 5 years ago

      Play games throughout the month to check off categories in the Bingo card. The ★ in the middle of every card is a free space -- there are no requirements for that square and any game you play fits there!

      The most basic win condition is five-in-a-row, but, if you're feeling really wild, you might go for a win pattern that's a little more involved. Your choice!

      Here's an example of someone "winning" the card above:

      Winning Bingo Card
      Bingo!
      Not super popular (e.g. <50 user reviews on Metacritic) ✅ Is one of the oldest games you own
      Terminal Velocity (1995)      		 Arcade game Has DLC You own on physical media
      You have to tinker in order to get it running ✅ You got from a bundle
      World of Goo      		 You wanted to play it when you were younger but never did Owned for more than five years Has cute, feel-good vibes
      Co-op game or campaign ✅ From now-defunct dev studio
      Blur      		 ★ Has a non-human player character Owned for more than one year
      Not found on any distribution service ✅ You can save/pet/care for animals
      Super Metroid      		 Begins with one of your initials You paid full price for it Solo-dev project
      Has an animal player character ✅ From a series you have played
      Rise of the Tomb Raider      		 Has number somewhere in the title Owned for more than three years Came out more than 5 years ago

      Bingo Golfing (thanks @Wes and @aphoenix!) is also an option: trying to clear a pattern by counting multiple categories for a single game, thus “winning” with as few games as possible.

      Step 3 of Wes's tool includes instructions for checking off games, which has to be done manually. If you need an in-thread guide, you can use the following example below:

      Filling in a Square

      This markdown:

      ||
|:-:|
| ✅ ~~Struckthrough Example Category~~ <br> **Bolded Game Title** |

      Gives this completed square: (ignore the header row that markdown requires for its tables)
      ✅ Struckthrough Example Category
      Bolded Game Title

      If you can't figure out how to check off categories or you break the Markdown for your table, feel free to ask for help in the comments or PM me and I can help you out!

      FAQs

      What is this?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet. This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences!

      How do I participate?

      Choose a game (or several) from your backlog and play it/them. Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week! If you're not sure what you might write, take a look at our 2022 or 2020 events to get an idea.

      Do I need to finish the games I play?

      Nope! Not at all. There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game. Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      What's the timeline?

      I will post an update thread weekly, each Wednesday, all through November. At the end of the month, I think it would be neat to tally how many collective games we all removed from our backlogs, as well as what the best finds were from our collective digging into our libraries. I expect we'll turn up some good hidden gems, as well as interesting insights.

      Do I need to sign up?

      You don't have to do anything to officially join or participate in the event other than post in these threads! Participate in whatever way works for you.

      But November has `Big Name Release` coming out. Why *this* month when people will be focused on that new game?

      I'm doing the best that I can! A "problem" with 2023 is that it has been an absolutely stacked year for gaming releases. There simply hasn't been a "slow" month. With limited time left, I figured November was at least better than December. Think of this as an opportunity to cut down on your backlog before all the end-of-the-year sales hit.

      13 votes

    31. Tildes' 2023 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion

      ~games Text 1119 words
      Week 1 is done. Update your bingo cards and tell us about what you played! Q: I missed the beginning of this event. Can I still join? A: Of course! It's open all month. Topic etiquette: It is fine...

      Week 1 is done. Update your bingo cards and tell us about what you played!

      Q: I missed the beginning of this event. Can I still join?
      A: Of course! It's open all month.

      Topic etiquette:

      • It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the week if you play multiple games.

      • It is fine to respond to yourself with updates if you're continuing a single game and walk to talk more about it as you go.

      • If you are playing Backlog Bingo, feel free to make a top-level post with your card that you edit as you go, while making new posts underneath that to talk about the games as you play them.

      Gameplay guidelines:

      • Goals for this event (if any) are entirely individual and self-determined.

      • You do NOT need to finish games unless you want to. The point is to try out games and have fun, not force ourselves to play things we're not interested in.

      Backlog Bingo

      Thanks to the amazing efforts of our very own @Wes, we are debuting Backlog Bingo! This is a completely optional way to participate in the month.

      You can generate a unique Backlog Bingo card from a collection of 73 different categories. Choose the ones you want in your batch, and then use Wes's custom-made online tool to automatically create your own individualized bingo card.

      Wes's tool automatically assembles the markdown for your table, so it will paste beautifully into comments here on Tildes. For example:

      Bingo Card Example
      Bingo!
      Not super popular (e.g. <50 user reviews on Metacritic) Is one of the oldest games you own Arcade game Has DLC You own on physical media
      You have to tinker in order to get it running You got from a bundle You wanted to play it when you were younger but never did Owned for more than five years Has cute, feel-good vibes
      Co-op game or campaign From now-defunct dev studio ★ Has a non-human player character Owned for more than one year
      Not found on any distribution service You can save/pet/care for animals Begins with one of your initials You paid full price for it Solo-dev project
      Has an animal player character From a series you have played Has number somewhere in the title Owned for more than three years Came out more than 5 years ago

      Play games throughout the month to check off categories in the Bingo card. The ★ in the middle of every card is a free space -- there are no requirements for that square and any game you play fits there!

      The most basic win condition is five-in-a-row, but, if you're feeling really wild, you might go for a win pattern that's a little more involved. Your choice!

      Here's an example of someone "winning" the card above:

      Winning Bingo Card
      Bingo!
      Not super popular (e.g. <50 user reviews on Metacritic) ✅ Is one of the oldest games you own
      Terminal Velocity (1995)      		 Arcade game Has DLC You own on physical media
      You have to tinker in order to get it running ✅ You got from a bundle
      World of Goo      		 You wanted to play it when you were younger but never did Owned for more than five years Has cute, feel-good vibes
      Co-op game or campaign ✅ From now-defunct dev studio
      Blur      		 ★ Has a non-human player character Owned for more than one year
      Not found on any distribution service ✅ You can save/pet/care for animals
      Super Metroid      		 Begins with one of your initials You paid full price for it Solo-dev project
      Has an animal player character ✅ From a series you have played
      Rise of the Tomb Raider      		 Has number somewhere in the title Owned for more than three years Came out more than 5 years ago

      Bingo Golfing (thanks @Wes and @aphoenix!) is also an option: trying to clear a pattern by counting multiple categories for a single game, thus “winning” with as few games as possible.

      Step 3 of Wes's tool includes instructions for checking off games, which has to be done manually. If you need an in-thread guide, you can use the following example below:

      Filling in a Square

      This markdown:

      ||
|:-:|
| ✅ ~~Struckthrough Example Category~~ <br> **Bolded Game Title** |

      Gives this completed square: (ignore the header row that markdown requires for its tables)
      ✅ Struckthrough Example Category
      Bolded Game Title

      If you can't figure out how to check off categories or you break the Markdown for your table, feel free to ask for help in the comments or PM me and I can help you out!

      FAQs

      What is this?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet. This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences!

      How do I participate?

      Choose a game (or several) from your backlog and play it/them. Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week! If you're not sure what you might write, take a look at our 2022 or 2020 events to get an idea.

      Do I need to finish the games I play?

      Nope! Not at all. There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game. Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      What's the timeline?

      I will post an update thread weekly, each Wednesday, all through November. At the end of the month, I think it would be neat to tally how many collective games we all removed from our backlogs, as well as what the best finds were from our collective digging into our libraries. I expect we'll turn up some good hidden gems, as well as interesting insights.

      Do I need to sign up?

      You don't have to do anything to officially join or participate in the event other than post in these threads! Participate in whatever way works for you.

      But November has `Big Name Release` coming out. Why *this* month when people will be focused on that new game?

      I'm doing the best that I can! A "problem" with 2023 is that it has been an absolutely stacked year for gaming releases. There simply hasn't been a "slow" month. With limited time left, I figured November was at least better than December. Think of this as an opportunity to cut down on your backlog before all the end-of-the-year sales hit.

      15 votes

    32. Tildes' 2023 Backlog Burner: The blaze has ignited!

      ~games Text 1106 words
      The event has officially begun! Let's Burn through these backlogs! Use this thread to post about the games that you play. Thread etiquette: It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout...

      The event has officially begun! Let's Burn through these backlogs!

      Use this thread to post about the games that you play.

      Thread etiquette:

      • It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the week if you play multiple games.

      • It is fine to respond to yourself with updates if you're continuing a single game and walk to talk more about it as you go.

      • If you are playing Backlog Bingo, feel free to make a top-level post with your card that you edit as you go, while making new posts underneath that to talk about the games as you play them.

      Gameplay guidelines:

      • Goals for this event (if any) are entirely individual and self-determined.

      • You do NOT need to finish games unless you want to. The point is to try out games and have fun, not force ourselves to play things we're not interested in.

      Backlog Bingo

      Thanks to the amazing efforts of our very own @Wes, we are debuting Backlog Bingo! This is a completely optional way to participate in the month.

      You can generate a unique Backlog Bingo card from a collection of 73 different categories. Choose the ones you want in your batch, and then use Wes's custom-made online tool to automatically create your own individualized bingo card.

      Wes's tool automatically assembles the markdown for your table, so it will paste beautifully into comments here on Tildes. For example:

      Bingo Card Example
      Bingo!
      Not super popular (e.g. <50 user reviews on Metacritic) Is one of the oldest games you own Arcade game Has DLC You own on physical media
      You have to tinker in order to get it running You got from a bundle You wanted to play it when you were younger but never did Owned for more than five years Has cute, feel-good vibes
      Co-op game or campaign From now-defunct dev studio ★ Has a non-human player character Owned for more than one year
      Not found on any distribution service You can save/pet/care for animals Begins with one of your initials You paid full price for it Solo-dev project
      Has an animal player character From a series you have played Has number somewhere in the title Owned for more than three years Came out more than 5 years ago

      Play games throughout the month to check off categories in the Bingo card. The ★ in the middle of every card is a free space -- there are no requirements for that square and any game you play fits there!

      The most basic win condition is five-in-a-row, but, if you're feeling really wild, you might go for a win pattern that's a little more involved. Your choice!

      Here's an example of someone "winning" the card above:

      Winning Bingo Card
      Bingo!
      Not super popular (e.g. <50 user reviews on Metacritic) ✅ Is one of the oldest games you own
      Terminal Velocity (1995)      		 Arcade game Has DLC You own on physical media
      You have to tinker in order to get it running ✅ You got from a bundle
      World of Goo      		 You wanted to play it when you were younger but never did Owned for more than five years Has cute, feel-good vibes
      Co-op game or campaign ✅ From now-defunct dev studio
      Blur      		 ★ Has a non-human player character Owned for more than one year
      Not found on any distribution service ✅ You can save/pet/care for animals
      Super Metroid      		 Begins with one of your initials You paid full price for it Solo-dev project
      Has an animal player character ✅ From a series you have played
      Rise of the Tomb Raider      		 Has number somewhere in the title Owned for more than three years Came out more than 5 years ago

      Bingo Golfing (thanks @Wes and @aphoenix!) is also an option: trying to clear a pattern by counting multiple categories for a single game, thus “winning” with as few games as possible.

      Step 3 of Wes's tool includes instructions for checking off games, which has to be done manually. If you need an in-thread guide, you can use the following example below:

      Filling in a Square

      This markdown:

      ||
|:-:|
| ✅ ~~Struckthrough Example Category~~ <br> **Bolded Game Title** |

      Gives this completed square: (ignore the header row that markdown requires for its tables)
      ✅ Struckthrough Example Category
      Bolded Game Title

      If you can't figure out how to check off categories or you break the Markdown for your table, feel free to ask for help in the comments or PM me and I can help you out!

      FAQs

      What is this?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet. This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences!

      How do I participate?

      Choose a game (or several) from your backlog and play it/them. Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week! If you're not sure what you might write, take a look at our 2022 or 2020 events to get an idea.

      Do I need to finish the games I play?

      Nope! Not at all. There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game. Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      What's the timeline?

      I will post an update thread weekly, each Wednesday, all through November. At the end of the month, I think it would be neat to tally how many collective games we all removed from our backlogs, as well as what the best finds were from our collective digging into our libraries. I expect we'll turn up some good hidden gems, as well as interesting insights.

      Do I need to sign up?

      You don't have to do anything to officially join or participate in the event other than post in these threads! Participate in whatever way works for you.

      But November has `Big Name Release` coming out. Why *this* month when people will be focused on that new game?

      I'm doing the best that I can! A "problem" with 2023 is that it has been an absolutely stacked year for gaming releases. There simply hasn't been a "slow" month. With limited time left, I figured November was at least better than December. Think of this as an opportunity to cut down on your backlog before all the end-of-the-year sales hit.

      43 votes

    33. Announcing the Tildes Backlog Burner event for 2023: Shrink your unplayed games list this November!

      ~games Text 479 words
      What is this? Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet. This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of...

      What is this?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet. This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences!

      How do I participate?

      Choose a game (or several) from your backlog and play it/them. Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week! If you're not sure what you might write, take a look at our 2022 or 2020 events to get an idea.

      Do I need to finish the games I play?

      Nope! Not at all. There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game. Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      What's the timeline?

      I will post an update thread weekly, each Wednesday, all through November. At the end of the month, I think it would be neat to tally how many collective games we all removed from our backlogs, as well as what the best finds were from our collective digging into our libraries. I expect we'll turn up some good hidden gems, as well as interesting insights.

      Do I need to sign up?

      You don't have to do anything to officially join or participate in the event other than post in these threads! Participate in whatever way works for you. Also, because this is ongoing, it is okay to make more than one top-level post if you're updating the thread with new information.

      Do I need to wait until November to get started?

      Technically yes, but I won't police it. The first official discussion thread will go up on Wednesday the 1st, but feel free to kick things off here if you're wanting to pre-game the month!

      But November has Big Name Release coming out. Why this month when people will be focused on that new game?

      I'm doing the best that I can! A "problem" with 2023 is that it has been an absolutely stacked year for gaming releases. There simply hasn't been a "slow" month. With limited time left, I figured November was at least better than December. Think of this as an opportunity to cut down on your backlog before all the end-of-the-year sales hit.

      What if I have trouble deciding what to play?

      You're in luck! I'll be debuting a Backlog Bingo Card card system when the event starts. It'll hopefully help people cut through the difficulty of choosing and make decision-making easier for those of who are cursed with both big backlogs and unhealthy doses of analysis paralysis.

      Let's burn through these backlogs!

      39 votes

    34. Tildes' 2022 Backlog Burner: Final Thread

      ~games Text 42 words
      The 2022 Backlog Burner Event has officially concluded! Use this thread to update on your games from the last week of the month, give overall thoughts, and provide feedback about the event itself....

      The 2022 Backlog Burner Event has officially concluded!

      Use this thread to update on your games from the last week of the month, give overall thoughts, and provide feedback about the event itself.

      You can view all threads for the event here

      13 votes

    35. Tildes' 2022 Backlog Burner: Week 3 Discussion Thread

      ~games Text 389 words
      Use this thread to post about the games that you play! Also, a quick note about thread etiquette: It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the week if you play multiple games. It is...

      Use this thread to post about the games that you play!

      Also, a quick note about thread etiquette: It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the week if you play multiple games. It is also fine to respond to yourself with updates if you're continuing a single game and want to talk more about it as you go!

      Previous threads:

      Announcement
      Beginning
      Week 1
      Week 2

      What is this?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet! This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences!

      How do I participate?

      Choose a game (or several) from your backlog and play it/them. Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week! If you're not sure what you might write, take a look at a previous backlog post or our previous Backlog Burner event in 2020 to get an idea. Also if you want to keep track of statistics across the whole event or anything else like that, go for it!

      Do I need to finish the games I play?

      Nope! Not at all. There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game. Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      What's the timeline?

      I will post an update thread weekly, each Tuesday, for the four weeks of February. At the end of the month, I think it would be neat to tally how many collective games we all removed from our backlogs, as well as what the best finds were from our collective digging into our libraries. I expect we'll turn up some good hidden gems, as well as interesting insights.

      Do I need to sign up?

      You don't have to do anything to officially join or participate in the event other than post in these threads! Participate in whatever way works for you. Also, because this is ongoing, it is okay to make more than one top-level post if you're updating the thread with new information.

      8 votes

    36. Tildes' 2022 Backlog Burner: Week 2 Discussion Thread

      ~games Text 387 words
      Use this thread to post about the games that you play! Also, a quick note about thread etiquette: It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the week if you play multiple games. It is...

      Use this thread to post about the games that you play!

      Also, a quick note about thread etiquette: It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the week if you play multiple games. It is also fine to respond to yourself with updates if you're continuing a single game and want to talk more about it as you go!

      Previous threads:

      Announcement
      Beginning
      Week 1

      What is this?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet! This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences!

      How do I participate?

      Choose a game (or several) from your backlog and play it/them. Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week! If you're not sure what you might write, take a look at a previous backlog post or our previous Backlog Burner event in 2020 to get an idea. Also if you want to keep track of statistics across the whole event or anything else like that, go for it!

      Do I need to finish the games I play?

      Nope! Not at all. There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game. Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      What's the timeline?

      I will post an update thread weekly, each Tuesday, for the four weeks of February. At the end of the month, I think it would be neat to tally how many collective games we all removed from our backlogs, as well as what the best finds were from our collective digging into our libraries. I expect we'll turn up some good hidden gems, as well as interesting insights.

      Do I need to sign up?

      You don't have to do anything to officially join or participate in the event other than post in these threads! Participate in whatever way works for you. Also, because this is ongoing, it is okay to make more than one top-level post if you're updating the thread with new information.

      10 votes

    37. Tildes' 2022 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion Thread

      ~games Text 385 words
      Use this thread to post about the games that you play! Also, a quick note about thread etiquette: It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the week if you play multiple games. It is...

      Use this thread to post about the games that you play!

      Also, a quick note about thread etiquette: It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the week if you play multiple games. It is also fine to respond to yourself with updates if you're continuing a single game and want to talk more about it as you go!

      Previous threads:

      Announcement
      Beginning

      What is this?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet! This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences!

      How do I participate?

      Choose a game (or several) from your backlog and play it/them. Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week! If you're not sure what you might write, take a look at a previous backlog post or our previous Backlog Burner event in 2020 to get an idea. Also if you want to keep track of statistics across the whole event or anything else like that, go for it!

      Do I need to finish the games I play?

      Nope! Not at all. There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game. Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      What's the timeline?

      I will post an update thread weekly, each Tuesday, for the four weeks of February. At the end of the month, I think it would be neat to tally how many collective games we all removed from our backlogs, as well as what the best finds were from our collective digging into our libraries. I expect we'll turn up some good hidden gems, as well as interesting insights.

      Do I need to sign up?

      You don't have to do anything to officially join or participate in the event other than post in these threads! Participate in whatever way works for you. Also, because this is ongoing, it is okay to make more than one top-level post if you're updating the thread with new information.

      10 votes

    38. Tildes' 2022 Backlog Burner Event: It Begins!

      ~games Text 391 words
      The event has officially started! Let's burn through these backlogs! Use this thread to post about the games that you play! Also, a quick note about thread etiquette: It is fine to make multiple...

      The event has officially started! Let's burn through these backlogs!

      Use this thread to post about the games that you play!

      Also, a quick note about thread etiquette: It is fine to make multiple top-level posts throughout the week if you play multiple games. It is also fine to respond to yourself with updates if you're continuing a single game and want to talk more about it as you go!

      What is this?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet! This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences!

      How do I participate?

      Choose a game (or several) from your backlog and play it/them. Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week! If you're not sure what you might write, take a look at a previous backlog post or our previous Backlog Burner event in 2020 to get an idea. Also if you want to keep track of statistics across the whole event or anything else like that, go for it!

      Do I need to finish the games I play?

      Nope! Not at all. There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game. Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      What's the timeline?

      I will post an update thread weekly, each Tuesday, for the four weeks of February. At the end of the month, I think it would be neat to tally how many collective games we all removed from our backlogs, as well as what the best finds were from our collective digging into our libraries. I expect we'll turn up some good hidden gems, as well as interesting insights.

      Do I need to sign up?

      You don't have to do anything to officially join or participate in the event other than post in these threads! Participate in whatever way works for you. Also, because this is ongoing, it is okay to make more than one top-level post if you're updating the thread with new information.

      19 votes

    39. Announcing the Tildes Backlog Burner event for 2022: Shrink your unplayed games list this February!

      ~games Text 380 words
      What is this? Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet! This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of...

      What is this?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet! This event is an attempt to get us to collectively dig into that treasure trove of experiences!

      How do I participate?

      Choose a game (or several) from your backlog and play it/them. Then tell us about your experiences in the discussion thread for the week! If you're not sure what you might write, take a look at a previous backlog post or our previous Backlog Burner event in 2020 to get an idea. Also if you want to keep track of statistics across the whole event or anything else like that, go for it!

      Do I need to finish the games I play?

      Nope! Not at all. There aren't really any requirements for the event so much as this is an incentive to get us to play games we've been avoiding starting up, for whatever reason. Play as much or as little as you like of a given game. Try out dozens for ten minutes each or dive into one for 40 hours. There's no wrong way to participate!

      What's the timeline?

      I will post an update thread weekly, each Tuesday, for the four weeks of February. At the end of the month, I think it would be neat to tally how many collective games we all removed from our backlogs, as well as what the best finds were from our collective digging into our libraries. I expect we'll turn up some good hidden gems, as well as interesting insights.

      Do I need to sign up?

      You don't have to do anything to officially join or participate in the event other than post in these threads! Participate in whatever way works for you. Also, because this is ongoing, it is okay to make more than one top-level post if you're updating the thread with new information.

      Do I need to wait until February to get started?

      Nah. I figured people might want to begin over the weekend, which is why I'm posting the announcement now! The first official discussion thread will go up on Tuesday, but feel free to kick things off here if you're wanting to pre-game the month!

      Let's burn through these backlogs!

      18 votes

    40. Tildes' Book Backlog Burner Event: Final Update Thread

      ~books Text 76 words
      What is this? See here for full details on the event. Post Your Update How did your week go? What books did you get through? How did you feel about them? What's up next for you? Also, given that...

      What is this?

      See here for full details on the event.

      Post Your Update

      • How did your week go?
      • What books did you get through?
      • How did you feel about them?
      • What's up next for you?

      Also, given that this is the last update thread:

      • How was the month overall?
      • Did you enjoy the event?
      • Any breakthroughs, standouts, or lessons learned?
      • If we did something like this again, what would you change or want to see?
      9 votes

    41. Tildes' Game Backlog Burner Event: Final Update Thread

      ~games Text 76 words
      What is this? See here for full details on the event. Post Your Update How did your week go? What books did you get through? How did you feel about them? What's up next for you? Also, given that...

      What is this?

      See here for full details on the event.

      Post Your Update

      • How did your week go?
      • What books did you get through?
      • How did you feel about them?
      • What's up next for you?

      Also, given that this is the last update thread:

      • How was the month overall?
      • Did you enjoy the event?
      • Any breakthroughs, standouts, or lessons learned?
      • If we did something like this again, what would you change or want to see?
      9 votes

    42. Tildes' Game Backlog Burner Event: Week 3 Update Thread

      ~games Text 50 words
      What is this? See here for full details on the event. Post Your Update How did your week go? What games did you get through? How did you feel about them? What's up next for you? (Optional!)...

      What is this?

      See here for full details on the event.

      Post Your Update

      • How did your week go?
      • What games did you get through?
      • How did you feel about them?
      • What's up next for you?

      (Optional!) Focuses for Week 4 (Last Week!)

      • ANYTHING GOES!

      Let's burn through these backlogs!

      9 votes

    43. Tildes' Book Backlog Burner Event: Week 3 Update Thread

      ~books Text 50 words
      What is this? See here for full details on the event. Post Your Update How did your week go? What books did you get through? How did you feel about them? What's up next for you? (Optional!)...

      What is this?

      See here for full details on the event.

      Post Your Update

      • How did your week go?
      • What books did you get through?
      • How did you feel about them?
      • What's up next for you?

      (Optional!) Focuses for Week 4 (Last Week!)

      • ANYTHING GOES!

      Let's burn through these backlogs!

      6 votes

    44. Tildes' Game Backlog Burner Event: Week 2 Update Thread

      ~games Text 74 words
      What is this? See here for full details on the event. Post Your Update How did your week go? What games did you get through? How did you feel about them? What's up next for you? (Optional!)...

      What is this?

      See here for full details on the event.

      Post Your Update

      • How did your week go?
      • What games did you get through?
      • How did you feel about them?
      • What's up next for you?

      (Optional!) Focuses for Week 3

      • Games that have a score of less than 80 on any review aggregator
      • Games that someone else recommended to you
      • Games that are open-ended or story-less

      Let's burn through these backlogs!

      10 votes

    45. Tildes' Book Backlog Burner Event: Week 2 Update Thread

      ~books Text 76 words
      What is this? See here for full details on the event. Post Your Update How did your week go? What books did you get through? How did you feel about them? What's up next for you? (Optional!)...

      What is this?

      See here for full details on the event.

      Post Your Update

      • How did your week go?
      • What books did you get through?
      • How did you feel about them?
      • What's up next for you?

      (Optional!) Focuses for Week 3

      • Books with an aggregate review score of less than 4.0/80% on Goodreads, LibraryThing, or any other review aggregator
      • Books that someone else recommended to you
      • Non-fiction books

      Let's burn through these backlogs!

      7 votes

    46. Tildes' Game Backlog Burner Event: Week 1 Update Thread

      ~games Text 64 words
      What is this? See here for full details on the event. Post Your Update How did your week go? What games did you get through? How did you feel about them? What's up next for you? Focuses for Week 2...

      What is this?

      See here for full details on the event.

      Post Your Update

      • How did your week go?
      • What games did you get through?
      • How did you feel about them?
      • What's up next for you?

      Focuses for Week 2

      • Games in genres you don't normally play
      • Games that take longer than 4 hours to complete
      • Story-driven games

      Let's burn through these backlogs!

      8 votes

    47. Tildes' Book Backlog Burner Event: Week 1 Update Thread

      ~books Text 66 words
      What is this? See here for full details on the event. Post Your Update How did your week go? What books did you get through? How did you feel about them? What's up next for you? Focuses for Week 2...

      What is this?

      See here for full details on the event.

      Post Your Update

      • How did your week go?
      • What books did you get through?
      • How did you feel about them?
      • What's up next for you?

      Focuses for Week 2

      • Books in a genre you don't normally read
      • Books that you own physical copies of
      • Books with more than 400 pages

      Let's burn through these backlogs!

      8 votes

    48. Tildes' Backlog Burner Event: Shrink your unplayed games list this April!

      ~games Text 652 words
      What is this? First off, this is NOT an April Fool (I promise!). I know that many of us will be stuck at home for this month, I know that many of us could likely use something to pull our...

      What is this?

      First off, this is NOT an April Fool (I promise!). I know that many of us will be stuck at home for this month, I know that many of us could likely use something to pull our attention away from the news, and I know that many of us have accumulated quite the to-play list of games. As such, I'm thinking it could be fun for us to tackle those lists together and collectively clean up our clutter! Let's all burn through our backlogs!

      The goal isn't necessarily to completely clear them, just to put a dent in them.

      How does it work?

      Your "backlog" is all those games you've been meaning to play or get around to, but never have yet! For the purposes of this event, an item can be removed from your backlog in one of three ways:

      • Finished: you completed the game, or, for open-ended games, reached some level of "done" that you consider satisfactory

      • Moved On: you tried it out, but it didn't hold your interest, got repetitive, wasn't for you, or had some other issue (like compatibility problems or glitches)

      • Removed: you are choosing to remove this from your backlog without playing it, likely because it no longer interests you, but really for any reason at all.

      Use this thread to talk about your backlogs, plan for the month, and once you start playing, inform us of any backlog downsizing and their associated categories. Give us a list of the games you removed. Tell us why you moved on from what you were just playing. Gush about how a particular item held your interest long enough to see it through. The goal of this isn't to beat every game you own; it's to explore what you already have in the way that's best, and most meaningful, for you. If you're not enjoying a game, dump it and move on!

      If you're not sure what you might write, take a look at a previous backlog post to get an idea. Also if you want to keep track of statistics or anything else like that, go for it!

      What's the timeline?

      I will post an update thread weekly, each Wednesday, for the four weeks of April. At the end of the month, I think it would be neat to tally how many collective games we all removed from our backlogs, as well as what the best finds were from our collective digging into our libraries. I expect we'll turn up some good hidden gems, as well as interesting insights.

      Each week, I'll also include some "focus" areas which can help narrow down choices for what to play. Those are just recommendations for fun, however. Play whatever you like, whenever you like, however you like! If it's in your backlog, then it's automatically a good choice!

      Do I need to sign up?

      You don't have to do anything to officially join or participate in the event other than post in these threads! Participate in whatever way works for you. Also, because this is ongoing, it is okay to make more than one top-level post if you're updating the thread with new information.

      Focuses for Week 1:

      • Games you've been meaning to play for more than a year
      • Games you can mod
      • "Evening-size" games

      Let's burn through these backlogs!

      Meta Note: I am also running this same event for ~books as well. I am not active in the other media-focused communities on Tildes, but I encourage someone(s) to pick this up and run it concurrently for ~movies, ~tv, ~anime, and/or ~music (and any other places you think it might fit). I like the idea of it being sitewide, with people participating in their media formats of choice. Any runners for those groups have my full permission to steal this wholesale, tweak it for their target group, and post it there.

      16 votes

    49. Tildes' Backlog Burner Event: Shrink your unread books list this April!

      ~books Text 638 words
      What is this? First off, this is NOT an April Fool (I promise!). I know that many of us will be stuck at home for this month, I know that many of us could likely use something to pull our...

      What is this?

      First off, this is NOT an April Fool (I promise!). I know that many of us will be stuck at home for this month, I know that many of us could likely use something to pull our attention away from the news, and I know that many of us have accumulated quite the to-read list of books. As such, I'm thinking it could be fun for us to tackle those lists together and collectively clean up our clutter! Let's all burn through our backlogs!

      The goal isn't necessarily to completely clear them, just to put a dent in them.

      How does it work?

      Your "backlog" is all those books you've been meaning to get around to read, but never have yet! For the purposes of this event, an item can be removed from your backlog in one of three ways:

      • Finished: you completed the book

      • Moved On: you tried it out, but it didn't hold your interest or wasn't for you

      • Removed: you are choosing to remove this from your backlog without reading it, likely because it no longer interests you, but really for any reason at all

      Use this thread to talk about your backlogs, plan for the month, and once you start reading, inform us of any backlog downsizing and their associated categories. Give us a list of the books you removed. Tell us why you moved on from what you were just reading. Gush about how a particular item held your interest long enough to see it through. The goal of this isn't to read every book you own; it's to explore what you already have in the way that's best, and most meaningful, for you. If you're not enjoying a book, dump it and move on!

      If you're not sure what you might write, take a look at a previous backlog post for games to get an idea. Also if you want to keep track of statistics or anything else like that, go for it!

      What's the timeline?

      I will post an update thread weekly, each Wednesday, for the four weeks of April. At the end of the month, I think it would be neat to tally how many collective books we all removed from our backlogs, as well as what the best finds were from our collective digging into our libraries. I expect we'll turn up some good hidden gems, as well as interesting insights.

      Each week, I'll also include some "focus" areas which can help narrow down choices for what to read. Those are just recommendations for fun, however. Read whatever you like, whenever you like, however you like! If it's in your backlog, then it's automatically a good choice!

      Do I need to sign up?

      You don't have to do anything to officially join or participate in the event other than post in these threads! Participate in whatever way works for you. Also, because this is ongoing, it is okay to make more than one top-level post if you're updating the thread with new information.

      Focuses for Week 1:

      • Books that have been on your to-read list for more than a year
      • Books that have single-word titles
      • Books that are less than 200 pages

      Let's burn through these backlogs!

      Meta Note: I am also running this same event for ~games as well. I am not active in the other media-focused communities on Tildes, but I encourage someone(s) to pick this up and run it concurrently for ~movies, ~tv, ~anime, and/or ~music (and any other places you think it might fit). I like the idea of it being sitewide, with people participating in their media format(s) of choice. Any runners for those groups have my full permission to steal this wholesale, tweak it for their target group, and post it there.

      18 votes