Gaming Resolutions 2025

Something I like to do every year is to write some "resolutions" for how I will approach gaming, which is my major hobby, in the year to come. I don't take it overly seriously but I do find it helpful as a reference towards what I want to do with my hobby time so I don't just end up giving into my darker impulses and doing something truly crazy like trying to platinum Balan Wonderworld. This year I'm going to change things up a bit because I keep repeating the same resolutions with only moderate success. So I'm reframing how I approach this in the hopes that it will help me stay more on track.

1. Be more conscientious about how I approach my gaming

One thing I've noticed in my gaming habits is that when I just allow myself to follow my impulses I make decisions that don't end up satisfying me. I am very curious by nature so I often end up checking out stuff that's interesting rather than "good." That's how I ended up playing Skull & Bones and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League while failing to finish Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth or even play Unicorn Overlord or Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. Whoops. I need to not do that. I want to make my gaming decisions based on what I actually want to play and think I will really enjoy.

2. Stop holding games in reserve

There will always be new games I want to play and more than I can get to. I will never get through even the good stuff on my backlog. I have a tendency to not want to "burn" through the games I really want to play but that's very stupid and I need to stop.

3. Focus on the Switch before the coming of Switch 2

I've gotten quite a lot of play out of my Nintendo Switch, but with its successor on the horizon there are still so many games I've bought but haven't gotten to. I want to. I know I will keep playing Switch games after the new one launches (I still play Xbox 360 and PS3 games, and even PS2 and PS1 games) but I will be focusing on the new stuff and I want to get through the games I really want to finish before it arrives. I want to prioritize the Switch, especially because I really do love the Nintendo games I make time for.

4. Just spend less money.

Perennial resolution. I waste too much money on games I don't care about, which is bad for two reasons. The first is that it is a waste of money. The second is that I feel compelled to play a lot of that, and so I end up playing mediocre games like Sherlock Holmes: The Awakening, which wasn't awful but also wasn't really worth my time. I have enough mediocre games to last me a lifetime. I can't say I won't spend on insanely good deals in the future, but I need to be buying games that I really and truly want to play because just adding to my backlog is actively damaging my enjoyment of games.

And I think that's it. My main resolutions are to really focus in on making my game time count, playing the games I really want to play, and spending less money. I think that approach should allow me to continue to enjoy the hobby while cutting down on my wasted time and regret.

Though I think I COULD get that Balan Wonderworld platinum...I mean how long could it take?