During our winter hibernation, many of us cozied up with an old friend: our video game backlogs. We’ve been making our way through games we’ve been meaning to play for ages. Our discussion of current and future backlogs includes tips, soul searching, and confessions. What video game did we all bounce off? Which modern classic causes Sam to have a full meltdown on air? What titles are we considering for this year’s site-wide Summer Backlog Challenge? Listen to find the answers to these absolutely pressing questions.
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Timestamps
- 0:00 – Intros: Fave Video Game Quotes
- 6:30 – Tackling the Backlog in 2026 So Far
- 29:40 – Backlog Goals and Guilt
- 41:10 – How We Manage our Backlog
- 51:00 – Creating Our Sitewide Summer Backlog Challenge
- 1:10:00 – Lightning Round
- 1:17:27 – Outros: Books, TV/Film, Music Recs
Excerpts
Scored Reviews & the Games Industry
Sam: “This is something we’ve all experienced — you tried a game and it didn’t sit right with you. And you tell yourself, ‘Oh man, but everyone says this game is so great.’ But you don’t have to think that! That’s another way backlogs pile up. There are games that I would try, that I think look good, that everyone says is good, so maybe I should just give it a try, right? But sometimes that’s also an insincere way to approach it. Do I actually want to play this, or is just everyone telling me that I should? You get caught up in the zeitgeist, when maybe, you just don’t actually want to play that game.”
Matt: “One of the things that has been amazing is just joining the Punished Backlog team. Writing about games is great… It’s helped me get through the backlog. It’s not just about playing the game, but about producing a product afterwards that I’m excited of and proud of. On top of that, having a group of people to discuss games with has been awesome. Growing up, gaming was super social for me, you know playing with friends, split-screen, all of that. But as I’ve become more of an adult and my backlog has gotten bigger, it’s because I’m playing by myself [especially because so many games are single-player]. Gaming has become almost more isolating. So joining the Punished Backlog has given me a chance to make gaming a more social experience again. Like, I would probably wouldn’t have picked up The Seance of Blake Manor if Amanda hadn’t been such an evangelist for it. So it’s been really exciting to have that camaraderie around gaming again.”
Zack: “But that’s the problem! Everyone’s telling me about all these great games and I can’t stop buying them!” [Everyone laughs.] “But yeah that’s one of the things that’s so great about this community. Even if you pick up a game that’s ten years old, you can say something and be like, ‘Hey, has anyone ever tried this?’ and usually someone has and that’s really fun to be able to talk to other people about a game.”
Listen to the episode for the rest of the conversation!
Further Reading
A video game outlet that blends quality words with inclusive voices. For business inquiries and review requests, reach us at press [at] punishedbacklog [dot] com.
Amanda Tien (she/her or they) loves video games where she can pet dogs, solve mysteries, punch bad guys, play as a cool lady, and/or have a good cry. She started writing with The Punished Backlog in 2020 and became an Editor in 2022. Amanda also does a lot of the site's graphic designs and podcast editing. Amanda's work has been published in Mothership, Unwinnable Monthly, Poets.org, Salt Hill Journal, and more. She holds an MFA in Fiction from the University of Pittsburgh. Learn more about her writing, visual art, graphic design, and marketing work at www.amandatien.com.
David is the founder of The Punished Backlog. He has a problem finishing games he starts.
Just beat: Yakuza 0, Sleeping Dogs.
Working on: Ys VIII.
Can't wait for: GTA VI.
Follow David on Twitter at @David_Silbert to keep up to date with all things The Punished Backlog.
Sam has been playing video games since his earliest years and has been writing about them since 2016. He’s a big fan of Nintendo games and complaining about The Last of Us Part II. You either agree wholeheartedly with his opinions or despise them. There is no in between.
A lifelong New Yorker, Sam views gaming as far more than a silly little pastime, and hopes through critical analysis and in-depth reviews to better understand the medium's artistic merit.
Twitter: @sam_martinelli.
Zack has been hooked on games ever since his older brother taught him where to find the secret warp whistles in Mario Bros. 3. He has never felt more joy than when Yoshi congratulated him on getting 120 stars in Mario 64 or more sadness than when he played Kingdom Hearts 3 after waiting 14 years for it. Zack mails a letter to Nintendo every day asking them to bring back Chibi Robo and will gladly tell you all about why it’s one of the greatest games of all time. He was hoping that writing for the site would help him get through his backlog, but it actually just made it worse now that he’s hearing about so many more great hidden gems. Oops…
Matt has loved video games since he played Super Smash Bros. on an Nintendo 64 in the year 2000. Today, the games he plays most often are puzzlers, Souls-likes, and roguelikes, but he really loves any single-player game that's challenging and/or has a great story.
When he's not gaming, Matt's a public policy nerd who will talk your ear off about how well-designed government forms are the lost gateway to utopia.
