To Do: Write Wednesday's Blog Post

I love lists. They are incredibly portable, convenient, and mostly help me concentrate on what I need to get done during the day. I have lists of books I need to read, homework to do, and TV to watch, but perhaps one of the most important lists I have is of my video games I need to play. Let's face it folks, sometimes it's hard to remember what games you have on your shelf that you haven't touched in ages. Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg? Chibi Robo? I actually owned those at some point? If you're like me and tend to have a rather one-track mind when it comes to playing games (Persona 3, I'm looking at you), then keeping an effective "Games to Play" list is essential in keeping your progress on track.

How to Keep Track of Your Gaming

One of the easiest ways to start this process is to list all of the games you own. I know, I know, doing that is a pain in the ass, but I've found when you start to pay attention to the neglected corners of you gaming shelf, you find amazing games that you've forgotten about. In my case, I found my old copy of Banjo-Tooie, remembered how much I loved the game, and then embarked on a grand quest to find my Nintendo 64...But that's a story for another day. Alright, do you have your list? I'll share with you an excerpt of mine here:

1. Resident Evil (GCN)
2. Metal Gear Solid (PS)
3. Animal Crossing (GCN)
4. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3)
5. Sly 2: Band of Thieves (PS2)
6. Shadow the Hedgehog (PS2)
7. Okami (PS2)
8. Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (GCN)
9. Chibi Robo (GCN)
10. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)
11. Pokemon SoulSilver (DS)
12. Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS)
13. Banjo-Tooie (N64)
14. Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)
15. Naruto: Clash of Ninja (GCN)

Did you finish your list? I'm sure that upon looking through it, you realized that there were many games on there that you don't play anymore/would rather you didn't own. Don't fear! Our next task in the journey of making our list is to par it down. Any games on there that you don't want your friends finding out about, cross them off (for me, that would have to be Billy Hatcher, Naruto, and Shadow). Cross off any games that you know you're not going to play again (Animal Crossing, Sly 2). And finally, to make yourself feel better, take off all of the games that you've completed. Once you're done with this process, your list should look nice and sleek, much like this:

1. Okami (PS2)
2. Pokemon SoulSilver (DS)
3. Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS)
4. Banjo-Tooie (N64)
5. Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)

Now doesn't that seem a bit more manageable than that list you had beforehand? I'm sure there are several games on here that you forgot you hadn't beaten. For me, I still forget that I haven't actually completed Super Mario Sunshine, and sometimes I entirely forget that I have Okami lying around on my shelves. Gaming lists are how I keep track of my gaming history, and my gaming future, and I definitely recommend them to those of you who, like me, tend to be a bit scatterbrained about the little things.

Do you guys have any strategies to keep yourself on track when gaming? Let me know!