For as long as I can remember, I've been surrounded with video games. My father collected them throughout his life as well as my own, supplying me with stacks of dusty cartridges, cases of scratched-up discs, and endless opportunities to lose myself in other worlds, controller in hand.
It's been almost 15 years since I first tried out my first game, and over 10 since I met my first love, the Nintendo GameCube. A lot has changed, beyond my beloved GameCube becoming outdated. I've skipped a grade, moved to a new state, wrestled with mental illness and my identity as a lesbian, and grown up in a stressful home environment. The only consistency I've had in my life is the wonder I've felt when escaping into video games, and that is the reason behind this project.
Even through my heaviest periods of reliance on games, I stuck to what I knew (GameCube games) and what I could take with me (Nintendo DS games) to take care of myself. I've played plenty of other games, yes, but haven't delved too deep into my collection. Now that I'm older, it feels right to try them all out. I have hundreds of games that I haven't completed, haven't played extensively, or haven't played at all, and I can't just let that slide.
It's with great pride (as well as nervousness) that I'd like to present this writing project: Logging the Backlog, a series of reviews based on my exploration of my game collection. It's my sincere hope that I can bring some enjoyment to others who love video games. And here's hoping, too, that I can find some way to give every game I have the shot it deserves.
Note: This writing project is defunct -- it was a bit restrictive and large for me, and some of the articles previously tagged under it really didn't qualify as an exploration of my unplayed collection anyway, but we're leaving the post up for posterity. Every review I posted here prior to 2018 was originally included. This post was initially posted on the previous Blue Backspace site on September 13, 2016, but has been reposted here.