In 2023, I tracked every game I played. If I put in any meaningful amount of time into it on a particular day, it went on a list. By the end of the year, I played 146 different games. It’s a pretty decent number. But for 2024, I want to take that one massive step further.
For this year, in addition to my regular playing of games, I want to attempt to try a new/different game every day. So, while I might continue my playthrough of Tears of the Kingdom and Final Fantasy IV, I’m going to dedicate some time each day to try something I haven’t played before.
This “should be” pretty easy to pull off
To be fair, I have a very large collection of games across multiple platforms. With my extensive Steam library, my subscriptions to PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass, and the influx of free games I’ve redeemed through the Epic Game Store, I have more than enough to play. Essentially, I could play a different game every day and still not go through my entire library.
Every Monday, I will post a blog highlighting the previous week’s seven games. Each game will get a short blurb. I’ll highlight stuff like the reasoning behind the pick and how far I got on that day. The plan is to spend about 30-90 minutes every day playing a different game.
I don’t expect to play them through completion. In most cases, I’ll probably only get through the game’s introductory chapter/section. If I’m enjoying the game, I might put in more time. In cases where I’m not enjoying the game, I’ll only play the bare minimum. The point here is to play enough to form an opinion and to share it in a blog.
Some basic requirements
For this challenge, I’ve put some requirements that I will try my hardest to maintain. For starters, these have to be games I’ve never played before and in any meaningful way. Although I’ve never gotten very far in Final Fantasy VI, I’ve played it a bit that I wouldn’t consider for this challenge. Earthbound is another game that while I’ve never gotten past the first section, I saw enough of the intro that I couldn’t consider it for this challenge.
I want to focus on full releases, so betas will not count and only a few types of demos will. If the demo contains the start of the game and allows you to transfer your progress to the full game, then I can use it for this. But, if the demo is a standalone experience, then it won’t work for this challenge. Again, my library has so many games that I’ve bought but never played that I won’t have trouble playing something different every day.
Thankfully, there are also a ton of 2024 games that I’m looking forward to which will help me to keep this challenge from being strictly older games. Upcoming releases like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Banishers: The Ghosts of New Eden, and Tekken 8 are just a few of the upcoming releases that I’d like to play. There will be plenty more games out this year that I’ll want to play.
Looking forward to playing so many games
There will be obstacles along the way. I’m traveling to Europe later this month, but I think I should be able to still play a different game every day and be able to chronicle my progress. If I set aside two hours every day, mostly in the evenings, then I shouldn’t have a hard time pulling this off.
During those trips, it just means I’ll focus more on portable gaming. Gaming on the Switch, Steam deck, or older hardware will be the focus. Then, when I’m back home, I’ll shift to console and PC games to help balance it out. In the end, it won’t be a perfect balance. The key is to have a nice variety of not only different consoles but also a nice mix of different genres.
Although I’m beginning this challenge as a blog, if possible, I’d love to be able to incorporate YouTube and/or Twitch. If I can dedicate time every evening (e.g. 10 pm PT) where I spend two hours playing a different game, it could be a lot of fun. It might not be possible for every game, especially older and portable-only titles, but it could be something fun to try.
The First Blog is on Monday
I’ve already started this challenge and the first blog post will be this Monday. I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts on the first group as I’ve got a nice mix of genres to talk about. Be sure to check back each week as I attempt to play 366 different games for the first time in 2024.