Option Paralysis or New Toy Syndrome? Why We Started Auditing Our Shelf

I follow a few hashtags on Instagram (my handle is @kacoplays) and #TopicTuesday🎲 prompt really stuck with me: Do more options on the shelf make it harder to choose what to play? I don't think so. Then again, I might not be the best person to answer because I track everything

Plays? Tracked

H index? Tracked

Acquisitions? Tracked

Games in shrink? Also tracked

There was a point when we realized we had games sitting in shrink longer than we'd had Elphaba. That's when we knew we needed some boundaries. Outside of birthdays and holidays, we try not to let our unplayed pile creep past 20 games. It's not a perfect system, but it helps balance two competing thoughts:

"Ooh, new toy!" and "Wait, I really wanted to play that again"

Because here's the thing. I don't think a giant Kallax (or multiple ones) causes option paralysis. I think new to me games do. Every new arrival wants attention. Review copies need table time. That exciting find from Zatu or Millennium Games is calling your name. That Kickstarter you've waited two years for finally lands on your doorstep. Before you know it, your old favorites quietly slide further down the shelf

To keep ourselves honest, every new game goes through what we call our Shelf Audit

⏳ Consider

Some games just need time. Those get 365 days to prove themselves. Sometimes a game takes a few plays before it clicks. Sometimes it never does. Other times, we've already gotten what we wanted from it after a play or two. Not every great game needs to live on our shelf forever. Some are meant to be enjoyed, appreciated, and then released back into the wild

🚫 Cull

I'll admit it. I get feisty when I walk into Millennium Games and spot a masterpiece sitting in the used section. "Who would get rid of this?" I mutter way too loudly. Then I continue walking straight to the trade in counter with a bag full of games. Yep! I'm that person too. That's the beauty of catch and release gaming. I get to adopt a few new games, release a few back into the wild, and hopefully make another gamer's day in the process

Buying used lets me try games I probably wouldn't have purchased at full price. Some bounce right back because they weren't for us. Others are forgotten classics that deserve another chance. Where I live, anything older than a decade is practically vintage, and I love rescuing those games. The best part is knowing that when I let something go, someone else gets to discover it. Maybe they'll keep it forever. Maybe they'll trade it in a few months. Either way, the game gets another story, and it doesn’t collect dust on our shelf {of shame 🙈}

🦆 YES, Keep!

Not every game has to earn its spot by being played every month. Some games earn permanent residence because of what they mean to us. Take Splendor. We used to play it constantly. These days it mostly comes out during double dates with two specific couples, but it's never leaving. Between the memories, the expansion fitting perfectly into the original box, and the 3D printed insert, it has officially achieved shelf immortality

Then there are games like Barbecubes. We played it a ton, solved the puzzle, and realized it was probably better suited for kids than our group. It graduated to a new home with some friends who are vegan.(Which is kinda ironic because we never managed to find the vegetarian version to gift them. So steak, shrimp, and chicken had to find a new table to visit instead. 😂 Thankfully, the game was still a hit... even if the ingredients would never make it into their kitchen)

The Shelf Ecosystem

Not every game is meant to stay forever. Sometimes a game does its job, creates some memories, and then moves on to someone who will love it even more. Collections should be living, breathing things. Some games become lifelong favorites. Others are just a fun chapter. Some surprise you. Some disappoint you. Some end up making another gamer ridiculously happy when they find them in the used section. So no, I don't think having a huge collection automatically creates option paralysis

The real challenge is making sure your favorite games don't disappear beneath the excitement of whatever arrived this week. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a game in shrink calling my name and an important decision to make: do we start game time with Jump Drive as an appetizer, or do I pretend I have the self control to play the new game first?