A weird confession that I'm going to attempt to put into words

But aren't cakes made for the purpose of eating? Just like games are made to be played?

Although i understand the feeling of seeing something new and shiny and not wanting to break that feeling of mystery before you actually dig into it. :3

Good luck with your backlog.

I know that feeling! It happens to me when I pick up mushrooms that are so perfect that it's a shame to slice and cook them! For example, stuff like these:

View attached image.

the grass is always greener ... until you get to the other side
if you were a physical goods collector, i'm sure you would have everything shrinkwrapped and unopened, from what you're saying above.
try going into the games without any expectations? if reading reviews or such stop, so you can be surprised?

Pretty darm close to me- even in library size.

Both the excitement and surprise of starting is something i love and that i love to have in a frequent basis, so i frequently see myself waiting to pop the surprise open. Rationally to myself i say 'let me save to start this one later' - but truth is its a way less rational feeling. The part i can grasp of it is that, indeed, the day i start it new and fresh is more exciting then other gaming days. Makes for a much better start.

IDN about you but in my case i do start games more then not- my main problem is going further with them for the same reasons.
Generally it goes like this:
-Im too ansious. Too much. Some games i can hold but most i can't wait to unwrap.
Frequently on sales and bundles that means installing and 'playing' 80% of them (sometimes all, sometimes less). The ones less are the ones im saving for a big day or the ones too big to install asap (:P).
-It starts. The excitement. All the new and fun stuff.
I took it for a spin. I felt it.
...and then...
-...I leave then touch later - frequently even uninstall
To save for later. To not tarnish it yet/too soon as you said .

Heck, sometimes i find myself getting sucked on this first run and consciously back off from the flow 'not yet!'.
Rationally my backlog and wanting to end other things first (gaming and irl) is the reason.
But truth is its more visceral and irrational. Its just how i feel.

And then when i finally decide to play them... my other ages old problem hits: AVOIDING THE END.
Its not the same thing- in a sense is almost the opposite (stopping when its all but 'tarnished', the very end) - but relies on the same principle of keeping a certain feeling and excitement.

While waiting to play and holding off are recent behaviours, avoiding the end have been with me since ever- and the reason is very clear to me: I DON'T WANT THEM TO END.
Wich is precisely why i beat without a tought games that aren't good- creating this weird thing where the games i love most i never finished.

The last one ive beaten and burned through quickly despite being lenghty was that X-com shooter, pretty lame, repetitive, won't miss it- so i could get to end. I didn't mind it ending.
The true x-coms however i barely touched; I do install from time to time, play a little and then uninstall... so it lasts longer.

Its so bizarre there are games i stopped right before the last level or final boss multiple times- and everytime i play then again i go from the begining. Batman Arkham Asylum i played like twice or thrice before actually beating (because i forced myself to); Arkham City i stopped at the final act; Perhaps now that i finally grabbed arkham knight (guess what- i didn't touched it yet) i may come to peace with finishing arkham city.

And then there are the true bizarre- games i wished so much and seen to deliver on every wish that i can't start playing. Ive had a bunch (until one day i finally trespassed the thereshold), but i don't recon any having so big a effect on me as Serpents in the Staglands. A modern 'darklands' (and better) with branching storyline, meaningul dialogue choices, a fantasy world that is not like any ive played, dozens of everything, the art-style that almost gives me orgasms... I can't. Idn why but i can't start it! Ive played the tutorial almost a dozen times, steped just outisde it once and thats it....
....IT BECAME A MONSTER- A HYPE EXPECTATION BEAST

Now theres either a game i will love waiting for the day im 'ready' for it or a deception- either way what it became on my mind became a beast in itself thats probably bigger and better then the real thing; And the day i confirm wich it is that excitement, expectation and joy of having that jewel waiting for the big day will be over.

Damn... a part o me screams to install it right now and face my weird demons. Another holds me with all its strenghts.

Im actually actively fighting these behaviours but Serpent in the Staglands... im not ready to cross that line yet.

PS: loved your choice of pharsing. 'Tarnished'. I always struggled describing this too.

I'm familiar with the feeling, when I was a kid I got a Lego set with Luke Skywalker in it, and I liked it so much that I never played with it in case of something will happen to it, limbs/head piece getting loose...
About games it's usually in a lighter way than you experience it, it's mostly "it's a great game, let's save up the good stuff for later" and I often end up playing half-bad or okay games instead of the best ones I could because their length, complexity, or simply my expectations cause a game to be "saved for later" But they meant to be played, that's how things are :) playing the games is more fun than watching their trailers :D

I'm kind of in the same boat. Usually when I get a good game and I start playing it, I love it. I get into it and play for a few hours..
In the back of my mind, I know that if I save and close, there is a good chance I will never open that game again.
If I do return, I'll most likely restart rather than load save (I mostly play strategy games like paradox stuff)

I think I kinda get it. I have some really good games that I haven't played yet (some just a few minutes) because I'm afraid to "spoil" it, or maybe that I'd be disappointed by it? I've been looking forward to XCOM since I had a potato computer, but now that I have a better computer and I bought the game, I couldn't bring myself to touch it...

I wasn't really seeing the cake analogy because you can't have your cake and eat it, but you definitely can have your game and play it which is one of the good things about games! But then you brought up books and actually, I sort of feel that with them! There's something wonderful about an unopened, unread book sitting on your shelf so full of promise and wonder. Not to say that actually reading one isn't nice, too, but it's not quite the same thing. Now it's tarnished by human contact, no longer Good and True and Pure.

But the cake no matter how awesomely-made will go bad if it's left just for views as it's made to be eaten

However bad this sounds, there's something way worse; loving something one day, to feel that it's a waste of time the next day. I mainly get this feeling about music, not games, tho. But, generally speaking, high expectations is the mother of disappointment. and I know this all too well.

But, yes, I can totally understand you, even if my issues like the ones you described occur most with movies and tv series or books. With games, I'm more like MtvYoloSwag said above, I'll start the game and even if I totally love it from the start, I may never pick it up to play again because of various reasons (time, waiting for friends to get it to play with them, etc.) not limited to but including "don't wanna spoil it" or find out that it gets repetitive or badly balanced along the way. I also have this weird (and totally worthless OCD-like) thing where if I play an RPG (one of my favorite genres) and my character dies I most of the times feel totally disconnected from him/her/it and I'm much more likely to start again with a new character than to continue playing the character that died once.

You're spoiled ;P and probably too much under the influence of some sort of sensory overload or too much pressure... but I kinda know what you mean - I sometimes scroll through my library, see all the awesome games I really like, imagine playing them and meanwhile get caught by a weird feeling of pressure, that makes me play some minutes and then jump to another title... I don't know, maybe it's literally the agony of choice ;x or me having too little time and not wanting to rush through a game because of that, who really knows. Plus my damn RL obligations ain't making it easier at all ;>.

That's just how a lot of collectors feel. Preserving the genius behind that idea, object, game, whatever it is. It's the reason why collectors keep their stuff in the original boxes.

I see. Good for you for coming out about it.

I feel bad if I get a game and don't play it, and with steam and its bundles I feel even more bad for not playing them due the little free time I have. But you can try to change that by playing your game little by little, use a random game picker like this one https://servc.eu/rsg/ and let it choose the game for you. I really hope this will work because games are made for playing, as well as the cake which are made for eating even if its extra pretty.

If you leave the cake without eating 'because it is pretty and perfect at that time' it will eventually go bad. Same for the game, if you buy a game this year and leave it aside because you don't want to play it now, it will be outdated and its graphics/story will be old later when you decide to play it, you will not enjoy it as when you play right after you purchase it.

Good luck :)

Well instead of getting that kind of cake, one could just get a fake cake, that looks like perfect cake and you could look at it every day without it going bad and stuff. Plus a perfect looking cake might not taste perfect. But how would you know by just looking at it? (Never mind the fact that having a real cake sitting around for... ever, it doesn't look perfect after a while o.o)
But games, they don't mind sitting around for a while. They just get sad, if they sit around for eternity :(
Poor games.

Try something like Blaeo. I joined them not so long ago, although I don't feel my unplayed games as that big of a problem, it still helps me getting back on track. Maybe a push in the right direction?
Or maybe your just a collector. But then.... that's really a shame. Try collecting these fake cakes ;) :D