pile of shame
/paɪl əv ʃeɪm/
CommonA gamer's collection of purchased games they have never played or started but never finished.
The term originally came from board gaming circles before crossing into video gaming. Always said with humor. The 'shame' part is mostly ironic, it is really a badge of community identity.
Real-world examples5 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | steam sale added 12 games to the pile of shame. no regrets | Bought many games knowing they will join the unplayed backlog. | reddit, 2024 |
| 02 | what's on your pile of shame? mine is like 300 games | Asking others how many unplayed games they own. | reddit, 2023 |
| 03 | just finished Witcher 3 after 4 years in my pile of shame. worth the wait | Finally playing a long-owned unplayed game and finding it was good. | reddit, 2024 |
| 04 | stopped buying new games. need to clear the pile of shame first. 40 games deep and counting | Committing to finishing owned games before purchasing anything new. | x, 2024 |
| 05 | humble bundle is how the pile of shame grows. $12 for 15 games you'll never touch | Bundle purchases add many games to the backlog at once. | reddit, 2023 |
Use it when
- Referring to a collection of games you own but have never played.
- Joking about buying more games when you already have too many unplayed ones.
- Asking someone what is on their list of unfinished or unstarted games.
Do not use it when
- You mean games you played and disliked.
- You mean games you want to buy but haven't yet.Use “wishlist” instead.
Pile of shame vs backlog shame
pile of shame
Pile of shame is the collection itself: the library of unplayed games.
VS
backlog-shame
Backlog shame is the emotional response: guilt about having that collection.
Origin and context
Originated in tabletop and board gaming communities where players accumulated games faster than they could play them. Crossed into video game culture in the 2000s, accelerating with digital storefronts and bundle services.
- First seen
- 2000s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/pile-of-shameUpdated: 2026-08-29License: CC BY 4.0