Aside from Steam...a couple games? I don't have the money to just buy games which I won't play through right away.

This man speaks the truth!

(Anyone that has worked serious freelance can empathize with this situation completey.)

As for my backlog (this is only games I intend to play, not that I've given up on as not being worth the time/effort):

*NFSMW (U)
*Luigi's Mansion (3DS)
*Bioschock Infinite (PC)
*Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (3DS)
*Zen Pinball 2 (U)
*Resident Evil 6 (PC, but only for Mercenaries)
*Sly Cooper (Vita--I actually prefer it to the PS3 rev)

(All of the above are waiting for Lego City to be complete--MHU I'll be playing for months in parallel.)

So, really, not so bad by historical standards.

As to a ceiling, there generally hasn't been one, *but* the older I get the less I'm willing to waste time/money on games I'm not about 90% certain I'm going to enjoy on some level, so that eliminates at least half of the number of games I used to buy when I had more time to spend on games.

I wouldn't say an exact number, I just feel atm that I need to clear my backlog before I purchase Luigi's Mansion: DM, Starcraft: HoS, and Bioshock Infinite.

Current Backlog:

(Games I've revisited and try to play when I can)

FF II and III
FE: Radiant Dawn
Deus Ex: HR
LoZ: Wind Waker
Mass Effect 3 (try new classes and DLC)

(Actual Games I've yet to beat)

Assassin's Creed 3
FE: Awakening (Lunatic Mode)
Batman AC: Armored Edition (Hard Plus mode)
Nintendo Land (need to get all the stickers + Plat trophies)
NSMBU (few more things to collect)

No backlog. Game 1-3 hrs a day, buy & complete 4 - 6 games a month. Any game I find too boring to complete (once every few months), I just sell it for the next one.

My backlog right now is mostly older games from 2010 and before.
Witcher 2, Tales of the Abyss, Kingdom Hearts 3D, and tons of others I haven't gotten around to playing yet.

I make it a policy to only buy a game when I'm ready to play it. My backlog is all sitting on shop shelves waiting for me to buy them.

So to answer your question numerically: zero.

I have a 14 - 15 game backlog* at the moment, though that should hopefully drop overtime since March seemed way to crazy on the release schedule (seriously i bought 10 games and skipped over some i would of bought if there had of been fewer releases)

*i only count games i intend to play soon and own, otherwise i would have a 40 to 50 game backlog of stuff to finish thanks to steam sales...

Man, I wish I had your self-control. That's a really good policy to live by. My problem is that when I see a game I want for a low price, I go for it. So I have an insurmountable backlog.

Mine is never bigger enough.

I'd say my backlog is damn near 100 games overall. And even when I type this, I'm thinking about picking up Bioshock today. Haha. Most games I buy now are either $20 or on salr, but still, I have no self control when it comes to buying games. I need professional help.