Jason Trent says Rewards systems are powerful things, and can help guide players in their purchases. Depending on which system you've invested the most amount of time on (the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3), you might find yourself drawn to one or the other on multi-platform games. I, for one, find that I purchase all of my multi-platform titles for the Xbox 360. Because I've spent a lot of time earning Achievements, I'd prefer to continue to increase my gamer score on that particular rewards system. Others feel connected to the trophy system, in which case they're going to be bound to purchase their multi-platform titles for the PlayStation 3. Without a doubt, this is something consumers consider when purchasing a game. What is it about these little beauties that make us tick? Why do so many of us spend so much time earning them, and what is it about them that makes us seek them out? First and foremost, they make us feel good. They satisfy a compulsion to be rewarded for our actions. Most of us mull through life looking to get a pat on the head when we do well at something. It might be school, it might be work, it might be a relationship, but whatever it is, we need to feel like there's a reason for doing what we do; a reason that can often be found in the praise we receive. Getting an "Achievement Unlocked" message upon reaching the end of a level is just the carrot on a stick I need to keep me going sometimes.
Beyond the obvious point that achievements and trophies make us feel swell, they also represent your gaming resume; a scrapbook of sorts. Much like looking at photos of your last vacation, viewing a list of achievements or trophies you've earned can serve to remind you of some great times. They're a way to say, "I've been there. I've seen some stuff. I've done great things." Because we have something to show ourselves and others, they're validation that the time we've spent gaming wasn't a waste. Much the opposite in fact. Achievements and trophies allow us to bolster our sense of self-worth.
Besides being a system of rewards, achievements and trophies also supplement leader boards by providing a new way to compete with friends. I remember the first time I got into a friendly competition with someone (a co-worker) through achievements. I noticed that he was playing a lot of Call of Duty: World at War on Veteran difficulty. He'd already beaten a few levels, so I had to intervene. I caught up with him, then came to work the next day to gloat. From there, we'd each rush home after work each day to try to outdo the other, and for a change, work became fun. We'd share strategies, experiences, and frustrations (grenade spamming anyone?); things that really took my experience with the game to the next level. Eventually he got stuck on Vendetta (the fourth level), and I on Blowtorch & Corkscrew (the 12th level), but even if I wasn't able to finish the game, I still won the competition.
Achievements and trophies may seem simple on the surface, but there's more to them than meets the eye. I leave you with these questions: What are some of your favorite achievements or trophies and why? Do you prefer the acheivements system or trophies system and why?
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4 comments:
Personally, I think "achievements" are the biggest waste of time and money.
It's one thing to have the highest score in an arcade game or something. That's certainly an achievement. However, our current platforms give achievement points/trophies for reaching pre set goals in games. So, you're not really rewarded for being the best in that game as much as you're being rewarded for passing certain milestones.
The system really rewards how many games you're willing to buy, and how much time you put into some of them, versus your actual skill level. It reminds me of the guy who buys off a fancy car and shows it off to his friends. Somehow, he thinks that having said fancy car somehow makes him more of a man or show that he's rich or something, even though it actually has nothing to do with it. In fact, owning the fancy car isn't a reflection of manhood, and with credit, isn't even a reflection of income.
Xbox Scores/PS Trophies are just as poor an indicator of gamer skill. It's more of an indicator of how much time and money someone is willing to spend on a variety of games, including bad games. I would rather just play the games I enjoy the most, on the platform that the game works best on, rather than being influenced and swayed by such an artificial and superficial system.
Wow man total bummer. Personally I liked the article.
Oh, I like the article. It's well written. I just don't agree with the sentiment :) We each have your different opinions. :P
Oddly enough, I do like "in game" type achievements such as collecting the big coins in Super Mario, or getting the 'gold ranking' times in certain racing games. I just don't care for Platfrom achievement (trophies / scores) because how they superficially, and psychologically, encourage players to buy bad games, and 'compete with the Joneses,' wasting time and money to get one leg up on your friends.
Personally I really like the Trophy system (no experience with the Achievements). I don't look at it as a competition, I look at it as a way to gauge whether I have interest in a game. If you look at my Trophy list I have about 3 different sets of Trophy percentages. I have 1 platinum (Batman AA) and am close to one more (Prince of Persia). I obviously enjoyed these games enough to spend the time required to get all the extra trophies. Then look at the games where I barely have any trophies. I obviously didn't get far in the game before losing interest. There are then the games where I completed the game but didn't put any more effort into the game after that. I enjoyed the game enough to finish but not enough to track all the BS stuff down.
When considering a new game I look at my friends list and compare to see what they have done in a game and if they liked it or not, I use this as a real world review of the game.
I will admit the little "ding" is a very sweet sound to hear but I will not "whore" a game I did not like just to level myself up.
I really liked the PoP speed runs between hubs, they were fairly easy to get and gave me a sense of travelling a long distance seamlessly.
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