Confessions of an Achievement Whore

[bapenguin]

It's been a while since I've done a Penguin Perspective on the site. So I wrote up a little editorial (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?p=256112#post256112) of sorts entitled: Confessions of an Achievement Whore.

So what is it exactly about achievements that are so damn addicting? What Microsoft has done is brought multiplayer competition to single player games. Competition drives people, and the achievement system is driving people to do things in games they may not have ordinarily done before. By opening up Xbox Live to everyone regardless of subscription level, there’s a much larger player base participating in this. And to put icing on the cake they allowed this information viewable by the world via the internet. So now there are many more players competing and a much larger audience watching.

[Reanimated]

It is an addiction and it's a bad one. I have spent entirely too much time playing games that I absolutely fucking hate just to get the points and stay ahead of a couple of my friends.

[Vandenh]

Hehe..

I was just checking out your achievements this morning Bapenguin. Crazy! ;)

[drakkarim]

achievements my ass, gives those with no (typically) RL achievements a sense of accomplishment while further turning them into a milk cow for the industry.

bunch of pavlov dogs.

(yes, i need coffee)

[phantomhitman]

wait until after the pgr tourney, all your achievements are belong to me!!

[Reanimated]

achievements my ass, gives those with no (typically) RL achievements a sense of accomplishment while further turning them into a milk cow for the industry.

bunch of pavlov dogs.

(yes, i need coffee)




Try a lobotomy.

[GodFather]

It is addicting looking to unlock achievements. I dont even do it to compare with my friends, but moreso just feeling like I really completed the game.

[kokyunage]

Hmm...odd posting error. Ignore my post

[Doomsday]

Try a lobotomy.
So you think it's a good thing that games that you yourself admitted are pieces of shit are being played, even though the users hate the experience?

How exactly is that a positive thing for the state of the industry? Is the goal now to make games as literally addictive as possible to maximize the bottom line of companies? This is not just a comment on the achievement points in Xbox 360 games, but also games with persistent states, such as World of Warcraft and Everquest

[Doomsday]

To follow up, I play games because I enjoy playing them. I don't really want to feel required to play one every day (like Animal Crossing/Nintendogs), or to feel a social obligation to log in (like WoW)

[AniAko]

To follow up, I play games because I enjoy playing them. I don't really want to feel required to play one every day (like Animal Crossing/Nintendogs), or to feel a social obligation to log in (like WoW)

I had the same issue. I stopped playing animal crossings after 3 weeks. I didn't want to "TRY" anymore because it felt like a chore.

As far as gamer points go? Look at mine. I could care less about how many points I accumulate. Although I DO aspire to get the acheivements in the games I like. It's the final challenge once you've done everything else in a title. But I don't care about the score. I'll admit, when I started I felt the addicting urge tempt me. I felt like I SHOULD have the highest gamer score. But after ignoring it for a while, it left me completely.

I believe for some, it's just another level of bragging rights. I have a higher score in Hexic than any of my friends, but they have more gamer points than me. *** has created a system for something their good at. Not being the best at one thing, but being decently good at everything.

[Reanimated]

So you think it's a good thing that games that you yourself admitted are pieces of shit are being played, even though the users hate the experience?

How exactly is that a positive thing for the state of the industry? Is the goal now to make games as literally addictive as possible to maximize the bottom line of companies? This is not just a comment on the achievement points in Xbox 360 games, but also games with persistent states, such as World of Warcraft and Everquest




I don't recall ever saying that I BOUGHT any of the games.

[Savok]

Why MMOGs work so well, the ePenis. Hell I hate WoW, but I keep playing it so I can get some epic loot then shove it up the ass of one of the pricks I can't stand.

[51|RandoM]

Good way to keep people playing lackluster games. Boosts sales, boosts concurrent Live numbers. Double win for Microsoft. Not sure what I'd call it for the consumers.

[TrackZero]

What I don't enjoy is that people who can afford to just buy game after game can easily outmatch their skilled friends.

I found it strange, I must have dumped 20 hours into Marble blast now trying to get every achievement (almost done now), and though sometimes I was frustrated, it is a great game and I found my skills have gone far beyond what I thought they could at this point.

Though I still have no clue how I'm going to unlock some of the acheivements in SmashTV.....

[bapenguin]

Though I still have no clue how I'm going to unlock some of the acheivements in SmashTV.....

Me and you Track. We'll fuck shit up.

[Achilles]

My favorite aspect of the points (which you mentioned in your editorial) is that they get me to play games in different ways, which gives me different objectives inside the game that normally wouldn’t exist and serve to extend the game’s life. If you like the game it's always good to have reasons to keep playing it.

I like the fact that you can either get points by playing a couple of games to death, or by playing a bunch of games. For example, I have 4000 points, I could have gotten that by playing 4 games, I didn’t, but I could have, so it supports multiple play styles.

Why’s it so addictive? It’s a persistent reward for having played the game, which makes it like one large game that is played by playing all your other games. It’s a brilliant idea which, like bap, I totally didn’t get by reading the information on it before the console shipped.

What’s worse is that if a game comes out for the 360, and for the PS3, and it looks and plays pretty much the same, but you can get achievement points for it on the 360, which version are you going to buy? Brilliant move J.

[Claus DuBois]

I can see the headlines now. "Soccer Moms March on Microsoft Shouting Their Credo...."Stop Making My Kid Feel Bad, Everyone Should Just Get the Same Colored Ribbon."

[dead]

I know i should know this already seeing how i'm always reading these stories, but what do these achievement points do to you anyways? Sorry but i don't own an xbox so i don't know.

[TrackZero]

I know i should know this already seeing how i'm always reading these stories, but what do these achievement points do to you anyways? Sorry but i don't own an xbox so i don't know.

Earning achievements ups your Gamerscore. You can compare yourself to others with this I suppose, though I seems those willing to spend more money on $60 games at the store will always have the most points. It's not exactly about skill (though you can compare per game to see how someone stacks up against you).

[buckfutter]

I find the idea to be crass commercialism, but if it brings some people some extra enjoyment out of their games, I don't really think it matters.

Now, if you could convert some of those achievement points to market points, then you might have something I could give a shit about.

[Animated X]

Earning achievements ups your Gamerscore. You can compare yourself to others with this I suppose, though I seems those willing to spend more money on $60 games at the store will always have the most points. It's not exactly about skill (though you can compare per game to see how someone stacks up against you).

I don't really follow your reasoning. You make it seem like you can only get the points if you BUY the games. It only costs like 7$ around here to rent games for a week, which is more than enough time to obtain the achievements for most games.

The idea of points is appealing to me just to add motivation and replay value to games I am already interested in. Non 360 games usually have some sort of unlockables, new game +, extras, etc. Especially for the really hard unlockables, most people would just pass them over because the time/effort vs reward just isn't there. The Achievements give palyers something else to strive for, and the fact that you can see the points/achievemnts online give even more reason to obtain them. It gives a motivation for players to spend more time playing the game, rather than just discarding it after beating it, to move on to the next one.

[baz]

I like the idea, its a bit of fun. I feel absolutely no compulsion to get the achievements, so it's just a bit of fun really.

Maybe if I was younger/had more mates that had a 360 I would try for them more. Still they definately don't take anything away from a game, and are a nice addition. Good idea all up really.