Topic: Achievements?

@ValhallaOutcast @shaneoh
lol those were humorous (yet true) ways to put it: I do think (even the majority) of people end up craving achievements purely for the social visibility.

I was never an achievement hunter, though, like I said before. If I got them, great, but I never checked what they were and pursued them. I don't think I have 100% in any Xbox game except for maybe Call of Duty 2 because I played the heck out of it. Same thing with Steam. I don't even know what's going on with that, to be honest. I just put Wolfenstein on my Steam wishlist and got some kind of "sticker pack" that I couldn't case less about. Still haven't even looked at what the heck it is lol

I just think it comes down to the mentality of each individual player. And in that line of reasoning, I don't see the harm in having an achievement system simply exist. It can be ignored by those who don't bother, and it can be used and obsessed over by those who enjoy it. From a business perspective, it could, honestly, bring more players to Nintendo systems who otherwise wouldn't bother due to lack of achievements (which does sound BONKERS, but there are people like that).

Big deal.... I would rather have a trophy symbolizing my triumph of spending countless hours searching for these seeds. Something that more than myself can see and admire.

What I find most baffling is that people describe getting 900 korok seeds in BotW as a 'triumph' and not as busywork.

To each his own, I guess, but I'd spend that time playing a bunch of games from which I can draw something meaningful instead of retriggering my collectathon-infused PTSD from the 90s.

Games are nothing but busy work anyways. Who has the drive to spend that time finding all the seeds? Those who do should be rewarded with something other than a piece of crap.

Many trophies show off what you were able to accomplish that others could not. It is more than just playing the games for what they are. Many trophies create a new level of enjoyment. And it is nice to have something to show for it.

If you're a philistine, maybe.

That makes no sense at all....

@Lethal Look above you.

We shouldn't encourage those people.

I certainly wouldn't try without the Korok mask. It's definitely busywork.

I assure you, very few people are looking at your achievements with admiration. Or feeling anything for that matter. You don't need validation for doing something, not in a game.

What if Nintendo had an achievement system, but instead of achievements or trophies, they had poops composed of various minerals? There are so many things they could be called:

You found a Korok seed! DING! You get a bronze dump.
You beat the game! DING! You get a gold excrement.
You started the game! DING! You get a palladium deuce.
You beat the game in half an hour while hopping on one leg, your arms tied behind your back, blindfolded and heavily intoxicated! DING! You get uranium faeces.

Ah the possibilities

That would be hilarious and great

You are wrong. I am involved in trophy communities on the PS4 and a member of PS4 Trophies.org. There are more trophy hunters than you think. And mostly I enjoy trophies for myself. I like seeing my trophy card and seeing what I have accomplished all in one statistical page.

There is absolutely no reason to hate on trophies just because you do not care to get them. You think because you do not like something the rest of the world shouldn't either?

Nintendo would be smart to adopt some sort of trophy system. Trophies help to boost sales.

Nah, people would get sick of it quickly.

Doesn't mean that people are looking at your trophy list with admiration.

They're no substitute for content. They play on the obsessive side of people and offer no real reward. They typically shoehorn the player into a certain play-style. The systems that provide it do not provide a way to opt out. I'm pretty sure this has all been covered already.

Just because you love something, doesn't mean the rest of the world should love it either.

Seems to me they're smart enough. Nintendo have made it this far without them, they can go further without them.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if achievements are the only reason stopping someone from getting a console or game, then they should seriously reconsider why they are playing games. If the only pleasure derived from a game is from fulfilling a checklist, then it's not a good game.

I like achievements/trophies/whatever on games. They are by no means a deal breaker but a game with good achievments can really extend the life of the game.

The best achievements, in my mind, are those that force you to play the game in different ways or explore more. Grind fests or collectathons can ruin achievement lists but at the same time, I've 100% some games on PS/XB that made me play through areas or things with completely different game styles or properly explore the game to find all missions etc. In this case, they make me spend even more time in a game. It can also be fun from a community point of view, it can be fun discussing strategies with other players.

I don't bother with all games but it can add an extra level of depth.

It's a depth that's already there.

Psssst. Little secret I am going to share with you. Trophies are not forced on you buddy. Optional additions to games that help provide extra replay value.

All you do is hate on everything that is not Nintendo. Everything you say on this forum is pro Nintendo and everything outside of Nintendo sucks. If Nintendo does not have it then it is worthless. That is who you are here.

I'm new to this thread. Anyone want to recap the last 13 pages for me?

Not anymore than regular trophies and achievements, which the industry in general isn't sick of, and I doubt they ever will be.

@BigBadJohn

A few people seem to never want Nintendo to add in an optional, ignorable feature that is standard on every other platform in existence because they personally don't care for it. The other side wonders why that would ever be an issue considering the nature of achievements and how they literally affect no one that doesn't care about them while adding replay value to games that might otherwise not have them. And that's pretty much it, because then the conversations go in complete circles with no real progress.

@Operative2-0 I've never cared about achievements. Personally they don't add anything to the game for me but then again they don't impact on my enjoyment of the game either. I would prefer achievements that unlock things like different costumes or vehicles or what not but I suppose the industry values paid DLC too much to use this. Thanks for the brief synopsis. Saved me from reading 14 pages and seen as there's no reward for doing so like a badge or something it would have been a complete waste of time.

@Operative2-0
Dang - that was a pretty good summary.

There are "good" arguments on both sides, and the "opposing" side is largely leaning on some kind of psychological effect achievements can have on the gamer and even the devs who know they need to include them. Even though they are optional, some people out there become obsessed with them, and may even alter the way they play a game to go for the achievements rather than just playing for the joy of it. Gaming can then become simply an achievement hunt rather than an enjoyable hobby.

I don't disagree with that, but at the end of the day, the fact remains: it's a system that exists, yes, but does not in any tangible way force you to pursue its goals. It comes down to the mentality of each gamer (and perhaps game dev) as to how much "credit" they want to give to achievements.

@Operative2-0 That's incredibly biased and ignores actual points made earlier concerning gamification, how the system affects the perception of tasks by the player or how achievement systems clash with the actual game in different ways, to name a few.

@BigBadJohn I'd at least skim through the whole thread if I were you, regardless of your current opinion on the matter.

@MarcelRguez Just ignore it, then it can't affect your perception.