Are Trophies/Achievements Ruining Games?
Happy St Patrick's Day, Nerds!
Today I want to talk about whether or not Achievements or Trophies in games are ruining them. I want to try and talk both sides of this argument because it's no secret that I go nuts over trophies. I recently just topped the 6000 mark for trophies, however with a small 26 Platinum trophies. I know this may seem minuscule to some people as they laugh at my achievements from high up in their ivory tower. However, this does not mean that my crazy drive for trophies have not ruined a gaming experience for me.
I love earning trophies, I love having something to (Digitally) show for all my work. Something that potentially proves my love and level of dedication to a single game. This same exact addiction to trophy hunting has ruined or put a damper on my experience with a game.
A great example comes to my mind is Witcher 3. I have beaten the main game and both expansions for said game. Absolutely fell in love. I really want to play a NG+(New Game Plus) play through, however if I do this, I want the trophy for beating the game on Deathmarch difficulty. I am simply not good enough at The Witcher 3 to convince myself to take on that challenge. Therefore I do not attempt a NG+ play through because I know I wont be progressing towards earning the difficulty trophy and potentially the Platinum trophy. This is a case in which the thought of not being able to obtain a trophy has placed a roadblock in my time with an amazing game.
To counter that point, the feeling I get from earning a Platinum trophy is amazing. Recently, I went back and finally earned the "Plat" for Shadow of Mordor. I beat the game when it first came out over two years ago, knowing the Platinum was obtainable, but not being able to obtain it simply due to gaming fatigue, felt like I never truly finished the game. So naturally it felt great to finally dive back into the world and finish it up just as they announced the sequel.
The biggest argument I have seen against these digital rewards are that people will only play the game to earn them without truly experiencing the world or gameplay. I feel for a lot of games this has some truth to it. I am the type of player to go into a game to earn my rewards, however I get a massive amount of enjoyment this way. Minus small issues like my Witcher situation, I feel these rewards give games a massive amount of replay value. My most recent example in the "For" side of Achievements is Resident Evil VII. I never would have played that game four time all the way through if it weren't for those beautiful Silver and Golds. And I can guarantee I will play that game a few more times until I earn every damn trophy that game has to offer. And that will (in my mind) prove my love for that game.
In the future I want to go through my Trophy list and pick out a handful of them that I spent way too much time trying to obtain, or trophies that I completely game up on. Maybe put together some kind of "F@$k this Trophy" feature. Let me know what you think if you would want to read something like that. Maybe weekly?
If you have any trophy related comments or stories let me know. Whether you absolutely hate them or are a hunter like I am, feel free to comment!
I'm out, nerds!
Today I want to talk about whether or not Achievements or Trophies in games are ruining them. I want to try and talk both sides of this argument because it's no secret that I go nuts over trophies. I recently just topped the 6000 mark for trophies, however with a small 26 Platinum trophies. I know this may seem minuscule to some people as they laugh at my achievements from high up in their ivory tower. However, this does not mean that my crazy drive for trophies have not ruined a gaming experience for me.
I love earning trophies, I love having something to (Digitally) show for all my work. Something that potentially proves my love and level of dedication to a single game. This same exact addiction to trophy hunting has ruined or put a damper on my experience with a game.
A great example comes to my mind is Witcher 3. I have beaten the main game and both expansions for said game. Absolutely fell in love. I really want to play a NG+(New Game Plus) play through, however if I do this, I want the trophy for beating the game on Deathmarch difficulty. I am simply not good enough at The Witcher 3 to convince myself to take on that challenge. Therefore I do not attempt a NG+ play through because I know I wont be progressing towards earning the difficulty trophy and potentially the Platinum trophy. This is a case in which the thought of not being able to obtain a trophy has placed a roadblock in my time with an amazing game.
To counter that point, the feeling I get from earning a Platinum trophy is amazing. Recently, I went back and finally earned the "Plat" for Shadow of Mordor. I beat the game when it first came out over two years ago, knowing the Platinum was obtainable, but not being able to obtain it simply due to gaming fatigue, felt like I never truly finished the game. So naturally it felt great to finally dive back into the world and finish it up just as they announced the sequel.
The biggest argument I have seen against these digital rewards are that people will only play the game to earn them without truly experiencing the world or gameplay. I feel for a lot of games this has some truth to it. I am the type of player to go into a game to earn my rewards, however I get a massive amount of enjoyment this way. Minus small issues like my Witcher situation, I feel these rewards give games a massive amount of replay value. My most recent example in the "For" side of Achievements is Resident Evil VII. I never would have played that game four time all the way through if it weren't for those beautiful Silver and Golds. And I can guarantee I will play that game a few more times until I earn every damn trophy that game has to offer. And that will (in my mind) prove my love for that game.
In the future I want to go through my Trophy list and pick out a handful of them that I spent way too much time trying to obtain, or trophies that I completely game up on. Maybe put together some kind of "F@$k this Trophy" feature. Let me know what you think if you would want to read something like that. Maybe weekly?
If you have any trophy related comments or stories let me know. Whether you absolutely hate them or are a hunter like I am, feel free to comment!
I'm out, nerds!
DO IT, DO A FUCK THAT TROPHY ARTICLE
ReplyDelete