Trophies and Achievements: Why I love them and why I hate them.

Thursday. Almost Friday, but not quite. Also, it's the day I post a new edition of "The Reset Button". Lately, I've been putting more time into my PS4 and Xbox One games. Last weekend, I finally completed Watch_Dogs 100% on PlayStation 4. In doing this, I ended up earning the illustrious "Platinum Trophy". After I was finished, something sparked in my mind.

Why do I care about Trophies and Achievements? Should I let these hold me back from moving on to another game when I haven't earn them all? Are they ruining gaming?

The answer isn't as simple as I was hoping it would be.

Trophies and Achievements, for those not on a last-gen or current-gen system, are virtual accomplishments earned for completing specific challenges in a game. These can range anywhere from completing a story-line mission, collections X amount of items, killing X amount of enemies, or doing a specific activity in a game. The really hold no value and just go towards your gamer profile, showing what you've accomplished over the years you've been gaming on a specific system.

But they tend to be addicting.

Which brings me to my article. Why I love and why I hate Trophies and Achievements.

Why I love them as a gamer.

As a gamer, I strive to get the biggest bang for my buck out of a game purchase. Games like Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and Grand Theft Auto reside high on my list of favorites because they provide almost endless hours of gameplay possibilities. I have grown accustomed to grouping Trophies and Achievements into the "content" category of games I buy. If I can complete a game and go after the remaining Trophies/Achievements in a reasonable amount of time before I list the game on 99gamers, I'll do it. 

Take Watch_Dogs, for example. I had just about all Trophies completed by the time the credits rolled. I took some time off, played something else, then went back and wrapped up the last 2 Trophies I needed for the "Platinum" to pop. Once that happened, I listed it on 99gamers to send out to a new gamer. Once that 100% completion was hit, there was nothing left for me to accomplish. Story is wrapped up 100%, all Trophies are unlocked, and there is no real "multiplayer" mode worth holding onto it for. So away it goes.

Trophies and Achievements can add another dynamic to boring games that don't hold your interest in regards to story or multiplayer. You can spend your time hunting Trophies instead of dreading the game you're playing. You're probably saying, "But I can just go trade it in and get something I like," which is true. You could. But you'd also be wasting at least half of what you spent on the game when you take it to your local gaming store. I'm looking for value, as you've read in my previous articles. Personally, I can stomach the worst of the worst in regards to games, so hunting Trophies and Achievements help me get my money's worth out of a game instead of trading it in and having to spend more money.

The illustrious Platinum Trophy. Gold, Silver, and Bronze also featured.

I'm also a fan of Trophies and Achievements because of the thought that can go into them. The first Achievement that made me laugh was in the shooter "Army of Two". If you performed 50 melee kills, you'd unlock an Achievement named "Flip You. Flip You For Real." If you've seen "The Usual Suspects", you'd understand what this was in reference to. I remember laughing at the creativity and thought that went into this. Afterwards, funny Trophies and Achievements kept popping up. There is even one titled "Money Launderer" that I need to unlock in honor of my gamer tag.

Things like this, along with the bragging rights that come from having a higher Trophy count or gamer score than your friends, keep me coming back to hunting Trophies and Achievements. But it isn't all sunshine and rainbows. There are some things I hate about them.

Why I hate them as a gamer.

One thing I hate about hunting Trophies and Achievements is the amount of that can go into completing some of them. Specifically the online/multiplayer types. Many of these require countless hours of death-match or other game modes, which is something I normally won't do. I tend to lean more towards the single player experience, as online games not played with friends tend to feature the underbelly of gaming more often than not. And it's something I look to avoid. So instead of fully completing a game and feeling satisfied, I end up listing the game online after a few hours of multiplayer when I realize I don't have the time to dedicate to it.

Achievements can also keep you coming back to a game that should have been sent out to pasture long ago. This may conflict with my value-drive statement, but hear me out. Some games are meant to be played, beaten, and traded. But sometimes, you find yourself chasing one last Achievement that you just can't unlocked. It slowly drives you insane until you find yourself only playing this one game to unlock the last Achievement. 

Congrats! You've unlocked an Achievement!

In the PS2 and before days, this problem was non-existent. You'd buy a game, beat it, and move on. You grind to 100% a game because it was fun, not because you unlocked a virtual trophy. They can add content, sure, but they can also strip a good game of it's fun factor if you get caught up in hunting just the Achievements without spending time to enjoy the game. But this is only for the hard-core hunters, which I do not consider myself to be. I'm more of a recreational Trophy Whore. 

Some would argue that Achievements and Trophies add nothing of value to a game and strip them of their fun. While I agree to an extent, I get a feeling of satisfaction when I 100% a game and unlock everything. If there are online Trophies/Achievements, I move on. Easy solution. I'd rather skip those instead of destroying the fun a game provides.

My favorite part of Trophies/Achievements: Tracking.

The number one thing I like about unlocking more Trophies and Achievements are the tracking websites. Websites like TrueTrophies and TrueAchievements are dedicated to tracking your Trophy/Achievement progress across your gaming profile. You can see how many days in a row you've unlocked a Trophy/Achievement, how many you have compared to friends, your most valuable Trophy/Achievement, and many more statistics. It's pretty cool to go back and see the very first Trophy/Achievement you unlocked and how many you've unlocked over your entire gaming career on a system.

Go sign up for these free sites and start keeping track of your progress. You may find it's as fun as I think it is. You can even have competitions with your friends.

Think you can unlock more Trophies or Achievements than me? Extend the challenge.

Beating me would be the ultimate Achievement.

Until next week...

Game On.

-ML