Achievements In Video Games

[Late Bloomer]

I was reading a discussion about achievements amongst some friends of mine. I cherry picked some of the talking points around this discussion to pose as questions. I would like to know how you feel about achievements in video games.

How important are achievements to you?
If a game has achievements, is that game only finished when 100% of the achievements are acquired?
Are achievements a console mindset?
Do you make sure a game doesn't have broken achievements before purchasing?
Are there any achievements that you are proud of?
Do achievements have an effect on how you approach playing a game, such as looking up guides?

 

[Iucounu]

How important are achievements to you?

Very annoying; especially in games that strive for realism, since they break the fourth wall.

I suppose they could work in more simplistic games, like 2D platformers, but even then only when they are part of the game. Displaying achievements on your game store page is always bad.

Are there any achievements that you are proud of?

Only the ones I set myself. I don't care about what some game developer nanny wants me to "achieve" (besides the actual gameplay).

 

[whydoibother]

How important are achievements to you?

Not very important. I wouldn't notice their lack.

If a game has achievements, is that game only finished when 100% of the achievements are acquired?

I never unlocked 100% of achievements for any game.

Are achievements a console mindset?

They have some minimal monetary value attacked there, via the points system (?), because they can't be easily hacked there. So people care more.

Do you make sure a game doesn't have broken achievements before purchasing?

No, I never checked achievements for a game before playing.

Are there any achievements that you are proud of?

No, I don't think so. I can't off the top of my head think of an achievement I have, that another player couldn't get in a day if they tried to.

Do achievements have an effect on how you approach playing a game, such as looking up guides?

When I am bored with a game, I will look up achievements to play for. This prolonged how long I played Civilization 5/6, as I've done a bunch of games specifically to win with X leader, or get Y victory type, and force towards that.

 

[El Presidente]

Those are some great questions on this topic. I like achievements, but it really depends on their quality, which varies a ton. Some achievements provide you with a very fun challenge you wouldn't otherwise do, and really add to the game's enjoyment and length. Others can be incredibly annoying and are doomed to be left incomplete by you forever, which is annoying in itself. If you don't like speedrunning for example, which I particularly hate, speedrun achievements are an instant and free "ugh, fuck this shit" the game gets. There are also retarded, unreasonable challenges like for instance taking a 40+ hours long game and putting an achievement like "complete the game without ever taking a hit" or some crap. The kind of achievement you can be sure will ruin and suck all the game's enjoyment out of you forever if you're stupid enough to embark on seriously attempting.

Multiplayer-only achievements in a game with a single player campaign are also shit. Even on multiplayer-only games I kinda dislike them to be honest. Team Fortress 2 for example has some notoriously ridiculous and random achievements that you just *know* people probably hop on a server with a friend or two to grab the achiev in a "scripted", artificial way.

"Infection" style achievements are the absolute bottom of the barrel though. Like Garry Mod's infamous "play on the same server as Garry", which they eventually turned into "play on the same server as someone who's ever played on the same server as Garry", so it's not that miserable to achieve but still an awful idea that should never be an official achievement in any game.

How important are achievements to you?

Not important, in the sense that I don't lose my mind if a game comes to Steam with no achievements feature, but as I said, I like them.

If a game has achievements, is that game only finished when 100% of the achievements are acquired?

Depends on the game. I'd say this applies for Sekiro for instance, which has really fair and obtainable achievements that essentially make you 100% the game's content, but it definitely doesn't apply for all games. Half Life 2's annoying and unreliable "find all 40+ lambda symbols spread across the game's walls" for instance can go suck a dick and I'd never consider it part of the game's true completion, just to give one example.

Are achievements a console mindset?

Don't think so.

Do you make sure a game doesn't have broken achievements before purchasing?

No but that's annoying to know, for sure.

Are there any achievements that you are proud of?

Hollow Knight's 112% completion, which I grabbed last month. Amazing game and great fun to get the achievement.

Do achievements have an effect on how you approach playing a game, such as looking up guides?

If I If already beat the game on my terms and I have already exhausted all possibilities there's no shame to check guides on how to grab the remaining achievements, especially if they're completely cryptic or doesn't even give any indication of what they're even about.

 

[Maxie]

Only dour faggy boomers claim they dont care about achievements that shit is fire and rejuvenates any shit game

 

[Grauken]

How important are achievements to you?

Not important, but I do like them if they cover something worthwhile, that small dopamine injection is nice (and addictive). Games that give you achievements for every small thing (talked to the first NPC, bought the first sword, etc) are annoying.

If a game has achievements, is that game only finished when 100% of the achievements are acquired?

No, many games have completely insane, do this a thousand times, achievements. Game is finished if I have seen most of it and reached the ending. Works well for most RPGs. For other types of games it depends on the main content, etc. but achievements are never relevant to whether I feel like I finished or am finished with a game.

Are achievements a console mindset?

It was, but once Steam had them almost every game dev gets asked if he includes achievements (if he doesn't they whine and tell him they won't buy his game). Still, seems like achievements are harder to cheat in console space so to the true achievement hunter they are seen as more worthwhile.

Do you make sure a game doesn't have broken achievements before purchasing?

No, I don't care if a game has them or not or they are broken

Are there any achievements that you are proud of?

Lol, no.

Do achievements have an effect on how you approach playing a game, such as looking up guides?

No

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

The only instance where I'd say achievements are cool is when they are in-game tied to mechanics and make sense, like what New Vegas or King's Bounty games do. Otherwise they don't bother me, but I don't see the point, either.

 

[NecroLord]

Only real achievement should be beating the game.

 

[Gargaune]

I ignore achievements altogether, I find them to be a pretty silly concept on the whole, a set of superficial shiny keys dangled in front of the feline playerbase in an attempt to extend game content at next to zero cost.

The thing is that "achievement", in the base sense, is a core driver in any videogame, the desire to overcome the challenges before you - like how you don't want to complete side quests in RPGs merely for the XP, you also get satisfaction out of it, or how you might challenge yourself to a UT Godlike Instagib botmatch just to prove to yourself that you can. But in a properly crafted experience, the feedback is going to be internal (in-game reactivity, a quest reward, even a journal update etc.) or simply personal ("Yeah, take that, Xan Kriegor!"). Achievements, on the other hand, are external, like you've got Gabe Newell standing behind you and patting you on the head for doing good... Which feels a little condescending, you know?

Another problem, obviously, is that you get Achievements, capital A, for all sorts of routine bullshit, many of them are literally participation awards for progressing the standard plot or completing tasks that you always would, inherently, just by virtue of playing the game for a couple of hours. In that respect it again feels rather demeaning, like the devs have little regard for the player's sense of self-esteem, expecting they'll be impressed and motivated by any vacuous compliment thrown their way.

But there's no denying it works, plenty of gamers seem to care about them and will proudly display their goldie-looking stars out of some sort of competitive reflex. So long as I can turn off any notifications that would interrupt my gaming experience, I don't mind them being there even if I mock the idea - if it makes other players happy, it's a "you do you" situation.


P.S. On a separate line of argument, I'm well aware that devs can use various Achievements as in-built telemetrics that don't require any special privacy consent from the customer's side, it can be convenient for them as well as for various third-party statisticians to evaluate product performance.

 

[NecroLord]

Achievement is in playing a good fucking video game and completing it succesfully.
This achievement shit was always a console type of thing meant to give a sense of accomplishment to console fags.

 

[__scribbles__]

If a game has achievements, is that game only finished when 100% of the achievements are acquired?

No. The game is "finished" when I stop having fun playing it.

 

[Iucounu]

a set of superficial shiny keys dangled in front of the feline playerbase in an attempt to extend game content at next to zero cost.

Achievements also give the developer an excuse to put extensive telemetry in games, tracking the players' every movement so that future games can be streamlined for the average consumer's playing style.

In practice this means all interesting details are removed (since the average player don't notice them anyway), and become replaced with generic "collect 500 minerals" quests (for the autist/OCD players) since that's cheaper to implement.

 

[Machocruz]

I'll do any that seem fun to me, and maybe even go for 100% if I think they are fair and aren't too abitrary. But too many games have achievements that are degenerate. Examples: Anything that requires finding dozens of hidden widgets and whatnots*, especially with no clues or rhyme-or-reason to their placement; requiring online competitive play in a primarily single player game; having to watch all cutscenes in following playthroughs; having to get an item that has an extremely low drop chance; requiring an unreasonable amount of replays to acquire all achievements.

I never check what kind of achieves a game has beforehand and I can take them or leave them in general. To me, technical 100% is all main story difficulty modes, in-game extras/unlocks, all weapons/armor found if applicable; and I mean FOUND, not crafted because that usually requires too much grinding/farming.

*I hunted for emblems in RE5 because they are a relatively low amount, and the game areas are small enough it's not that much of a chore.

 

[NecroLord]

If a game has achievements, is that game only finished when 100% of the achievements are acquired?

No. The game is "finished" when I stop having fun playing it.

That means never, at least for me.
Classics like Doom 1 and 2, Thief 1 and 2, Unreal, Heretic, Fallout, Arcanum, etc.

 

[Spukrian]

How important are achievements to you?

They're not important. Most of the time I ignore them. However if it's a game I love and replay a lot I'll probably try to get all of them.

If a game has achievements, is that game only finished when 100% of the achievements are acquired?

No, it's finished when I feel done.

Are achievements a console mindset?

That's where they originate from?

Do you make sure a game doesn't have broken achievements before purchasing?

No, it doesn't factor in.

Are there any achievements that you are proud of?

None that I can think of off the top of my head.

Do achievements have an effect on how you approach playing a game, such as looking up guides?

No, for the most part it doesn't. But like I said earlier, if it's a game I really love and replay alot, then I might look up help with some difficult achievement.

 

[Sibelius]

How important are achievements to you?
Not at all

If a game has achievements, is that game only finished when 100% of the achievements are acquired?
No, a game is finished for me when I see the credits roll, at whatever level of completion I feel comfortable/happy with

Are achievements a console mindset?
No, I think the concept can be enjoyed/demanded by console and PC players, I personally just don't care about them

Do you make sure a game doesn't have broken achievements before purchasing?
No, as I am completely indifferent to them

Are there any achievements that you are proud of?
Not those that are recorded as official achievements no. I am proud of non-official achievements, for example completing the complete series of From Software Souls games blind, no guide, no summons and melee only. Or completing Underrail first time on hard without looking at a guide or others' builds, only prepping with the character creator on the AMAZING wiki.

Do achievements have an effect on how you approach playing a game, such as looking up guides?
No, I recoil from the idea of using guides and watching playthroughs before completing the game myself. Sucks all the fun and wonder out of the game for me.

 

[Ezekiel]

Useful as a record of when I played a game and in what order I completed the tasks. I didn't know until a minute ago that I didn't get the last few miracles/sorceries, find McDuff's smithing equipment and discover the Brilliant Covenant until ten months after beginning Dark Souls II. For that reason Steam should let you order them by date.

Getting the last three achievements in Crazy Taxi would make me look WORSE. I don't play badly enough to get A, B and C licenses.

I don't want to see the popups when I play. Don't care if a game doesn't have them.

 

[ferratilis]

I don't care about them, but if you do, good luck getting a 100% on Pillars Eternity because one of the achievements is literally being a Kickstarter backer. Josh knew what he was doing.

Also, good luck getting all the achievements in ToME. Suckers.

 

[taxalot]

Imagine thinking you achieve anything by playing a game.

I use them as a guide of "stuffs I missed" when I finish a game, and decide how much more I want to spend playing.

 

[Ezekiel]

Imagine thinking you achieve anything by playing a game.

You're this woman.

 

[taxalot]

Imagine thinking you achieve anything by playing a game.

You're this woman.

I'm all the women, including your mom, disappointed in you.

 

[Arryosha]

The only time I paid attention to Steam achievements was in Crusader Kings 2. Maybe because it was an open-ended game, it was nice to have ideas for things to try and a record that you did it. Some of them were funny, of course, like have a child with the inbred trait.

In-game achievements in racing sims like medals for first place or a certain hotlap time can help you measure your progress.

 

[PulsatingBrain]

I see them as optional goals, for the most part. I was enjoying Sleeping Dogs so much that I went for the 100% achievement. In something like Vampire Survivors I think they're pretty important, but again, I wouldn't have bothered with them if I wasn't enjoying the game so much.

 

[Sigourn]

How important are achievements to you?
If a game has achievements, is that game only finished when 100% of the achievements are acquired?
Are achievements a console mindset?
Do you make sure a game doesn't have broken achievements before purchasing?
Are there any achievements that you are proud of?
Do achievements have an effect on how you approach playing a game, such as looking up guides?

1) They aren't important.
2) The game is finished when I say it's finished.
3) They are definitely a console mindset.
4) No, I don't mind about broken achievements, but I worry that's symptomatic of something else being broken in the game.
5) I'm pretty proud of my ultimate Damascus weapon collection in Vagrant Story, yet that wasn't an in-game achievement.
6) Not at all.

 

[El Presidente]

Anything that requires finding dozens of hidden widgets and whatnots*, especially with no clues or rhyme-or-reason to their placement

*I hunted for emblems in RE5 because they are a relatively low amount, and the game areas are small enough it's not that much of a chore.

Yeah, collecting the proverbial golden skulltulas is always a shit and unfun kind of achievement, especially if they're insanely random shit like for instance Mario Sunshine's blue coins - if you've ever played that game you know how awful and nonsensical searching for those things is, essentially requiring you to spray water on every inch of every level. This kind of achievement is objectively terrible.