The world first met achievements in 2005, with Microsoft’s release of the Xbox 360. Gamers everywhere began hearing that now familiar pop and wondered in amazement what they’d just unlocked. My first achievement came while I played as Frank West in Capcom’s zombie thriller, Dead Rising. Then my buddies and I began to talk about these achievements and how to get them. Soon after, the achievement war began as we tried to best each other’s GamerScore. It was fun for awhile, but years later we stopped, maybe because we grew up. PlayStation later jumped on the bandwagon with the creation of their Trophy system. I waited and waited for Nintendo to roll one out. They never did, and I agree with them on their decision. Corey, on the other hand, would like to see Nintendo achievements.
Jerry – After 11 years of achievements and trophies, people are now accustomed to them. They don’t mean as much anymore. I no longer care when they pop up during a game. Occasionally I’ll glance down to see what I’ve done, but I don’t jump from my chair and scream “boo-ya!” My friends and I no longer compete to have the highest GamerScore because it’s a moot point. After 11 years of snubbing achievements, I don’t see any reason why Nintendo would waste their time implementing them onto the NX. They could do something else with their time – a new Amiibo feature, or possibly a Mother 3 3DS port.
Corey – First off, I assume we can agree to immediately skip beyond the argument that achievements are just arbitrary digital numbers and therefore meaningless. It’s true, they won’t garner you fame or fortune and, at most, may earn you some respect in a niche community, but the same can be said of all video game reward systems (high scores, character levels, etc). While my personal obsession with hunting them down has also relaxed with age, that doesn’t mean their overall importance has lessened. Accumulated “GamerScores” tied to player profiles give serious players something to strive for, proving their talent not just in individual games, but across an entire platform. With Microsoft, Sony, and even Steam now on board with the concept of platform-wide rewards/ranking systems, Pandora’s Box has been unlocked and Nintendo needs to get on board.
Jerry – I really don’t know if it is a skill to find 100 feathers in Assassin’s Creed, it’s just a waste of time for a paltry number. Most achievements are like that: waste your time getting 100 headshots, or stealth killing twenty people. That doesn’t take skill, it takes a lack of a life and Jedi-level patience. I was playing Call of Duty: World at War and the Japanese soldiers repeatedly threw eight grenades at once into my foxhole. I got all of those grenades out without dying, but did an achievement pop? It did not, even though that was definitely an act of skill and God-like power. I really can’t see anything changing if Nintendo adopted them. “Amiibo Unlocked – Gathered 1000 Coins,” or “Amiibo Unlocked – Crushed 200 Bricks.” It just isn’t fun anymore. Take the effort off of those and pump them into gameplay, or perhaps actually finishing the game (glares at Battlefront).
Corey – “Waste of time” and “lack of life” are two phrases often used by people who dislike games when they discuss the medium as a whole. It’s easy, but totally not fair to disparage someone and their hobby because you don’t find it engaging. I love Animal Crossing, but I completely understand how someone might not want to spend time catching bugs and digging up fossils. Conversely, I do not see the appeal of most Major League sports, but if people want to buy jerseys, track statistics, and pay through the nose for expensive tickets, so be it. Sure, finding 100 hidden packages in GTA didn’t take skill, but it did take dedication and perseverance. It may not impress you, but I find it immensely satisfying to look at my gaming profiles and see visible evidence that I completed 100% of a game, especially titles I love most and feel define me as a gamer. As a 30+ year old gamer, there are many Nintendo titles I would love to add to that roster. Also, let’s not pretend like fewer achievements would have made Battlefield 4 any less broken. EA and Nintendo have very different philosophies when it comes to shipping completed games.
Jerry – Finding packages and feathers is a waste of time. Why not beat the campaign, then enjoy another game? I can’t sink my time into one game after I beat the campaign knowing that there are so many more games for me to play. I agree Corey, sports are a huge waste of time. If people cared about reading or another hobby that would better them, the world would be a better place. At least gamers are turned into quick-thinking individuals with fast hands. Sports fans turn into alcoholics. But I digress, achievements would do nothing to help Nintendo or make me buy one Nintendo system over another. They’re obsolete and I don’t even register them when they pop anymore. They just block my screen for a bit and I carry on.
Corey – Whoa, whoa, whoa! You missed my point! I may not be a sports fan, but labeling another person’s hobby as a “waste of time” while championing your own makes no sense. Objectively, ALL hobbies are a waste of time! But, all work and no play makes humans a dull species. If spending hours collecting feathers to feel a sense of accomplishment is what someone wants to do, more power to them! Nintendo achievements would definitely push console sales, especially to completionist gamers, like myself. Plus, Nintendo Achievements have the potential to act as a form of currency for whatever rises from the ashes of the recently dismantled Club Nintendo. Whether they’re a personal obsession or a distracting nuisance, achievements are part of the medium now and they’re here to stay.
So, what do you think? Are achievements a waste of time, or do they make games more enjoyable? Would you like to see Nintendo jump on the achievements bandwagon with the NX, or should they continue on without them and focus their time on better things? Whose opinion is incorrect? Let us know in the comments!
I agree with Corey. I have an Xbox one and PS4 and a Wiiu. I like playing the PS4 and X1 more because of trophies and Achievements. It actually makes me want to play more games. Even revisit remastered games or HD games for them. I always thought Nintendo should have added a system like. U can hear Mario or other characters and Nintendo sound effects when u completed a task. That would be a lot funner than not hearing nothing at all or not even seeing a trophy. They should make a coin system and u earn a coin with icons on it. Let us vote for it. Having a unique trophy system and cool sound effects to go with it might even have the ones that don’t like them anymore have some interest in them again.
Good Read!
I think I overall agree with Jerry’s points.
I used to love achievements but now I don’t really care.
I am just as (or more) happy watching a ‘Percentage Complete’ go up while I go through a game. I do however enjoy clever achievements and using them as a bit of ‘Recommended Reading’ list from the developer, where they suggest what you do in the game. Other than that, I simply use them to see where friends are in a game that I am also playing.
Both sides had great points though