SchizoidFreud Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 Addicted to Achievements? ad.dic.tion The state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma. Hi, my name is Avinash and Im addicted to Achievements. I used to lead a normal life once: I had a job, I had friends, I enjoyed a healthy social life... but all that came spiraling down the day I got my Xbox360. Ive been gaming through most of my adult life and now its become my profession, so playing continuously for a 10-hour stretch isnt alien to me. But one thing I never thought I'd get hooked on to are Achievement Points, Microsofts modern-day virtual version of crack. I remember the first time I heard the gentle plunk of an Achievement Unlocked. It was my very first run with the console and I was playing Perfect Dark Zero when I came across this phenomenon. At first I never paid any attention to them, but the more I played the higher my Gamerscore became. I managed to keep things in check for a while but once I hit Xbox Live, it was a whole new ball game. In the beginning I casually compared my gamerscore with people I had recently played with but the more contacts I added on my list, the more I kept checking back to see their score. Within no time I would cast a quick glance at their score at least once a day. Yes, I know, its shameful not to mention utterly jobless but thats what these evil little things do to you. For those who have no clue what Achievement Points are, allow me to break things down for you. Every game ever made for the Xbox360 comes bundled with 1000 Achievement Points which when unlocked (by fulfilling certain conditions laid out by the developers) gets added to your Gamerscore right beside your Gamertag. Some games like Fight Night offer four achievements worth 250 points each while other games offer different variations. In most games today Achievements are broken up into single-player (kill x number of enemies with a particular weapon) or multiplayer (kill x number of enemies without dying) and so on. Single-player achievements can mostly be unlocked by progressing through the game but multiplayer achievements really test your skillz online. While this whole Achievement system may sound dumb to some, you have to give it to Microsoft for coming up with such a diabolical yet innovative system that has gamers replaying their games over and over again to earn points. There was a time when people would be content to just finish the game, but now many (myself included) find themselves going back to the game to earn all 1000 points. I called this system 'diabolical' because no matter how many Achievements you unlock, you cannot redeem them to buy anything on the Xbox Live Marketplace be it a wallpaper, theme, or even a piddly gamer picture (avatar) but still there are some who burn the midnight oil trying to get all 1000 Achievements a game has to offer. If you think Im exaggerating, you should know there are fanatics out there who buy certain sub-par games just because they are liberal with dishing out Achievements, such as Peter Jacksons King Kong or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But then again, for every King Kong you have a Def Jam Icon that makes you bleed for every single Achievement; in fact the game doesnt even give you a 10-point Achievement for completing the entire single-player campaign. Since Achievements can't be used to buy anything, the only logical reason for them is pure boast value. Rub your hard-earned Achievements in your friends' faces and make them burn and if they dont believe you, just direct them to your Gamertag; something you couldnt do before Xbox Live. Yeah, I know Ive rambled on for a while now about my obsession with Achievements, so Im going to shut up now while my colleagues give you the lowdown on their experience with these Achievements . Gagan Gupta - Channel Editor, Personal Technology Achievements? I don’t give a flying f**k about Achievements. Nikhil Singh - Reviewer (Gaming) Most people think of Achievement Points as a way to upsize your e-Penis on the Xbox Live network, but I beg to differ. You don't spend hours trying to get on top of a massive building or finishing a game in Hardcore just to show your skills (or the amount of time you have to waste) to your friends on XBL; you do it more for yourself than anything else. The feeling of seeing that little 'Achievement Unlocked' on the bottom of your screen after you finish a pain-in-the-a*s boss fight makes your chest swell up with pride and that's the kinda stuff that makes you go that extra mile in a game. As you may have noticed, not may people from Tech2 are interested in gaming, so I hopped over to IndianVideoGamer and here's what certain members had to say... Shicko Since the birth of consoles, us gamers have invested so much time into our games, often spending hours looking for that last package/ orb/ hidden item, but at the end of the day what did we have to show for it? Now with Microsoft's Achievement Points it gives us some form of recognition and however minuscule the reward may be, it still recognizes the long hours gamers invest within a game. Catatonic911 I feel Achievement points are a great add-on by Microsoft to Xbox Live since they not only make games challenging, but also fun. Achievements in a way also help in judging a gamer's skill level. If you play on Xbox Live regularly with people all over the world, I bet the first thing they do is check out your Gamerscore... and of course all the achievements youve unlocked in a particular game. I personally get a warm fuzzy feeling when I see the words 'Achievement Unlocked' pop up on the screen. It really feels great, especially when youve unlocked an insanely tough achievement like defeating General Raam in Gears of War on insane difficulty. Krackchap If implemented properly, APs add value to certain games since they make you play the game again just for the points. Although APs are a good addition, I dont miss them while playing on the PS3. PS: I also think MS should add more value to the points, such as by giving free themes or gamer pictures. Knocturnal187 I think APs are designed to make you do two things: finish the game and keep playing after finishing the game. I only do the former so I havent unlocked even half the points in most games. Many people just use APs for bragging but many people also seem more consumed by unlocking the APs rather than enjoying the game... but that's the player's fault, not Microsoft's. I think its a great little gimmick by MS, even if a little flawed. Are you addicted to achievements or have you resisted the evil draw of these gamer points or do you still think theyre a pointless waste of time to begin with? Whatever your answer may be, make sure to leave your comments as well as your Gamerscore! in the space below. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If u guys remember, nash had opened a thread asking for inputs of 360i members in the previous forums...since he completed it a long time back, i thought id post it here.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lastAvenger Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 I think Achievements really play can important role in games. I miss it on other consoles btw i don't think M$ should reward people when they unlock achievements since then it will be all about the points and prizes and not about the general enjoyment of the game. Its a good bonus and definitely adds more value to a game but asking for free stuff which should already be free is a bit ...hmm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anmolsc Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 very old article....but i guess...umang just wants to express his feelings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchizoidFreud Posted February 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 not all that old...and nash had opened a thread about it in the previous forums, as i have already stated.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaPwN Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 I ****ing hate achievements since my old GT with 13000 points got suspended. I had to make a new one from scratch. Dammit MS go rot in hell. Excellent strategy for selling games though. I know some people who just buy games for achievements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarketTantrik Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 ^^ Avatar is one such game and I know of a GI member who bought that game. Can you say 1000 GS in 4 minutes ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchizoidFreud Posted February 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 I know some people who just buy games for achievements. i have a lot of american/british buddies on my list who just PLAY for achievements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchizoidFreud Posted February 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 ^^ Avatar is one such game and I know of a GI member who bought that game. Can you say 1000 GS in 4 minutes ? :roflroll2: the GI member ur talking about, i think only plays for achievements.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D33P@K Posted February 26, 2008 Report Share Posted February 26, 2008 APs are great fun.... its adds to the fun element in any game, for ex : even though i have finished the story mode in AC, i am tryin to complete the full game for more APs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man In The Box Posted February 26, 2008 Report Share Posted February 26, 2008 ^^ Avatar is one such game and I know of a GI member who bought that game. Can you say 1000 GS in 4 minutes ? :roflroll2: the GI member ur talking about, i think only plays for achievements.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.