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[cormack12]

Like many I have a love/hate relationship with trophies/achievements. Recently I got an XSX to complement the PS5 and there's a massive backlog of games to catch up on, so I just got to playing them. Played through Halo 5, didn't care about skulls or intel, or trying to beat it on Legendary/Heroic. Playing through Ori, and haven't looked at the achievemens but this is going to be one that I go for 100% in the game screens for because I love playing it. Just playing through the Gears 5 campaign without focusing too much on kills with weapons or intel. Just blasting Horde for the fun of it. I think this is because I 'main' the PS for the time being so that's my 'official' profile where I go for plats.

But it is so liberating but also feels a bit hollow. Like the micro objectives just give you something else to hunt down and do, but some of them are just so stupid - like the burning enemies in Valhalla. I wish there were more just in game things to do and 100%. They seemed 'fairer', like collecting relics in Crash or beating times/collecting chaos emeralds. Now, it's about weird little side events/tasks.

I think I like dropping them compared to checking the games out on PS but also games go by a lot quicker without them.

 

[Chastten]

For a while I was pretty into achievement hunting on Xbox 360 and I like the general idea of them, but if I'm honest, most games have some absolutely terrible achievement implementation.

If an achievement is something like 'complete this or that totally optional mission/dungeon' then sure, I'll take an hour and do it if I like the game. But most of the time games have a few very unreasonable ones making 'completing' a game a total chore and it just isn't worth it.

This video of the Completionist is a perfect example. A game that can be completed in a single hour has an achievement to play it for a 100 hours. Not worth it. Not even close, glad to have it on Switch.

 

[AV]

I know the feeling. It's weird, because you realise eventually that nobody cares about your game achievements except for you, and yet if you don't get the little "ping", sometimes objectives can feel like they're not worth doing. The part I love personally is seeing the % of players that get certain ones - a recent one was seeing that less than 15% of people with Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition on Steam even finished the game.

But I definitely fall into the trap of playing parts of games just for the achievements sometimes - recently I enjoyed Immortals: Fenyx Rising a surprising amount, was going for the platinum until I realise what I had left to finish, and immediately resigned myself to just finishing the core game. Felt like an idiot for wasting hours doing things in that game I probably wouldn't have done otherwise and not even bothering to get the platinum, but you have to be careful not to fall into the sunk time cost trap. It would have required hours of walking around chopping trees to farm a material I had zero need for, just so that I could have a little badge on my profile that nobody else cared about. It's so dumb.

WoW is one of the worst offenders. The amount of time people spend soloing old content with absolutely zero challenge just to watch one big number tick up is staggering. I guess they're "seeing" everything the game has to offer, but when you're soloing it several expansions later, you might as well be noclipping around or looking at it in a model viewer.

 

[Jethalal]

I never care about the trophies, they drag down the experience for me. If I started to hunt trophies, it would ultimately be a disappointment as I know I won't be able to have all them due to some bullshit requirement and then that fact would irk me. Other thing is I would need to repeat levels and I feel it breaks the flow of the game and most games don't have high replay value IMO.

 

[Soodanim]

I’ve seen it from both sides. For a time I saw trophies as extra value for money, and I enjoyed what some games offered (ignoring things like 10,000 kills in an online mode I didn’t care about). I played games in ways I wouldn’t have normally. In that sense they serve a great purpose, and there was also the friendly competition I had with a friend. That was back on PS3.

Now I’m on PC I don’t care, and I’ll only finish off achievements if I’m one or two away and it happened naturally. Maybe it’s because I don’t need extra value from games when I have more games than time. I play a game until I feel I’m done and then move on. Does GOG have achievements? I feel like it does, but I’ve never looked at them.

If I ever jump back into PlayStation I will likely go back to trophy hunting in some minor form, because it’s more integrated and promoted as a part of the experience as opposed to Steam where it’s there if you want to find it and you get pop ups but otherwise it’s benign.

 

[JimmyRustler]

I count myself to one of the lucky folks who loves trophy hunting but can very well enjoy games without ever going for them. When there is a game I want to play but it's way to tedious and lengthy to get the 100%, I will just not care for it at all. Last game for me was RDR2. This is why I love Trophy Roadmaps because before I even start a game I know if I'll go for the 100% or not.

 

[Knitted Knight]

It's a love/hate relationship for me too. Too time consuming with so many games out to go for Plats. I've narrowed it down to certain developers, and new IPs. I don't plat Insomniac games for example.

Some games like Crash 4 are just crazy to plat (Crash 2/3 I did go for the plats and got them). Compared to say Bloodborne, which is pretty straight forward if you just beat the bosses in mostly normal like playthroughs.

I don't have the achievements issue any longer, as my XBL acct has been dormant for ages and I play MS games on PC now. Kinda a breeze to beat Gears 5 and not worry about a damn trophy. It's all psychological.

 

[WalterSobchak]

It's just a waste of my time and nobody cares if you get all of them. That's my take on trophies . I get why they exist, but it's not for me .

 

[Merkades]

I find I only go for them on Playstation. I never cared about them on my 360, and to this day I don't really put in any effort to get them on Steam. I do like them though. Well, as long as they are not dumb things like excessive grind with no benefits (an example, in Valkyria Revolution I had to grind some 6 or more hours to hit a set money amount after I had finished the game, it was the only trophy I had left, total waste of time.)

Playing games on PC and not caring about them is kind of liberating though. But I did not hesitate or mind getting my platinums in Ghost of Tsushima or Days Gone.

 

[linkroi]

i cannot care less, sometimes it can be fun when you really love the game you're playing, but a lot of times it's just stupidly boring. Multiplayers achievements are really dumb too. I enjoy a game so much more without thinking about that, just to play the way a want...

 

[Knitted Knight]

I find I only go for them on Playstation. I never cared about them on my 360, and to this day I don't really put in any effort to get them on Steam. I do like them though. Well, as long as they are not dumb things like excessive grind with no benefits (an example, in Valkyria Revolution I had to grind some 6 or more hours to hit a set money amount after I had finished the game, it was the only trophy I had left, total waste of time.)

Playing games on PC and not caring about them is kind of liberating though. But I did not hesitate or mind getting my platinums in Ghost of Tsushima or Days Gone.

They're both easy to get but both time consuming to get - the best trophy hunting bait of all. Which is how they should be done. U4 speed run was so unnecessary in comparison.

 

[AV]

It's a love/hate relationship for me too. Too time consuming with so many games out to go for Plats. I've narrowed it down to certain developers, and new IPs. I don't plat Insomniac games for example.

Funnily enough, I didn't get the Sackboy plat because I couldn't bring myself to farm the final knitted knight trial until I got a perfect run. I know that I COULD eventually get it, but the thought of repeating the same dull first few sections over and over and over was dreadful.

 

[SkylineRKR]

I don't care about them. I only plat games once I see they're easy to get and I am enjoying the game enough anyway. Its some extra mileage I guess. I would've beaten RE3 numerous times anyway, since I wanted to unlock all stuff. But with the trophies I decided to do a speedrun etc.

But if they were removed tomorrow I wouldn't give a shit.

 

[Knitted Knight]

Funnily enough, I didn't get the Sackboy plat because I couldn't bring myself to farm the final knitted knight trial until I got a perfect run. I know that I COULD eventually get it, but the thought of repeating the same dull first few sections over and over and over was dreadful.

Trust.... I've shed my tears on that one.

 

[amigastar]

It's just a waste of my time and nobody cares if you get all of them. That's my take on trophies . I get why they exist, but it's not for me .

Same here, never really cared for trophies. I'd rather have the info how many hours i've played.

 

[Mokus]

On the PS3 after my first Platinum trophy, I tried to unlock most of the trophies for my favorite games. And at one point I played games only if I was sure I can get the "ultimate" trophy. Later I realized that because of this I'm not enjoying the games and going after trophies feels more like a duty/homework. I felt stupid.

Now days I hunt down only the easy ones. Luckily on PS4 the trophies are not as hard to achieve as was on PS3.

 

[Max_Po]

I sort of gave up on Online Achievements. no time to hunt @ 38 with kids.

I really really enjoyed improving my skill for games like Project Gotham Racing 3. 1000/1000 and Ridge Racer 6 940/1000

 

[Cob32]

I normally take a little look at the list after I’ve finished the game. Sometimes you discover little secrets you may have missed otherwise.

 

[phil_t98]

love that my gamer score goes up as I play a game but as somebody pointed out before some of the achievements are nearly impossible to get and dont make it fun to get.

I remember getting 1000 achievements on Modern warfare 1 and 2 on the 360 but it was silly hard on world at war because of all the grenade spawning so it put me off and I got about half way through completing it on hard

 

[FunkMiller]

Never really bothered with them, to be honest. I’ll complete as much of a game as I’m having fun doing, then move on. After all, who really cares about them? If it ain’t fun doing, what’s the point?

 

[TheSHEEEP]

Remember when you played games because they were fun and not because of a work-like feeling of having to hunt down achievements or increase some arbitrary score?
I never quit that stage. Haven't hunted an achievement in my life and never will.

I will say, though, that I do appreciate getting an achievement for something interesting, unusual or very hard that you did in a game.
It's just a way for the devs to give players a "well done!" pat on the back. And they can be quite funny, do - e.g. "die during the tutorial".
What's also nice is reading through achievements as they can give you ideas about what to do in a game that you might never have figured out otherwise.

 

[acm2000]

the xbox implementation is by far the best even to this day, ive played many many games just to get the achievements when im bored, even more so with game pass, its very much a tool to get more value out of the game you might just finish in 8 hours doing the campaign, or 10 hours getting some extra achievements on the way

 

[GHG]

They are best ignored and you're better off playing the game on your own terms IMO.

A lot of the time they literally turn the mindset of playing the game into something that you would usually experience with work.

 

[TonyK]

I hate trophies, they want from me that I play in a way I don't like (use this shitty weapon 50 times, kill 10 enemies with the same grenade...) or do repetitive things (grab 100 feathers). All the times I played trying to complete the trophies I ended liking the game less than before searching to accomplish the damn trophy list.

 

[Mr Hyde]

I only go for plats in games I enjoy and with replay value such as NG+. I was an avid trophy hunter a couple of years ago but got burned out and realized I was not having fun. So I dropped it. Now I have a more casual approach to it. I also almost never do a platinum in one playthrough, I do it over the course of several ones that can take years apart. In that way I never get tired of the game and it's more fun to revisit.

 

[Mithos]

If a game do not have trophies it's a 99.99% chance that I never play the game a second time.

 

[MightySquirrel]

I'm sure glad to not care about any trophies or achievements in games. Seems like it would ruin games for me.

 

[BigLee74]

I don’t go achievement hunting particularly, but I do like it when they pop!

Games without them just aren’t the same, and I’m reminded of that every time an original Xbox game is given away with GWG.

 

[Iced Arcade]

Even though I know they are useless, I still enjoy them and re play more games due to them.

1st play through of a game I never think of them at all BUT achievement have given me reason to go back and re play games and sometimes work/play harder in some cases. Definitely adds value imo

 

[Uiki]

Remember when you played games because they were fun and not because of a work-like feeling of having to hunt down achievements or increase some arbitrary score?
I never quit that stage. Haven't hunted an achievement in my life and never will.

Brofist.

 

[Aenima]

I use trophies as a way to offer replay value for the games i would like to play more after i beat them. It kinda feels like a game is missing something if they dont have them these days.

 

[Soodanim]

Even though I know they are useless, I still enjoy them and re play more games due to them.

1st play through of a game I never think of them at all BUT achievement have given me reason to go back and re play games and sometimes work/play harder in some cases. Definitely adds value imo

All games are useless

 

[Captain Toad]

I agree. Trophies are a double-edged sword. The compulsion to get them can often be a hindrance. But, the desire to get them can make the satisfaction of gaming even more rewarding.

There really isn't anything bad about trophies. But, too many developers just don't understand how to create trophies that are fun to work towards, not a chore.

 

[Poop!]

When achievements first hit in 2005 where they were required in every game, I went after them. Now I don't care.

 

[aries_71]

Well, the achievements/trophy are a gift wrapped in thorns. At their best, they are a mean to discover different ways to play or experience parts of a game you wouldn’t care in a normal playthrough. At their worst, they are an amazing psychological tool by the platform owners to keep you within their walled garden. If your main gaming is done on a specific platform, you may be reluctant to switch to another and stop collecting them in your main profile.

I certainly would prefer them not being a thing, but I also remember that playing games before the achievements concept was, in my experience, a much straightforward and short experience.

 

[Malakhov]

Never bothered for trophies. I finish a game when I beat it, then move to the next one. Barely have time playing with two young kids at home so I ain't messing with that shit

 

[TintoConCasera]

I don't care about them. I even disable in-game overlays so I don't get distracted by them when they pop up.

I've never understand the appeal of them tbh.

 

[AV]

For everything I just said, back when Valve added their first set of Steam achievements with The Orange Box, replaying Half-life 2 Episode 2 while carrying a gnome through the entire game is a fond memory. I had time to do shit like that when I was 15.

 

[Sorcerer]

Never look at the list for them. Some of them are outright spoilers. I don't mind notices popping up when I had no idea what I did to achieve them, to me that's more fun, when its a little bonus mystery. Never chase them.

 

[Jeeves]

For those of us who never got into trophies/achievements in the first place, it's incredibly strange behavior from the outside looking in.

I used to think it was kind of neat watching my 360 gamerscore go up, but I never thought much about it. I thought it was fun when Portal 2 used an achievement as part of a joke punchline, that's about it. I think also in that game I'm only missing one (probably easy) achievement, but it never bothered me. I'm glad you're relaxing your 'policies'.

"Game looks cool, but no achievements so no buy"
"I bought this game to farm cheevos"
"How easy is it to platinum?"
"Even though I already beat the game on Normal I have to play it again on Easy"
"This game is making me grind this stupid objective I don't care about. I already finished the game I just want to be done with it"

- Things psychopaths would say

 

[Moonjt9]

Playing games on switch makes me miss trophies. I’m not an avid trophy hunter but I do have a dozen or so plats. There really is something nice about getting a trophy when you are playing, even if you aren’t going for them.

What makes it work though is that it’s tied to your account, so you actually feel a sense of accomplishment and pride, like that trophy will last past the time you are done with the game.

I’m playing Ori and the Will of the Wisps on Switch, and it has achievements built into the game which is cool. I like the pop up and all that. But it’s almost like “well so what, it is only this one game”. To even see the achievements you got you have to boot up that game. You don’t get that same lasting feeling like PlayStation trophies have.

On the other hand it’s nice not having to worry about trophies while playing games on the switch, but would I rather they be there? Yeah I guess I would.

 

[Esppiral]

The way achievements work on Xbox One made me lose interest in them, I don't know what it is, the fact that they are hidden behind different tabs or that if you play offline the won't show, but I no longer care about them.

 

[Moogle11]

I’ve very rarely paid much attention to them and even less often chased them, especially in recent years. Last gen Bloodborne, God of War and Fhist of Tsushima were the only ones o got the platinum a or 100% achievements. It’s rare that I beat a game and am looking for more to do. Most of the time I’m glad to be done and moving on to something else.

 

[Duchess]

I treat trophies as post-game content. Bonus stuff, basically. I avoid looking at the trophy list in games until I've finished a playthrough, then see what I can do.

 

[SweetShark]

Depends the kind of game you are playing.
Most games have the achievements for the challenge. But some others have them when you discover something which is part of the core gameplay of the game. Mostly for how much you explore a game and you just don't speedrun a game.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I get it, but then I don’t. I’ve played long enough to develop my own reason of playing. I don’t have to look at a trophy to get motivated to play. I can appreciate them for giving me a sense of accomplishment. I can finish a retro JRPG or I can play a new AAA release. I use to hide the Trophy pop up notification. Now I like to see them pop up.

I really like it when a game adds their own objectives and trophies. Dragon Quest XI for instance has trophies that are not part of the console trophies and if they do, they’re identical to the console’s trophies/achievements. You can get a lot out of a video game. They’re longer than a movie or a TV show. You can go back to it if you take a break. You can plan ahead. Trophies can be researched and you can plan a head to unlock them. It’s very accessible for those interested. Even if you’re on a busy schedule you could plan out which trophy to work towards.

I think it has a lot to do with your interpretation of accomplishment. It’s like ringing a bell every time you beat a boss. Pretty soon if that bell doesn’t ring you think something is wrong. If I fight a major boss then I suspect something’s going to pop up as an award. In many cases, games do just fine with plot building and the challenge of beating a boss still has its reward with or without an achievement. You don’t exactly get a trophy for making your favorite character, but you get one for collecting skills you don’t use? Sometimes the satisfaction in getting the trophy just isn’t there. That’s why I don’t hunt for trophies/achievements.

 

[Ev1L AuRoN]

I loved how trophies were implemented in the Uncharted series as well as the God of War in the PS3 days, felt organic to get them, today most trophies require you to do things that plain and simple aren't fun.

 

[Elder Legend]

If trophies and achievements didn't exist I would quit gaming simply because just beating a game was never a real 100%, but mastering the game is.

I've spent an insane amount of time on my ps4 getting some of the hardest platinums and 100% such as

Evil Within (including DLC).
Evil Within 2
Battleborn (including DLC)
Overwatch (including DLC)
Sniper Elite 4 (Including DLC)
Evolve (including DLC)
Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare
Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2 (including DLC)
Dark Souls
Dark Souls II
Bloodborne
Knack
Resogun (including DLC)
Mortal Kombat X (including DLC)
Injustice 2 (including DLC)
Watch Dogs
Assassins Creed 2 (including DLC)
Assassins Creed 3 (including DLC
Assassins Creed: Brotherhood (including DLC)
Assassins Creed Revelations (Including DLC)
Assassins Creed Unity (including DLC)
Assassins Creed Syndicate (including DLC)

And many more - full list here www.psnprofiles.com/gyrathus

 

[Kataploom]

I wish I cared more for them, but I just can't stand playing a game much more than I feel already satisfied by the experience and coming back to games to do extra stuff is rare for me

 

[ZippyTheOtter]

Was really big into them at first. Now that I'm older and game time has become more limited I really don't care as much. Mostly if I really like a game they can give me an excuse to artificially extend its legs, or a reason to go back to it.

It is odd not getting the occasional ding while playing Switch games though.