Achievments are a funny thing. They get you nothing and yet you still want them worse then ever. What was the point of spending five hours discovering some remotely hidden section of a game? Nothing, but we still do it, and we do it a lot evidently. Since Achievements started 2.5 billion have been unlocked, with a collective gamer score of 52 billion being achieved. That means if you have less than 150 achievements then you're under the average every gamer should have and you better get to work.
This is all according to Xbox chief Aaron Greenberg, who I'm sure has Achievements coming out of his pores. The amount of Achievements flowing from Greenberg's epidermis aside, this is quite the testament to the success of the ol' Achievement. Of course more of a testament to the success of one of Microsoft's best ideas ever is the fact that every gaming company out there has started to copy them in one way or another. Hopefully some day soon we'll be able to use these things for more than just bragging rights. Achievement for your thoughts.
Matthew Razak is Destructoid's Associate editor and co-founder of film site
Flixist. He began as community member "cowzilla" and was since sequestered to write brainy features material. He lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful wife.
Likes
Games! Movies! Hats!
Meet the rest of the team
| BBcode help |
| [b]Bold text[/b] |
Bold text |
| [i]Italic text[/i] |
Italic text |
| [url]http://www.dtoid.com/[/url] |
http://www.dtoid.com |
| [url=http://www.dtoid.com/]Web link[/url] |
Web link |
|
| [img]http://www.example.com/robot.jpg[/img] |
 |
Post a comment! You can also post a photo below:
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
49 comments | showing # 1 to 49
|
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
Comments policy
Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?
Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!
Contest:
11:00 AM on 04.05.2009
| 
I belive Sony said they were going to try and do something "more" with the trophy system in the future. Maybe that kind of thing is what they were hinting at..
"less than 150 achievements than you're under the average"
RAWR GRAMMAR NAZI RAAAAGE:
"..less than 150 achievements THEN you're under the average.."
S/THAN/THEN
Her bewbs look good in shirts.
What is next we don't get laid??
Real original
That was more of a general you, not referring to readers. I'm an achievement bitch myself and can't make sense of it.
Also, the achievement unlocked pop up has fucked me up numerous times on Geometry Wars 2, blocking my vision for those precious couple of seconds killing me, and so I can't forgive it for that.
@ norm9- It couldn't have happened that many times, there's only a max of 12 achievements in each Arcade game.
I say that Achievements should be more useful but at the moment they're a fun idea regardless.
Wouldn't it be great if more games used achievement awards to unlock stuff you used to get as a bonus for performing specific actions. You know - the stuff we now have to buy thanks to 'DLC'...
Also, I didn't realize this till later, you can turn off the notifications, which was something I disliked because having something pop up on screen kind of kills a game's immersion.
Is it any different that beating Contra for the NES without the konami code? Beating Final Fantasy II(the SNES one), unlocking all the endings in Chrono Trigger?
No, now we just have something that says that we did and I don't see the big deal, its like bragging rights, sure some people take it seriously but who cares?
But at least I know going for the Jim Sterling crowd Razak(why not, they are the biggest group here), way to aim high bro.
On the good side, it means they aren't on the road so maybe traffic around here will lighten up if more people get addicted to achievement whoring.
aaronf: "pointless achievements that mean absolutely nothing online or in the real world. "
What have you ever gotten out of a game that meant something online or ing the real world?
I remember the incredible Old Spice Xbox 360 achievement contest, where if you increased your gamer score by like 5,000 in one month you got free stuff.
They should do stuff like that all the time; it sells/rents out games.
What's with all the achievement hate?
> You feel sorry for gamers for collecting achievements? Why? Because they are enjoying themselves?
They are free to do whatever they want. And I'm free to think whatever I want of them.
> What have you ever gotten out of a game that meant something online or in the real world?
I enjoy games, but I don't obsess over spending 10 to 15 hours a day playing for achievements that mean nothing. And as I said, people are free to do that if they wish. I just don't find any value in it.
Getting the gnome into space in HL2ep2 caused me more pain than most [driving the little fucker while being gunned down, seriously!?] but valve certainly know how to pique my interest for meaningless accolades.
For the most part, I pay little attention to them as I tumble headfirst into the category of 'too many games to play, too little time to scour every dungeon/rooftop'
The achievement unlocked event does have a nice ring to it though... unless you're playing the first 10 minutes of PoP, in which case its like a fucking alarm that goes off every six cocking seconds.
I mean, I'm not an achievement whore or anything, I don't play games I otherwise wouldn't for achievements, but what I find extremely cool about them is that they can give an extra incentive for finishing that game, or trying someting you otherwise might not have.
I woulddn't have tried getting through COD on the hardest difficulty that's for sure, if it weren't for the massive achievements you got for it, but i did and it was fun (and painful)!
I wouldn't have tried for 30 damn minutes to get that pacifist achievement in Geometry Wars, but I did and it was fun!
In truth, it's a great way to extend the replay value of a game, if done properly. During the drought periods of games, it can be great to dust off an old game and try for some of those achievements, when they're done properly (See: halo wars, the orange box, geometry wars).
Though, I for one am at a loss of why I collect Achievement points. Apparently, you feel accomplished, because I sometimes do for such. For example, just recently I've been working on my Fallout 3 Achievements. I only have two more to go, and I even have the collections of Achievements for the two DLC's out. That's like... 58 Achievements or something, with several of them being hard to gather. What is wrong with me?!
Please note i do not want to start an argument all i am saying is higher than the average i never said that i was better as there are lots gamers out there with a lower GS than i and they are way better at games than i am. the only reason my GS is where it is, is because i like challenging myself each year by seting myself targets (sad i know)
other than that i wish it all was able to be used for something T_T