What's the Deal With Achievements and Trophies?

I’ve been a gamer ever since I was about knee-high to a grasshopper. I remember our local video shop in East Ham, England renting out VHS tapes when one day it got in arcades. The flashing lights of the Space Invaders sit down cabinet and the marquee and cabinet art of Pac-Man are ingrained in my mind; I was mesmerised by this new world and have been ever since. What appealed to me, beyond the art and flashing lights, was the promise of mastery. The first few 10p coins would go in and I’d die quickly, get myself stuck in a corner or get blasted in a blink of an eye. However, with practise and perseverance I’d get better and make progress. I played for fun, knowing that there were no rewards or trophies but just for the sheer joy of it.

Nowadays, whilst progressing through a game I’m bombarded with ‘Achievements’ that mean very little. Fine, some show progress through a game and that in itself is a reward but the lack of purpose of trophies seems like a missed opportunity. It seems to me like there was something grander planned but then it devolved into a simple trophy progress bar instead, a tick list of busywork.

I loved Assassins Creed II but the feather collecting was a pain in the ass!

The pointlessness of trophies has turned me off to ‘Achievements’ and it’s vacuousness. Most egregious for me was the feather collecting in Assassins Creed II, and I loved that game.

I know that game designers build these in to prolong play of their game, but at a time when streaming services, movies, music, books etc are available to us and we are living through a real golden age of television I find some ‘Achievements’ aggravating and time consuming. I'm a bit of a completist and once I start a game it is very rare for me to not finish it but I’ve never ‘Platinum-ed’ (100%) a game since the trophy system came into place and have no interest to as often it means little more than collecting random doodads. I know some games gate content until certain trophies are achieved but this is rare in most titles.

What if with certain trophies you got digital rewards, such as OSTs, avatars, themes and maybe discounts? I’m not some old man shouting at the moon but do feel that the games industry is missing a trick here. So, what do you think? Let me know!

Those Little Moments in Games

Many games nowadays are about spectacle, those amazingly honed set pieces that wouldn't look out of place in a Hollywood production. But what about those quiet more contemplative moments in games, moments that stay with you long after the end credits roll? Well I'm sure we all have them but these are some of my favourites in no particular order. If you can think of some more let me know. Oh and BTW Spoilers alert!

Red Dead Redemption- John Marston entering Mexico to that Jose Gonzales track. When I played the game the sun was slowly setting in the horizon and I had my horse at a gentle gallop to take in the beautiful scenery.

 

Superbrothers Swords and Sworcery- This game has many moments like sitting at the Moon Grotto or going to the Concert in the Woods but for me the ending as you float down the stream dead sticks out. Perhaps it would have been insincere to have the Sythian survive her wofeul erand.

 

Fallout 3- This is one of the most breathtaking moment I have ever experienced in a game. You open the vault door and with the sun blinding you, your eyes adjust to the light. Then you look out and you see the Washington Monument with huge chunks missing and the Capitol Building with part of the dome caved in- you realise just how fragile the world really is...


Assassins Creed 2- It's a-me Mario! Nuff said.

 

Ico- In a game about friendship and love the moment that most sticks with me is sitting down with Yorda. A moment of respite and peace in a hostile world.

 

Bioshock Infinite- This game upped the ante from the original Bioshock. The opening when you ascend into the sky and enter Columbia will stick with me for a long time. The scene with the candles and baptism is really spellbinding.


Journey- This game is full of moments but the ending where you die, just before reaching the mountains zenith is heartbreaking. However the journey is not over, you come back and travel the world as a spirit- this game is transcendant!

 

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons- This game is beautiful to look at, rather like those strange Eastern Block country animations and Jim Henson's The Storyteller style art prevalent in the late 70's and early 80's in particular. The ending is a real heartwrencher, I completed this game with my cousin and we both sat there in shock and full of despair. Get the tissues ready!

 

Final Fantasy 6- The opera scene where Celes poses as the Opera singer Maria and turns in a legendary performance. At the time this blew my mind!

 

Links Awakening- The Windfish waking up is a masterpiece on the Gameboy. This is one of my favourite Zelda moments of all time!

 

Monument Valley- In Monument Valley you'll guide Ida, the silent princess, through many levels that are filled with optical illusions, mysterious Crow people and more. You are all alone in this hostile world until you befriend a totem, then he dies.... slowly... in front of your eyes. Gaaaah the feels, the feels!

 

Proteus- This whole game is beautiful and full of wonderful imagery but I particularly remember the sunsets. Magical. In the video it starts at 12 minutes)


Okami- This is one of the most beautiful and underappreciated games of all time. The art style is unique and will never age but the thing that sticks with me is the marraige of the visuals to the sound, especially when the world is in bloom.

 

Thomas Was Alone- This game has some wonderful dialogue but Level 7.9 has some of the most honest writing in gaming; "James still felt weird, but he realised that everyone else was too. They were a crew of weirdos." It's difficult to convey the humanity of this game, especially because everyone in it is a quadrilateral, but trust me, it will get to you and make you think about friendships,  relationships and your past and formative years. It's that good!


Deadly Premonition- Out of all the games this was the one that will stick with me forever due to the pure weirdness and brutality of the deaths. For those who don't know a homicidal maniac known as the 'Raincoat Killer' is murdering people ritualistically. there are many horrible deaths but this one of Becky Ames is tempered with moments of beauty as she becomes a Goddess. A twisted masterpiece that needs to be played, especially for those who are fans of Twin Peaks and David Lynch.

So these are the moments of gaming that will stick with me, not all are wonderfully cheerful but they do have a beauty to them that I like. So are there parts of a game that will stay with you?