Acheivements have been available for quite some time in the form of PC gaming on Steam. However, with the addition of these starting the XBox 360/PS3 era, I think there has been a shift in how many people perceive playing games. For myself, I research video game literary studies, so I have seen my own perceptions in playing games. When I was younger, I played simply to enjoy a game, play a story, do a little grinding, but when it moved to this acheivement system, I found myself playing game differently. No matter what, the trophies are in the back of my mind. I am constantly thinking about what I need to get the Platinum. Also, when I play as a researcher, I am looking for more story moments, so games that are combat heavy (BioShock Infinite) that have a great story tend to feel like a slog. How can we, as gamers and researchers, keep these different gaming "personalities" in check so that gaming doesn’t feel like a job or chore, and what does it mean for gaming in the future? Looking at somthing like a David Cage game (I’m looking at you, Detroit: Become Human) is obviously great for the research, but playing to get the Platinum is an entirely new beast altogether, and they tend to meld when playing.
To boil it down, how has the advent of achievements/trophies changed the way gamers look at, and subsequently, enjoy video games? Do the trophies make them more fun or more of a chore after so long?
I think this is an interesting topic. I have found that chasing platinum trophies keeps me playing a game well past the point of it being fun. The competitiveness of a given game reaches into a kind of meta-realm where the achievements of gamers are comparable through an achievement/trophy system. The desire to escape this phenomena could possibly be linked to the resurgence in retro gaming. No recorded achievements, simply gaming for gaming's sake. – Kormax6 years ago