No platinum on Flower??
Earlier this week we asked if AchievementsTtrophies are essential to video game design, but now we want to know how they changed the way you game. Before you answer, let’s look at just a few ways these fictitious numbers have affected gamers already, and we will start with the Gamerscore.
The 360 was the first console to utilize Achievements, and they started out rather weak. I can remember playing Fight Night 3 for nothing more than the easy 1000 points it provided. One of my old roommates even went online to find the easiest games to complete that would inflate his gamerscore. Heck, even Blake will brag about his score from time to time.
Not one to be left out of this race, Sony soon brought Trophies to their system. Jump on the PSN and you’ll see a number next to every friend on your list. This equates to a level, and earning trophies in various games will increase this number. While not as hot as the Microsoft Gamerscore, it is widely debated that Trophies are often harder to obtain (on platform exclusive titles that is) and more rewarding. There is no solid answer to the difficulty debate, but the impact of the inclusion of virtual Trophies is still the same.
These phenomena are not limited to consoles either. A few years after the initial iPhone hit the market, Apple went ahead and brought Game Center to the iOS masses. This app (along with others like Open Feint) brought achievements to the mobile platform, thus placing numbers to various mobile gaming tasks. Game Center is just one more example of how much gamers enjoy this system.
Now then, how have these mechanics changed the way you play games? Will you jump on YouTube and watch videos of how to get that mind-boggling difficult Achievement? Do you not care and just play for the sake of having fun, or maybe you are a middle of the road gamer and enjoy these little additions but will not go out of your way to obtain the more challenging goals. Do these give replay value? Lay it on us, how have Achievements/Trophies changed your play style?
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