what trophies REALLY mean

This thought is directed moreso to the hardcore people on here who continuously say they do not feel as though trophies have no meaning. One post that stands out to me, the inspiration for this thread goes something like this...trophies are annoying and i would even turn off the in game notifications for them.

I earned my 4th platinum recently in Split Second. Yes 4 is not much, but i have a need to play a bunch of different games vs. focusing on just 1 or 2, though that habit i feel is about broken so cool for me...

Anyway It really made me proud because some trophies took more than a few attempts. When i look at the plat. for S_S next to a 100%, i see all of hours of intricately learning the game and the frustration and the joy of actually earning that 2kb image.

Then i was inspired to do this with all of the games i have, because i realized that these actually mean DO mean something. They represent your own personal commitment to the hobby itself. Now to me, that means something. Trophies are for the people who take the hobby seriously tbh. Me being an immersive 'gamer' myself, i take pride in the fact that i can represent my commitment, in some form, even if only to myself. Trophies are freebies, even byproducts of what we all enjoy. Why not have something to show for the hard work it takes for some of these crazy challenges. Since im now going to be spending more time in 1 title at a time ( for more plat's) it assures me i will be playing games that are REALLY worth my time, instead of more all over the place. More quality gaming if you will. Just need to focus on focusing :)

BTW it also assures you have got your monies worth out of that title. Also i am NOT a trophy whore and will not ever play hannah ******* montanna for an easy plat. They are not that important, sorry to some of you guys. If someone says blog it, i wanted the trophy haters to have an opportunity to reply if they felt so inclined.

Sorry for long post im just curious how some people actually cannot enjoy these things. and im bored and i cant sleep...cheers.

Well Said.

I love my trophy collection (small as it is in comparison to others) and i think that the replay value that they give some games makes them a worth while investment. For example, i revisited, and platinumed, InFamous after not playing it for 9 months, just because i fancied grabbing the plat!

I am not a big fan of trophies, i would rather have cheat codes.

Interesting. But I have to disagree. I understand your reasoning but I, personally, don't think they show a dedication to the hobby.

Don't get me wrong, if I'm viewing someone's trophies and they have the Demon's Souls platinum or something just as difficult to obtain I will surely be impressed. However, I don't really care about getting trophies. I might later on but since I haven't had my PS3 that long I've been catching up on various missed titles. I have several games I could probably platinum but I'm not inclined to play them just to get those trophies.

The complication, for me, concerning trophies and their importance is that not every game is trophy supported. Awesome, you have the Killzone 2 platinum trophy. While you were doing that I was playing Metal Gear Solid 4. Cool, you just landed the Bayonetta trophy but I was busy replaying Final Fantasy VII. This idea takes away from the importance of trophies as I am a dedicated gamer. I've been playing games for a long time but there isn't away to display how much I played the original Quake online. Or how I got 100% completion in Metroid Prime, etc etc.

I have nothing against trophies nor do I care that they're there. They just fall by the way side for the time being. Later on, when I complete everything I own and I get bored one day my opinion might change. But that's how it is now.

Well Said.

I love my trophy collection (small as it is in comparison to others) and i think that the replay value that they give some games makes them a worth while investment. For example, i revisited, and platinumed, InFamous after not playing it for 9 months, just because i fancied grabbing the plat!

TroubleMaker411

And congrats to you on that plat. Im trying for Batman Arkham Asylum next. Itll be the toughest one ive gone after yet. Its great because that game is my most favorite game of all time, and now when i go back to it there are still goals to go after.

I've been playing games for a long time but there isn't away to display how much I played the original Quake online. Or how I got 100% completion in Metroid Prime, etc etc.

IndianaPwns39

And that is exactly my point. I hear ya ive been playing games since the good ol NES...ive invested many hours into the hobby as well. At least NOW moving forward, that problem is no longer a problem and we have SOMETHING to show for it.

I do think trophies show your commitment to completing a game. I've liked completing games 100% way before trophies ever came out, but now that they're around I actually get something for it. It might not be much, but it's still something so I'm happy with it :)

That is ok, my problem with them is how some of them just feel stupid, repetitive and boring and on top of that you don't really feel as if that was a task worth a trophy. My two proudest are: Beating Killzone 2 on Elite(Which I loved) and a legit BC2 demoman trophy(Cause I am badass in that game).GrandJury

Yea this is true...the system is not perfect. The ones that make you proud though make them worth earning. And yes you know your BC 2...

Also how do you reply to multiple comments is 1 post? Use the quick reply?

I do think trophies show your commitment to completing a game. I've liked completing games 100% way before trophies ever came out, but now that they're around I actually get something for it. It might not be much, but it's still something so I'm happy with it :)

Ospov

This. obvioulsy :P

I am not a big fan of trophies, i would rather have cheat codes.

spookykid143

lol cheat codes are such win.

GOD MODE BABIE YA!!!!! :D

[QUOTE="GrandJury"]That is ok, my problem with them is how some of them just feel stupid, repetitive and boring and on top of that you don't really feel as if that was a task worth a trophy. My two proudest are: Beating Killzone 2 on Elite(Which I loved) and a legit BC2 demoman trophy(Cause I am badass in that game).hawk549

Yea this is true...the system is not perfect. The ones that make you proud though make them worth earning. And yes you know your BC 2...

Also how do you reply to multiple comments is 1 post? Use the quick reply?

For me I think trophies do show your level of commitment to the games (hobbies, pass time whatever you wanna call it), but I think its also a little pat on the back , like for me getting the God of War1+ 2 +3 on god,titan and chaos difficulty (which btw doesn't have any trophy just unlocks some stuff) was very satisfying knowing how much I love the series since the first two came out on PS2. A feeling of a little accomplishment is achieved when that little icon comes up on the top. Specially because now a days I see kids playing games but don't really get into them or appreciate them for what they are. they just play it to cheat in it or somehow just beat it. I think its because its very easy to get games now, but for a lot of people like me, who were teens in the 80's getting games were a lot tougher so we enjoyed every bit of every game we got. And I think the trophy thing also helps you do that a little more. Anyway enough blabber lets kick some ass in MW2 :p.

I am glad that you like trophies but I don't think they show dedication. As I said some trophies are really stupid and I will not go after, yet I can still be very dedicated to the game. Uncharted is a prime example. I loved the game, I was very dedicated to it but I could not bring my self to beat crushing. It just felt like work.GrandJury

Thats just it though. A platinum trophy does take hard work, in most cases, to get. Thats how i felt, which is why i dont have many plats because i felt like they were too much work. even though i wanted them, i didnt want to bother working for them.

Then i realized when i earn that platinum...alot of 'work' or not, if its a game i am realllyyy into...that little platty symbol shows my own personal gems. This is why i wont trophy whore...i made that mistake with Terminator Salvation, though that game was half decent IMO and im into the terminator universe. Yes i want my plats to show MY true gems and the hard work i invested into it.

to me, they mean next to nothing. glad you like your trophies though.

the problem is it takes away choice, you have to do this exact thing to get it, and get them all to get the platinum ; I don't play to be stuck in some rules that sometimes, don't have any point in a game and don't bring anything to the atmosphere or story, there's even a lot of them you'll get automatically for being at some point in the game ...

[QUOTE="TroubleMaker411"]

Well Said.

I love my trophy collection (small as it is in comparison to others) and i think that the replay value that they give some games makes them a worth while investment. For example, i revisited, and platinumed, InFamous after not playing it for 9 months, just because i fancied grabbing the plat!

hawk549

And congrats to you on that plat. Im trying for Batman Arkham Asylum next. Itll be the toughest one ive gone after yet. Its great because that game is my most favorite game of all time, and now when i go back to it there are still goals to go after.

Batman AA the toughest? It's really easy compared to games like Ac2 and Uncharted. I platinumed all three plus 2 others. :P

Some trophies are an accomplishment, sure, but a lot of them are just ridiculous to obtain. I wouldn't call those being dedicated to a game though. I can be dedicated to a game and just choose not to do a certain aspect of it. I have 2 platinum trophies and those 2 required absolutely no extra work or long hours of struggle.

I feel I can be dedicated to a game even without obtaining a majority of trophies. I have a platinum in Dante's Inferno, but I'm much more dedicated to Resonance of Fate and only have about 30% of those trophies. I ain't trying for the platinum on that game even though I love it.

I love trophy support . I have only 9 plats , but they count ! WipeoutHD, Sacred2, Resident Evil 5, the two Uncharted's, Fallout3 and Dead Space are my most proud ones . Soon Dragon Age Origins will follow . And mabe, just maybe I'll ever get the last Resistance 2 trophy...you know which one...

I am glad that you like trophies but I don't think they show dedication. As I said some trophies are really stupid and I will not go after, yet I can still be very dedicated to the game. Uncharted is a prime example. I loved the game, I was very dedicated to it but I could not bring my self to beat crushing. It just felt like work.GrandJury

Playing an additional 10-50 hours on a game to get the plat is dedication.

Trophies are a nice little perk, nothing more. I enjoy them. I've got a couple of plat's on games I really loved, and I enjoyed getting deeper into those games and taking on the tougher challenges in order to get all the trophies. It's an accomplishment - a small one, but fun.

If anybody has the Warhawk platinum, THAT is dedication :P

I am not a big fan of trophies, i would rather have cheat codes.

spookykid143

If anybody has the Warhawk platinum, THAT is dedication :P

Ospov

i love going after trophies but i tend to give up on multiplayer and online trophies as it requires to much dependance on others and sometimes its just impssible

[QUOTE="hawk549"]

[QUOTE="TroubleMaker411"]

Well Said.

I love my trophy collection (small as it is in comparison to others) and i think that the replay value that they give some games makes them a worth while investment. For example, i revisited, and platinumed, InFamous after not playing it for 9 months, just because i fancied grabbing the plat!

inFamousLemon

And congrats to you on that plat. Im trying for Batman Arkham Asylum next. Itll be the toughest one ive gone after yet. Its great because that game is my most favorite game of all time, and now when i go back to it there are still goals to go after.

Batman AA the toughest? It's really easy compared to games like Ac2 and Uncharted. I platinumed all three plus 2 others. :P

silly goose, AC2 and Uncharted weren't hard to plat.

[QUOTE="hawk549"]

[QUOTE="TroubleMaker411"]

Well Said.

I love my trophy collection (small as it is in comparison to others) and i think that the replay value that they give some games makes them a worth while investment. For example, i revisited, and platinumed, InFamous after not playing it for 9 months, just because i fancied grabbing the plat!

inFamousLemon

And congrats to you on that plat. Im trying for Batman Arkham Asylum next. Itll be the toughest one ive gone after yet. Its great because that game is my most favorite game of all time, and now when i go back to it there are still goals to go after.

Batman AA the toughest? It's really easy compared to games like Ac2 and Uncharted. I platinumed all three plus 2 others. :P

I just meant Batman AA will be the toughest platinum that IVE gone after. After that, Demon's Souls. O boy.

Not that big on trophies, I don't even have a plat. I get more enjoyment just playing the game the way I want to. It was previously mentioned about cheat codes, if I wanna cheat around a bit in a game, why do I have to choose between getting trophies or having some fun? Yea, you get that extra sense of accomplishment, but I personally don't see it like that. Having fun is what gaming is about imo, but getting that last trophy thats more of a pain than it is fun, then itjust seems pointless to me.

Maybe I'll shoot for a plat some day, I'm closest to FF13, AC2 and Dragon Age currently.

4 platinums "isn't much"?!

I don't even have one platinum, dude!

I only have 3 :( plats

[QUOTE="inFamousLemon"]

[QUOTE="hawk549"]

And congrats to you on that plat. Im trying for Batman Arkham Asylum next. Itll be the toughest one ive gone after yet. Its great because that game is my most favorite game of all time, and now when i go back to it there are still goals to go after.

jjivey

Batman AA the toughest? It's really easy compared to games like Ac2 and Uncharted. I platinumed all three plus 2 others. :P

silly goose, AC2 and Uncharted weren't hard to plat.

The problem with trophies is that their implementation is flawed. I do not agree that the only way to get a platinum is to get all the other trophies first.

For a lot of trophies, I don't see them as dedication. I would challenge anyone who has the "collect all items" in Uncharted 2 to tell me that they did that without using a guide. Now, THAT, would be dedication; going and searching in every single nook and cranny for the items. Going on youtube or getting a walkthrough doesn't show me that you really earned that trophy.

And that brings me to my first point, the platinum. If I played and finished the game on a hard difficulty, killed most/all enemies, and collected most of the items, I think I'd deserve a platinum trophy. Even if that means I missed an item or two.

Trophies/achievements should be awarded for something you would do by playing the game normally. Yes, they should have some challenge, but you shouldn't need a guide, or have to play the game multiple times.

I don't care about trophies but I do want to have more then my friends

problem with trophies is that their implementation is flawed. I do not agree that the only way to get a platinum is to get all the other trophies first.

For a lot of trophies, I don't see them as dedication. I would challenge anyone who has the "collect all items" in Uncharted 2 to tell me that they did that without using a guide. Now, THAT, would be dedication; going and searching in every single nook and cranny for the items. Going on youtube or getting a walkthrough doesn't show me that you really earned that trophy.

And that brings me to my first point, the platinum. If I played and finished the game on a hard difficulty, killed most/all enemies, and collected most of the items, I think I'd deserve a platinum trophy. Even if that means I missed an item or two.

Trophies/achievements should be awarded for something you would do by playing the game normally. Yes, they should have some challenge, but you shouldn't need a guide, or have to play the game multiple times.

Grieverr

Yea but the thing is, that IS what you have to do to earn it. In getting it, it DOES show your commitment to earning it. Youtube or not. Youtube only helps so far...it is still up to the player to actually unlock any given trophy.

And if you beat a game on hard, and are missing an item or two, that means there was content that you missed out on. That game was not played through 100%. Sorry, no platinum just yet. At that point, when your that close its MORE worth your time to get everything than to have nothing to show for it.

Even if someone does have that U2 trophy and DID use youtube to look up SOME locations, it does not make them any less deserving of it. It was still a conscious effort on their part, to set aside the time and effort to gather them. Trophy earned.

I don't hate trophies, they just have no value to me. They don't represent your commitment to the hobby, they are just there to show off to other people. I got a platinum in FO3 and Arkham Asylum, Uncharted etc I got all the points for ME2, but even if there were no points, no trophies, I would have done those things anyway. I have been beating games like that for over 20yrs; I didn't get anything for going through MM2 with only the Mega Buster, clearing all 96 exits in SMW, finding all the DK coins in DKC2, beating Contra without the cheat code, beating SFII with every character in one sitting etc. wouldn't you say that is showing commitment to the hobby? Collecting trophies shows commitment to collecting and for many, showing off. You don't need a trophy to prove that you love gaming. All you have to do is pick up the controller, or in the case of Natal do a funky dance lol.

I'm proud of not having a single platinum trophy. Don't get me wrong, I like trophies and achievements (my 360 and Steam collections are reasonably large) but I've got so many games that I can't be bothered to replay them countless times or engage in banal activities for hours just to mine them. Most of the time it turns into a grind, or playing through a game with a walkthrough printed out or displayed on an iPhone beside you, and how is that fun?DJ_Lae

Then those are games that YOU felt are not worth your time.

For me, when i earn a platinum/100% in a game i felt was really challenging, in a game i enjoyed that much to put that kind of effort into, its benefits pay off ten fold. I now have something to represent my hard work, passion for that particular title, and that title stands out as one of MY personal favorites thanks to that little gem next to it's name.

At any rate, it is an excuse to go back and play through again a game that i thought was a blast to play the 1st time.

Not to mention, all of the folk who do not feel as though trophies are not worth your time because of this or that, makes me feel even more dedicated to my favorite hobby.

I do like the trophy system but I have no platinum trophy I can't play through a game and collect everything possible in the game I honestly get sick of it after a while but I'm always moving on to different games. If Saints Row 2 had trophies I would have got the platinum as I beat the game 100% and Blood on the Sand would have been easy for me to gain all the trophies but it didn't get patched in Europe or US weird as Japan has the trophies for that game.

I don't hate trophies, they just have no value to me. They don't represent your commitment to the hobby, they are just there to show off to other people. I got a platinum in FO3 and Arkham Asylum, Uncharted etc I got all the points for ME2, but even if there were no points, no trophies, I would have done those things anyway. I have been beating games like that for over 20yrs; I didn't get anything for going through MM2 with only the Mega Buster, clearing all 96 exits in SMW, finding all the DK coins in DKC2, beating Contra without the cheat code, beating SFII with every character in one sitting etc. wouldn't you say that is showing commitment to the hobby? Collecting trophies shows commitment to collecting and for many, showing off. You don't need a trophy to prove that you love gaming. All you have to do is pick up the controller. Sepewrath

Well why not have something to represent your work and time that you have personally invested?

I have also been playing for over 20 years, and think it would be great to have something to represent my years of investing in this hobby. Now, we have a stat tracker if you will, representing our DEDICATION and COMMITMENT to the hobby.

Also, say in another twenty years, if trophies carry on that long and whatnot, and someone can show their child a trophy card stuffed to the gills vs. having nothing, what would impress your child or whoever more? Its a no brainer IMO. Its something tangible to measure the work you have put into earning them. And in that, comes without saying your enjoyment and fun you have had winning them.

My enjoyment is what represents my years of work, my skill, my love of gaming all represent it. It may not be something tangible to show off to others, but for me that's not what gaming is about. I wouldn't show my kid any trophies to sum up my gaming experience, I wouldn't lay it out some artificial goal to achieve, I would simply let them game and let them love it like old dad or hate it. It would be one thing if I had real trophies from like tourny play or something, but these things, I don't have any pride in them, so they aren't something I would use to introduce a younger generation to gaming. Sepewrath

Yes I agree, trophies are NOT all that gaming is.

Trophies are just fun to do within your favorite games as it adds additional content to strive for. And to not have pride in them? Im sorry but when i earn that coveted Demon's Souls plat, you bet ill be quite proud of the extra hard work i put into earning it, and having something to show for it.

As far as the younger generation, trophies/achievements are here to stay. You can bet any next-gen gamers are going to expect them to be taken to another level in the years to come. They will accept them right from the start. Its the evolution of the hobby.