what is the purpose of achievements?

they are fun, encourage replay, and are just bragging points between friends. They have no monetary value, and are an excellent function in terms of sales for multiplat games, despite having no value.

But truthfully, they only add to a game, and you can ignore them if you choose, and since when is adding to a game bad?

false sense of satisfaction...hardly pointless though some games (mass effect comes to mind) have unlocks for achievements that are unlocked (I got the gamertag in my sig from beating Mass effect on insanity)

I get them because me and everyone on my friends list compete with eachother xP **hence why i have 1000/1000 on call of duty 4***

They do nothing, but for some reason I must have them.web966

Why would it be a "false sense" of satisfaction? Because you don't like them? :roll:

they are fun, encourage replay, and are just bragging points between friends. They have no monetary value, and are an excellent function in terms of sales for multiplat games, despite having no value.

But truthfully, they only add to a game, and you can ignore them if you choose, and since when is adding to a game bad?

rocktimusprime

it isnt, but I'v always done things like achievements before they put in the game so I dont understand why they are special

[QUOTE="rocktimusprime"]

they are fun, encourage replay, and are just bragging points between friends. They have no monetary value, and are an excellent function in terms of sales for multiplat games, despite having no value.

But truthfully, they only add to a game, and you can ignore them if you choose, and since when is adding to a game bad?

sparkypants

it isnt, but I'v always done things like achievements before they put in the game so I dont understand why they are special

They are just fun, and it kinda says a bit about you as a gamer.

One example was in GeOW there was no "ranking system," visible when you joined in a match. So people would check your achievements and they could tell if you were familiar with the game or not. Didn't mean you were good, but you were happy your team wasn't total noobs.

In Halo 3, unlocking them will give you new armor.

They're great!

Why would it be a "false sense" of satisfaction? Because you don't like them? :roll:

JiveT

its not like I dont like them its just I dont understand, and by false sense of satisfication, its like the game told you to do something though it serves no purpose but to make you smile for a little bit

[QUOTE="catlin_czirr"]In reality it does nothing at all, but for some reason people have to get them, my friend only gets them to have more points then the rest of the people on his friends list, he will seriously borrow a game from me beat it in one night, get all the achievements, and return it to me. I ask did you even enjoy the game? It's VERY annoying.CrazyCarter

your friend is a nerd.

[QUOTE="catlin_czirr"]In reality it does nothing at all, but for some reason people have to get them, my friend only gets them to have more points then the rest of the people on his friends list, he will seriously borrow a game from me beat it in one night, get all the achievements, and return it to me. I ask did you even enjoy the game? It's VERY annoying.CrazyCarter

your friend is a nerd.

Says the one posting on a video game forum. :roll:

I always hear from PS360 users that they get multiplats on the 360 because of achievements, but what do achievements do? Do they have a purpose, like discounts on downloads or something or are they just a false sense of satisfaction?sparkypants

Other than that they have been mostly useless except for the fun of getting them.

[QUOTE="CrazyCarter"]

[QUOTE="catlin_czirr"]In reality it does nothing at all, but for some reason people have to get them, my friend only gets them to have more points then the rest of the people on his friends list, he will seriously borrow a game from me beat it in one night, get all the achievements, and return it to me. I ask did you even enjoy the game? It's VERY annoying.web966

your friend is a nerd.

Says the one posting on a video game forum. :roll:

hey smarta$$, could you possibly understand the fact that there are times when people just need to pass time and will do almost anything to stay amused.

Isn't the degree of satisfaction relative to the user? How can anyone overall call it a false sense of satisfaction? Last I checked people could make that choice on their own.

I like achievements. I didn't think I would. However, I use them as a side quest (an extra layer of gameplay I used to not care about despite knowing it was there). Plus many of my coworkers on Xbox 360s as well as many of the games I own. It's nice to see their progress and what they've attempted.

If you can't tell I get a true sense of satisfaction from them. :)

[QUOTE="CrazyCarter"]

[QUOTE="catlin_czirr"]In reality it does nothing at all, but for some reason people have to get them, my friend only gets them to have more points then the rest of the people on his friends list, he will seriously borrow a game from me beat it in one night, get all the achievements, and return it to me. I ask did you even enjoy the game? It's VERY annoying.catlin_czirr

your friend is a nerd.

and you say something like "ifi cared so much about points i would be doing the same thing you are. just playing games for points and thinking im cool just cause my gamerscore is higher by 50 points."

The purposes ofAcheivements:

1.To encourage the player to replay the game and challenge themself
2.To encourage the player to pay for XBL (many acheivements are online only...)
3. E-PENIS!!!! Makes you feel bigger than youn really are! :wink:

slothboyadvance

Im starting to think its mostly for the last 2 reasons XD

[QUOTE="slothboyadvance"]

The purposes ofAcheivements:

1.To encourage the player to replay the game and challenge themself
2.To encourage the player to pay for XBL (many acheivements are online only...)
3. E-PENIS!!!! Makes you feel bigger than youn really are! :wink:

sparkypants

Im starting to think its mostly for the last 2 reasons XD

lol at #3. thats just sad.

its the same thing as rank in an online game or high score in an arcade gamezero9167

thats hard to argue because getting the high score is really the ONLY point to arcade games....and online games really

[QUOTE="zero9167"]its the same thing as rank in an online game or high score in an arcade gamesparkypants

thats hard to argue because getting the high score is really the ONLY point to arcade games....and online games really

And here I thought it was to have fun...

[QUOTE="zero9167"]its the same thing as rank in an online game or high score in an arcade gamesparkypants

thats hard to argue because getting the high score is really the ONLY point to arcade games....and online games really

also thats not the only point to arcade games or online games :lol: dont be a *******************************

They provide immediate gratification. And they're permanent. I like being able to do something cool in a game and be able to prove it. Totally psychological.

On a more practical note, as already mentioned, they add replay value. They encourage the player to explore everything that a game might offer. PGR for example. Not only do they offer achievements for the obvious... like ranking and performance in races.... there are achievements for using the track editor, taking pics and videos, and using GothamTV/OnDemand.

It's great for the completionist.

There's even a bit of social networking involved. Your achievements are your gaming profile. They give others a view into what games you play, how far along you are in those games and which ones you're particularly good at.

[QUOTE="slothboyadvance"]

The purposes ofAcheivements:

1.To encourage the player to replay the game and challenge themself
2.To encourage the player to pay for XBL (many acheivements are online only...)
3. E-PENIS!!!! Makes you feel bigger than youn really are! :wink:

sparkypants

Im starting to think its mostly for the last 2 reasons XD

It's a marketing gimmick that makes 360 multiplats more appealing to buy than the PS3 versions. I personally would go for the best version of the game whether or not it has achievements, but to many people achievements automatically mean the best version of the game and who are we to judge what makes people happy?

You better believe Sony wishes they had though of it first.

[QUOTE="sparkypants"]

[QUOTE="zero9167"]its the same thing as rank in an online game or high score in an arcade game-RPGamer-

thats hard to argue because getting the high score is really the ONLY point to arcade games....and online games really

there in lies the fun...

for example Galaga, the point of the whole game is to shoot the alien bug things so you can get(or beat) the high score and that in itself is the fun part of the game

there in lies the fun...

for example Galaga, the point of the whole game is to shoot the alien bug things so you can get(or beat) the high score and that in itself is the fun part of the game

sparkypants

Hmmm... isn't that statement supportive of the concept of achievements then?

People who think achievements are nerdy really don't know what they are talking about. They are basically just extra challenges to do in a game. Sometimes I wish that Wii games had achievements too because I have some really good ideas for them.

[QUOTE="sparkypants"]

there in lies the fun...

for example Galaga, the point of the whole game is to shoot the alien bug things so you can get(or beat) the high score and that in itself is the fun part of the game

-RPGamer-

Hmmm... isn't that statement supportive of the concept of achievements then?

People who think achievements are nerdy really don't know what they are talking about. They are basically just extra challenges to do in a game. Sometimes I wish that Wii games had achievements too because I have some really good ideas for them.

sexy_chimp

Same here, ever since I found enjoyment with achievements, I've found myself wishing all the games I played/play would have them.

[QUOTE="sparkypants"]

there in lies the fun...

for example Galaga, the point of the whole game is to shoot the alien bug things so you can get(or beat) the high score and that in itself is the fun part of the game

-RPGamer-

Hmmm... isn't that statement supportive of the concept of achievements then?

to some exstent yes, but at the same time though achivements are only a side thing and really aren't the main focus of the game, while the main focus of an arcade game (going back to my example of galaga) is to shoot as many alien bugs as possible and rack up the high score

[QUOTE="sexy_chimp"]

People who think achievements are nerdy really don't know what they are talking about. They are basically just extra challenges to do in a game. Sometimes I wish that Wii games had achievements too because I have some really good ideas for them.

-RPGamer-

Same here, ever since I found enjoyment with achievements, I've found myself wishing all the games I played/play would have them.

there are still ways to do that sort of things in games without having the feature(which is why I dont get why they are this big deal except to say...like someone elese mentioned "I have the bigger virtualpenis")

It gives direction and adds replay value to games. Plus they can be used for challanges (such as Old Spice ones) like the one I'm in playing for two 4,000 ms pt cards (around $100 value). cecx

http://www.360voice.com/challenges

I forget to check this place sometimes to keep up on the current prizes so for those of you that has not seen this yet check it out.

p.s. sorry for the broken link, I let a hermit mess around with my pc and I think he installed somekind of wierd hardcore secret hermit search engine and nothings worked right since.

to some exstent yes, but at the same time though achivements are only a side thing and really aren't the main focus of the game, while the main focus of an arcade game (going back to my example of galaga) is to shoot as many alien bugs as possible and rack up the high score

sparkypants

I see a trend here. You pass your own views on why games are played off like thats what everyone thinks. You stated before thats the point of arcade/online games. To be honest I don't agree with you, I play arcade/online games to have fun with friends (I rarely play random people I get no enjoyment from that). I also don't play to be the best in MP games, I don't want to invest the time. And when I beat an arcade game I don't even care what the score list is, I usually walk away b/c I'm too lazy to enter my initials.

The main focus is relative to the gamer, as I said before. You say it's not, but I know some gamers who focus a great deal on the achievements. Are you saying that they are wrong?

[QUOTE="-RPGamer-"][QUOTE="sexy_chimp"]

People who think achievements are nerdy really don't know what they are talking about. They are basically just extra challenges to do in a game. Sometimes I wish that Wii games had achievements too because I have some really good ideas for them.

sparkypants

Same here, ever since I found enjoyment with achievements, I've found myself wishing all the games I played/play would have them.

there are still ways to do that sort of things in games without having the feature(which is why I dont get why they are this big deal except to say...like someone elese mentioned "I have the bigger virtualpenis")

It's hard to think of challenges to do by yourself because your not always sure if they are possible or convinient. For example, the One Free Bullet achievement for Half Life 2: Episode 1, where you have to beat the game using 1 bullet. If that achievement wasn't there, you wouldn't know if it was possible or not, but since the achievement is there, you know its possible and you can do it. So achievements make things easier.

What is the purpose of videogames?

Nobody gives me prizes or money when I beat (or advance) in a videogame. Nothing you do gives you any tangible reward. All you get is the satisfaction that you derive from beating it. Achievements are similar.

[QUOTE="-RPGamer-"][QUOTE="sexy_chimp"]

People who think achievements are nerdy really don't know what they are talking about. They are basically just extra challenges to do in a game. Sometimes I wish that Wii games had achievements too because I have some really good ideas for them.

sparkypants

Same here, ever since I found enjoyment with achievements, I've found myself wishing all the games I played/play would have them.

there are still ways to do that sort of things in games without having the feature(which is why I dont get why they are this big deal except to say...like someone elese mentioned "I have the bigger virtual")

B/c this design actually gives me a sense of conclusion to these means. Of course (as I said already in my first post), I know you could easily do this stuff already, but then I could really do any random concept and make some pseudo-goal of accomplishment. However, there is no conclusion to that way of playing. When you get to that pseudo-goal you could easily make another and it's endless. With achievements there's an actual goal, and I could take it further if I wanted (whichI probably wouldn't).

It has nothing to do withfortitude to me. I could really care less if someone beats me in points per game or overall.

There's really no good reason for havingAchievements. They're useless.

There's really no good reason for havingAchievements. They're useless.

XenogearsMaster

To whom? You, by the sounds of it yes. I and many others I know would whole heartedly disagree with you.

Again much like "satisfaction", the concept of "use" is relative to the person.

[QUOTE="sparkypants"]

to some exstent yes, but at the same time though achivements are only a side thing and really aren't the main focus of the game, while the main focus of an arcade game (going back to my example of galaga) is to shoot as many alien bugs as possible and rack up the high score

-RPGamer-

I see a trend here. You pass your own views on why games are played off like thats what everyone thinks. You stated before thats the point of arcade/online games. To be honest I don't agree with you, I play arcade/online games to have fun with friends (I rarely play random people I get no enjoyment from that). I also don't play to be the best in MP games, I don't want to invest the time. And when I beat an arcade game I don't even care what the score list is, I usually walk away b/c I'm too lazy to enter my initials.

The main focus is relative to the gamer, as I said before. You say it's not, but I know some gamers who focus a great deal on the achievements. Are you saying that they are wrong?

Im not trying to pass on my views on games as law, Im just trying to get an understanding on what the purpose of achievements are. Arcades arent a good comparison,because the main goal of an arcade game WAS(this is back when IMO arcade games were fun) to get the highest score, that or fighter games which is where you beat the crap out of a friend(my favorite :) ).

But to get back to your question, no they are not wrong...my only question is why do you need achievents to tell you to explore your game, I do it by myself...as a gamer Iv learned to expieremt alittle more things like I wounder if I can take both guys out in one shot(like someone mentioned) or I like RPGs, I like to see how much of the world I can explore or for me my achievement, if you will would be getting each player to the highest lv possible...I dont need achievemts for this which is why I ask what is the purpose other then to say I have the bigger "virtualpenis"?