Gamerscores/Trophies: Good or bad?

[BlasterDarkRen]

Okay, time for an interesting debate here, Please try not to let things get heated...

What do you monkeys think about scores and achievements? I feel like it's taking some of the fun out of gaming. Some people work too hard on getting a high gamerscore and to these people, a high gamerscore/trophy count makes them feel like they're better than others and it can get really elitist. Elitism is one thing I really hate most of all.

People like me who game for fun as a hobby are sometimes made to feel inferior by those who are in that top boat when we're not doing anything wrong.

That's how I see it anyway, let's discuss.

[Skyblade]

Gamerscore is completely worthless, though Trophies are better designed and can at least offer something to a gamer.

Achievements themselves can be either worthless, or add a great deal to the experience, depending entirely on the gamer and the achievement.

[fat_moogle]

When Sony first launched Trophies on PS3 with Super Stardust HD I was like "this is great!". I never had an Xbox so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with a PlayStation equivalent. Overall I think it's a good feature, but for me I play a game to play a game, not to earn trophies.

[Sephex]

I am very indifferent towards them. They don't motivate me to explore a game more. What motivates me to explore a game more is if the game's content is actually worth exploring.

[Mirage]

Some trophies involve challenges that I think are worth the time and effort it takes to beat them. Other than that, I think they are idiotic. Especially unmissable trophies.

[Spuuky]

They are neither good nor bad, but like all things, the response some people have to them seems detrimental to their own happiness.

[Ayen]

I am very indifferent towards them. They don't motivate me to explore a game more. What motivates me to explore a game more is if the game's content is actually worth exploring.

This. I enjoy it when I get one, but it's not something I go out of my way for.

[DMKA]

I can take them or leave them. I typically will try to get trophies on my way through the game and if I don't have them all by the time I beat it I typically just forget them.

Some people are really insane about it though. I have a friend that has like 50 platinum trophies. I think I have like 14 and I feel like that's a ton.

[Pumpkin]

I get them when I get them but otherwise I don't really bother. I guess it could be fun to try and get some on replays and stuff

[Bubba]

My reaction when I get a trophy is "Oh, a trophy". That's it.

Depending on what the trophies are on FFVII though I may try and get them all. I've never felt compelled to do it on any other game though.

[Bolivar]

They've pushed me to pull off impressive stuff in games I wouldn't normally think I could get good at, such as getting an A+ on every level of Hotline Miami, ranking in the top 1% of worldwide Killzone 2 players or getting a perfect score on every Velocity 2x stage. A couple Platinums mean alot to me but otherwise they've lost their novelty. They still surprise me on Vita though.

[Shauna]

I don't think they're taking the fun out of gaming. For some games, I enjoy trying to get the 'cheevos because they're like extra challenges and such, and if I enjoy the game - then why not try to do some crazy stuff and get a little badge to commemorate my effort. Then there are games that have ones like "Win 100 online multiplayer matches!" and I just sack those because I don't care about that side of it.

I don't feel pressured to get all the achievements, so I very often don't. But there are some people who actively enjoy getting all the achievements, and I don't see how that's wrong of them either.

[escobert]

Yeah i don't get the point of giving achievements for things like limit breaks in FFVII. thenonly game I pay attention to my achievements in is Counter Strike GO.

[Psychotic]

When I first got my 360 I was absolutely obsessed with trying to get as many as I possibly could. As the years have gone by I've had less time for gaming and so what time I have is not going to be spent on KILL 50 DUDES USING A TRAFFIC CONE or whatever. I rarely even check the achievement lists, much less go out of my way to get them. They're not a bad thing though, I enjoyed getting some of the really tricky ones and took pride in doing so and it encouraged me to do things in games I never normally would.

I think I've only ever had one person ever get all superior on me about gamerscore in my life.

[Vyk]

They used to bother me. I don't need or enjoy them, and getting them doesn't do anything impressive. You rarely get unlockables with achievements, it's just bragging rights. But it's built into the game. And sometimes it niggles at the back of my mind. I'm not a completionist, but I think some weird mild OCD puts the drag of the game and its achievements on me if I don't get a few worthwhile ones. I guess I shouldn't wish them gone, for the people who enjoy them. But I prefer having a way of turning them off, so I can just enjoy the game without these little "quests" sitting on the game unfinished and mocking me