The Mystique of the Achievement

The interesting thing about gamers is their motivation, and how far they will go in a game. Some will merely rush through the main game. Others will go out of their way to collect extras, but not be too heartbroken if they miss a few and eventually move on. Then there are those who obsessively force themselves to collect every last secret and find ways to glitch the game, all in hopes of finding an extra cutscene or “better” ending– or even just for the hell of it. But the strange thing is, the only thing separating the first two from the latter is a square containing a drawing and a humorous name.

The achievement, be it in the form of a trophy, a badge, or an addition to a meaningless score, seems to somehow carry more gravitas than the self-imposed or implied challenge. While equally as meaningless as the high score or bonus ending, the simple achievement somehow compels you to accomplish a task that might not even cross your mind otherwise. Why is such a simple trick of programming so hypnotic?

It may be that it’s a form of immediate reward for the task. Unlike a hypothetical good ending, or the possible ability to knock down bosses like bowling pins, the achievement is right there, staring at you, daring you to complete it. You can’t turn the achievement down without putting some effort forth first; you’d seem like a wuss. So perhaps it appeals to our pride: “If you don’t at least try for this thing, you’re a pathetic worm.”

Whatever the cause, it’s somewhat odd to consider that the Modern Achievement took so long to come into existence. Back in ye olden days, the game was its own reward. You were expected to complete it, then play it again while looking all over the place for any possible secret that might net you a different ending or special item. It’s hard to say when the classic reward for 100% completion, the sword which can one-shot anything but of course you don’t need it since you already killed the hardest boss in the game, gave way to tiny pictographs that sneaked into the menu or your profile.

The Modern Achievement was certainly influenced by the advent of the internet; where once you had to call a friend over to check out your awesome sword, they would now be awed by tiny badges every time they looked at your profile. They might then be compelled to outdo you, to get their own achievements, the ones that you couldn’t. An unending cycle is created.

Whatever its roots, the Modern Achievement is now a hallmark of gaming and, interestingly, a good way to convince people to expand their horizons– the more games they play, the more badges they can get, and more often than not this requires trying something new. Serving both to motivate us and convince us to expand our horizons, the Modern Achievement is brilliant and good for gaming.

Advertisement