Gaming, Microsoft, XBLA, Xbox 360|June 29, 2010 8:15 pm

Hey Microsoft! Is There A Point To Achievements Anymore?



Although we may not all admit it, we’ve all chased an achievement.  Some of us will not rest until we have got all 1000 Gamerscore (or higher depending on DLC) while others simply hear a blip blop sound and a pop up reminding them they just done something to earn a few more points. For many gamers, achievements are cited as the reason that the Xbox 360 is their console of choice for multiplatform games while others have grown tired of them and now see them as an annoyance more than anything else.

So what has changed that has turned so many gamers against them?

Well quite frankly, nothing has changed and that’s the point.  There is a growing consensus that Microsoft have mostly ignored the achievements and gamerscore since launch, despite updating just about every other feature of the console. Twitter, facebook, ESPN, Sky TV are just a few of the ‘enhancements’ made to the Xbox Live service since the Xbox 360 launched.  We’ve seen avatars added and the marketplace is jam packed with countless items of clothing you can buy for them.  Up there in the right hand corner of your xbox live dashboard is a figure that, although will have increased over the years, it’s effectively unchanged in the message it represents.

If we stop right here and take a quick straw poll of everyone who has registered several of the achievement websites that slice, dice and summarise your gamerscore in every way possible, you can guarantee it will not be a small number. So why have Microsoft left our Gamerscore to rot in the top right hand corner of the dashboard?

Would it not be an improvement to at least have the option to drill down on the score to see online and offline scores? How about subtotal by genre? There are probably many more ways to summarise the score but these couple of ideas highlight the potential behind the achievements and just some of the ways the gaming world expected Microsoft would develop the idea when they unlocked their first achievement.

Think about bragging rights among friends lists about who has the most sports gamerpoints, or FPS achievements. On the flip side you could see who has been playing kids games just to increase their score.

PlatformNation wants to hear your opinion. What do you want Microsoft to do with Gamerscore and achievements or should we just forget it and move on?  There will almost definitely be a dashboard update to support Kinect when it is released so let’s start the speculation right here, right now and demand that Microsoft gave up more bang for our Gamerscore.

VGN24
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Author: I'm a 30+ year old gamer who refuses to grow up. Originally a PC enthusiast, I have began to move towards consoles as an alternative gaming platform. Owning all consoles since they launched, including the portable ones I simply cannot get enough gaming squeezed into the day. Having joined PlatformNation in the summer of 2009, I am excited to be part of a growing community and hope that you find my contributions and reviews both informative and encourage you to debate my opinion in our forums. Feel free to add me as a friend. XBL: MarkWithers, PSN: moko7t8, Steam: moko7t8. Raptr: markwithers
  • http://www.fountainofuselessknowledge.com Tym Kaywork (vttym)

    While I agree that more could be done in the console itself with achievements, the fact that Microsoft allows the transparency of your gamerscore to be tabulated by websites and have those numbers crunched speaks to the fact that they feel its somewhat important.

    And one minor correction – they did patch achievements at least once – it now tells you what achievement and how many points you earned (or multiples if that’s the case) – It used to just say achievement unlocked and you had to mash the Xbox button quick to bring up the list and see what you just did. So see, they do care! :)

  • fggs

    i dont’ care about stupid virtual game scores

  • Chris Forbis (mensadad)

    I guess I’m a gamerscore-whore. I have been known to cruise through my achievements list and grab a game off the shelf with less than 50% completed – just to get some more of the achievements.

    As for drilling into gamerscore – I do that on Raptr.com. It’s easy to see how you are doing compared to your friends, see how many hours you have given up to each game, and send taunts to your friends when you get an achievement. It will also notify your friends (if you like) when you login to Xbox Live to let them know you are available for gaming. It ties into Twitter, Facebook, SMS… I can even sent texts to my kids phones from it.

    What I find interesting is the vast difference in difficulty of achievements.

    … and why can’t I get a little taste of gamerscore for playing Indie games?

    Also – Soon you will be able to earn gamerscore on your Windows based smartphone. I can just imagine it now:
    (5GS – Thumb Cramps – Sent 1000 Texts TODAY)

  • Brian Heitzenrater (FrehleyzComet)

    I love achievements! I feel like I can’t even play an older game that doesn’t support them. On the other hand though, I would never play a game just for the achievements either (aka Avatar). I really do wish that MS would enhance these options. I know you can compare games with friends, but you actually need to be looking at your friend’s games first. Why can’t I browse through my played games and see what friends have played the same ones? Like say I was checking out my achievements for Gears of War 2. Why couldn’t it show me a list of my friends who also have played this game? Then when I click on an achievement, why can’t it say well these 2 friends have unlocked this achievement as well? COME ON MS! XBL is all about friendship and competition. Give us more options!

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  • Camalach

    I think the best way to implement achievment points moving forward is to have them as some kind of currency. Maybe you could use them to buy small items like t-shirts for your avatar or picture packs. Alternatively maybe you can use them as discounts for premium content on live. If this was the case it would boost gameplay and it would also boost spending on live. DO IT MICROSOFT

  • http://www.facebook.com/GrandTheftAngel Grand Theft Angel

    “So what has changed that has turned so many gamers against them?”

    -I will tell you what! GAMESAVERS! PEOPLE WHO Exploit SPG!! AND ALL THE ALIKE! If you’re a Real Gamer you play the damn game! That is the only way to actually EARN achievements!! I love when Microsoft resets someone who has gamesaved! But damn it they are not that vigilant in it, as tons of gamesavers still have their gamerscores intact. It’s not fun when it has taken me a year and a half to reach 60,000Gamerscore, just to see some dipshit go from 10k to 100k overnight. I don’t understand how you can even call yourself a gamer by doing that??? You’re not even playing the game??? Come on its not hard to 1k a game legit, especially if it is a sweet game you love to play! Gamesavers Die!!!

    • kirby145

      This is true. MS does get all gamerscore cheaters eventually but it might take 1-2 years.

      Some good things about gamerscore:

      AVATAR AWWARDS are cool things for your avatar you get for achievements. All developers should put them in but most are lazy.

      http://www.mygamercard.net/ can track achievements more effectively and other stuff if that’s what you’re into.

  • http://www.facebook.com/GrandTheftAngel Grand Theft Angel

    By the way, people who have not joined TA really should! It’s a awesome site! That’s http://www.TrueAchievements.com -your welcome to use me as the gamer that referred you…gt: HELLRAZORANGEL

    Another plus about this site is it hands out big fat ZEROs to those who gamesaved haha WIN!! cheaters never prosper!

  • Mark Withers. (MarkWithers)

    I’m also a member of true acheivements and it’s just one of the many sites I joined to make more use of my gamerscore. I am not a gamerscore whore but I love statistics and am so disappointed in Microsoft.

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