1. What are
Achievements in games ?
Achievements (trophies, badges, achievements) are a reward system for players in computer games that complements the core gameplay. They allow players to track their progress and can display it outside of the game.
Each individual achievement is awarded for fulfilling a specific condition: completing a story level, a side quest, finding a secret, using gameplay features in a unique way, and so on. When you fulfill a condition, you receive a badge. Each badge can only be earned once. You cannot lose a badge or obtain a second one. The game has a predetermined set of achievements. Completing all of them will result in 100% completion of the game.
Most often, achievements are an external system to the game, part of the game service. In the game itself, only pop-up notifications about progress and the completion of specific achievements are visible. However, achievements can also be found within the game, in which case they may be accompanied by in-game rewards. In external meta-systems, achievements have no impact on the gameplay; they merely track statistics and display them to the player.
Achievements are extremely popular among console players, where they are ubiquitous. In computer and mobile games, achievements are less appealing. On PCs, the decentralization of this industry and the ease of hacking open computer systems hinder achievements. Mobile games offer few worthwhile titles worth completing, and casual players pay little attention to their stats.
The importance of gaming achievements is confirmed by the fact that:
- There are dozens of gaming websites dedicated solely to this topic, with combined traffic in the millions per month. In Russia, the most famous website on this topic is Stratege.ru, with 500,000-700,000 visitors per month.
- Text and video instructions for unlocking achievements garner thousands of views daily. On this website, Gamesisart.ru, a tenth of all traffic to computer games comes from articles about achievements.
- This gaming phenomenon is even documented on Wikipedia, where more niche game mechanics are not covered at all. (Although the meaning of the term there is again imprecise, confused with side quests, and lazy article authors copy and spread this inaccuracy all over the internet.)
2. History of
Achievements in Games
1980s . Activision introduced the first achievement system in computer games. Thirty-four of their games featured conditions for earning a small physical reward. The first such game was Barnstorming, released in 1982. In each game, the player had to score a certain number of points or beat a certain time limit. The result had to be photographed on-screen and mailed to the publisher. In exchange, Activision sent players cloth patches.
Naturally, this wasn’t an invention within the gaming industry. The practice of awarding achievements originated with war games, and the idea was adopted specifically as part of military paraphernalia. All these medals and orders have long been used in the armies of various countries to reward and recognize individuals on the ground, without changing their rank or position. A symbolic reward that doesn’t provide material value, but distinguishes a person from their peers, a social motivator.
Activision’s patches were more similar in design to Boy Scout insignia, but the Boy Scouts themselves originated as a form of military preparation. Ultimately, the concept of achievement is deeply rooted in history, when military traditions took shape. In Russia, the first documented presentation of medals was in 1469. Globally, the earliest mentions of military medals were in Italy, in 1390. Until then, medals were used only as individual gifts between nobles.
Let’s return to the badges of the 1980s. Other gaming companies of the time also awarded physical achievements for their games, and it’s quite possible Activision wasn’t the first to do so. But it was the company that systematically awarded such rewards, and thus went down in history as a pioneer.
- The modern digital achievement system debuted on November 22, 2005, with the release of the 7th-generation Xbox 360 console. Achievements were part of Xbox Live, which brought the concept of social networking to gaming. It was the most successful Xbox console in terms of market share (85.5 million Xbox 360 units sold versus 87 million PS3 units), and much of this success was driven by personal game profiles and achievements. It’s hard to say for sure whether players were more impressed by the profiles or the achievements. Competitors didn’t bother to investigate and quickly copied the entire suite of innovations, with minor modifications.
On Xbox, each achievement has a G-point value. In larger games, all achievements in the main game can earn 1000G. In smaller indie titles, only 200G are awarded. All points are added up and displayed in the player’s profile. A single number can immediately indicate a player’s skill level.
- Achievements first appeared on the Steam gaming service with the release of The Orange Box, on October 10, 2007. But another date is more important: in 2008, achievements were opened to all third-party developers, along with the Steamworks system.
Unlike Xbox, Steam didn’t limit developers on the number of achievements per game, a decision they later deeply regretted. Only when games started appearing with 4,000, 8,000, or 12,000 achievements, given out for free, did they implement restrictions. Even now, PC achievements are valued less than console ones because they’re easier to hack and counterfeit.
- Achievements were introduced on the 7th-generation PlayStation 3 console. The system wasn’t available from the start; they were added with firmware update 2.40. Sony, more often than its competitor, had set trends in gaming console development and had led the way throughout its history. However, in this case, it was forced to urgently create an Xbox Live-like service—the PlayStation Network—to maintain its market leadership. The basic Network system was launched on November 11, 2006, alongside the console’s release, but achievements weren’t added until two years later.
A distinctive feature of PlayStation achievements is their division into four quality categories: bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. Each category is counted separately. Platinum trophies are awarded only for 100% completion of major games. Trophy collectors compete based on the number of platinums in their profile.
Nintendo has never added achievements to its consoles, as a matter of principle. However, their larger games have similar systems where you can track your progress, the number of secrets found, and other more accurate statistics. Nintendo has always focused on gameplay and therefore doesn’t want to distract players from it with various meta-services.
- Achievements in UPlay (Connect) from Ubisoft. The system was launched on November 17, 2009, with the release of Assassin’s Creed II. Achievements increase a player’s profile level, but this level doesn’t provide any additional bonuses. There’s also a system of in-game challenges that reward local currency. Accumulated points can be used to purchase unique digital items in other games and even discounts on new titles.
- Achievements in iOS games, on iPhone, iPad, and iPod smartphones. Released as a separate Game Center app, through which all other games can be purchased and downloaded. Released September 8, 2010.
- Achievements in Google Play on Android smartphones. They appeared with an app update on July 24, 2013. Achievements are only available in paid games and a few free ones. Most casual players aren’t even aware of their existence.
- The Epic Games Store, Steam’s main competitor, launched on December 6, 2018, but it wasn’t until three years later, in October 2021, that it received its own achievement system. It’s based on the model used by two consoles simultaneously: PlayStation and Xbox. It features both game points and platinums.
The year is 2023. Digital achievement systems are now used not only in games but also in many online services: search engines, social media, banks, stores, and educational institutions. They are based not on military or government award systems, but on video game systems. And not a single generation has passed since 2005. What will happen when society is governed by people who have been playing computer games with achievements since childhood?
3. Meaning for players
Achievements in games
Tracking progress
Achievements are an external metric that shows how many trophies remain until the game’s completion. They help you navigate both during the game and before it starts, allowing you to gauge the scope of the project.
— Story-related achievements . If a game has achievements, they almost always include those awarded simply for completing the story. These may contain plot spoilers, so descriptions for these achievements are often hidden and unlocked after they’re earned. Looking at them before playing is pointless. But once you’ve completed the game and remember which reward was awarded at which point, you can pinpoint exactly where your friend or acquaintance is in the game. If you don’t have anyone to compare your progress with, you can look at the global statistics, which shows the percentage of players who have earned the same trophy.
— A map of possibilities . When a game has many side activities, their scope can also be estimated by the number and description of remaining achievements. If a game has multiple endings, hidden abilities, or unusual optional mechanics, all of this can be discovered through the achievement list.
— Secret counter . If you’re interested in collecting optional bonuses, secret achievements will help you keep track of the exact number of them and how many you’ve already collected. While the game rarely displays the actual number of bonuses collected, achievements are usually only awarded at the end, when all the secrets are in your bag.
Extending the game
Adding achievements to games can easily increase their length several times over. While a game’s story can be completed in, say, 5 hours, earning all the achievements will take over 15 hours. These lengthening methods can vary widely: achievements for completing harder difficulties, achievements for finding secrets, or completing side objectives. Such achievements are only useful if you enjoy the game and want to play it a little longer. Otherwise, collecting achievements will become a chore.
— The difficulty of the game.
— Plot forks.
— Tests.
— Unusual gameplay.
Competitions
— Player rating.
— Online achievements in single player.
Pleasure
— Perfectionism.
— Collecting.
— Social rating.
— Addiction. Any activity that brings pleasure can become addictive if left unchecked. If you look through the list of achievements and text guides before starting a game to decide whether to play or not, then this is no longer normal. It means achievements have become more important to you than the game itself. This is the first sign of an addiction to external perfectionism. Games should be valuable in themselves, not as a source of image collection.
Levels of attitude towards achievements:
=. I’m an old pirate and I don’t know the words “achievement” and “achievements”.
– Achievements get in the way of playing. It’s better without them.
- I don’t achieve any achievements. They don’t spark any interest.
- Only in good games, if they don’t require a lot of time.
- Only in good games, time is not a waste.
- I do 100% in any games if they don’t require a lot of time.
- 100% success in any game, no time wasted. Failures are annoying.
- The presence of achievements affects the purchase of the game.
- I don’t buy games without achievements.
- I buy even uninteresting games if they have easy achievements.
- I buy even uninteresting games if they have any achievements.
- I buy games, don’t play, and hack achievements.
4. Benefits for developers
Achievements in games
Collection of statistics.
Player retention.
An extra piece of news.
Monetization.
5. Bonus: Personal experience
1990s. Tracking game progress in a notebook.
2000s. Buying your first game on Steam.
2010s. Website statistics on achievements.
2020s. Steam is banned.
