Achievement hunters need to be strong now: According to an in-game achievement designer, the rewards that pop up do little for everyone’s favorite hobby. He even goes so far as to suggest that achievements can harm games.
The statements come from gameplay designer Fredrik Thylander at Ubisoft Massive, the developers of hits like The Division 2. Thylander designed the achievements for Mirror’s Edge, so he’s no stranger to the matter. However, he sees little good in achievements when they are practically grafted onto games for their own sake.
Achievements sometimes produce the strangest flowers:
Garden gnome in space
One of the most annoying Steam achievements becomes reality
That’s what the designer means
On Twitter, Thylander justifies his opinion that achievements harm our hobby with a whole series of arguments:
link to Twitter content
Unpopular Opinion: Achievements/trophies are bad for gaming. They limit games, they disrupt and distract attention, and they consume resources that could make the game better.
Thylander argues that sometimes mandatory achievements don’t go well with the game. Progress and reward systems are better off elsewhere in the game. For some games, the trophies would not add anything of substance, they would only limit the games and distract players from the game.
Speaking of which: Achievements certainly intend to steer us. In the video we deal with what makes good and bad achievements:
PLUS
25:08
Good vs. Bad Achievements: How rewards drive us players
However, Thylander emphasizes that his view is his personal opinion and not the official position of his employer Ubisoft.
Thylander’s opinion sparked a lively debate on Twitter. Some users agree with the designer that achievements are fundamentally wrong. Others take a stand for the trophies, which can eventually serve as motivation for completers and collectors as well.
Where do you stand in the debate? Do you need achievements in your games? Or do you agree with the designer and have suggestions for improvement? Write us in the comments!
