Poll: Does anyone care about points anymore?

[DonMartin]

So, a post on another thread made me think about points. You know, the stuff you get for doing things.

Do you care about high scores? I mean both online (leaderboards) and offline, for example pinball machines and Street Fighter II arcade cabinets.

Some gamers just play games to have fun, messing around with them. Others play to get the highest possible scores, and take pride in their eleven-digit scores in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater or to get their gamertag seen on online leaderboards all around the world. While still having fun. OR ARE THEY?

What's your view on points? Are they obsolete in today's videogames? Have they been replaced by trophies and achievements? What's your highest ranking on a leaderboard, for any game? Not just videogames, anything. Minigolf, tennis leagues, eating competitions, spitting competitions, pinball, beating your younger siblings?




Personally, I just play games to have fun. Also, I just might be lazy. Or maybe I just want to do something other than constantly refine my skills in Arkham Asylum just to get a few trophies. Although I do admire those who manage to have fun and enjoy themselves while getting trophy after trophy until they hear the sweet sound of divine platinum.

 

[Jasper Jeffs]

I don't really try to get highscores for games like COD because they don't really mean anything as the leaderboards are so glitched it's pointless to even try. If it's a game with a smaller, glitch and boost free community then I enjoy trying. I've been ranked in the top 10 on Pariah and Unreal Championship 2 for Xbox, as well as more recently on Lost Planet: Extreme Condition and Colonies, and Gears of War 2 for a few weeks on King of the Hill. There have been occasions where I've been number 1, like on some challenges on Amped 3 and Shaun White Snowboarding, as well as some leaderboards on Unreal Tournament 3 for Xbox.

I like trying for the leaderboards/high scores if I enjoy a game a lot, and play it enough to make me eligible of getting to the top, but that doesn't happen so much now. I get bored of games quickly and my desire to always be the best has gone, I can't be arsed and I just play for fun. I can only play a game for like an hour before I get bored, and the people who set the high scores play all day long. I just set my own personal highscores or records, and enjoy beating them. I don't need to be #1 on a leaderboard to be the best, I played some supposedly good, high ranked players on COD4 and they weren't anything special, they just lost and bitched about how we had host. It was an achievement in itself playing them, t'was hilarious.

On arcade games like Galaga, Dig Dug etc then yeah I'll play for the high score, because that's the whole point of the game, but newer games not so much.

 

[hopeneverdies]

If there's a game I'm replaying and it keeps track of my high scores, being able to top it gives me a sense of accomplishment in that I can see myself improving.

I don't care about online leaderboards really, just how well I'm doing. I may show off my scores to people for comparison occasionally or upload replays for people to watch, but really I just like scores for personal improvement.

And achievements/trophies, don't care at all.

 

[TerranReaper]

Depends on the game. If we're talking about FPS games, typically if there are objectives, those are more important than score.

 

[FinalGamer]

I admit, I have a sense of pride in getting certain achievements. But there's a friend of mine who is an absolute whore.

 

[RandallJohn]

I find myself caring after the game is over. Mid-game, I could care less, but afterwards, I sometimes check to see how I stack up against friends.

 

[lvl9000_woot]

Some games I do, some I don't. Casual puzzle type games are the ones I try to set high scores on.

Edit: WAKKA WAKKA WAKKA

 

[DustyDrB]

Nope. I turn achievements off so they don't interrupt the game with that annoying message. I'm not even aware of what the achievements are for the games I play or what one's I've happened to get. I replay a lot of games over and over and over, but it has nothing to do with achievements.

 

[soulasylum85]

if i enjoy yhe game then i will try for the achievements because i feel it adds an extra challenge and in some cases keeps you playing for longer than you otherwise would have. however i will not play a game just for achievements. if im not having fun then im not gona play

 

[menamebephil]

Ever since games have progressed past the tetris stage of "how ong can you go until you die", I haven't really seen the point in, well, points.

As for achievements, I've never consciously attempted to get one. I generally play games to enjoy them, and I don't think I need achievements telling me how to have fun.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

Like online? I care in an individual match, as in if I'm in the top three, etc. With leader boards though, I don't care. I may be the 123,554th best person in the game, but since I can't picture 123,554 people, it seems the same as 100,000 or 90,000. So unless I'm in the top few hundred, I don't give a shit.

 

[Weaver]

Most games I play don't even have a scoring system.
The ones I play that do have their leader boards hacked within a week making trying at all worthless.

For instance, Arkham Asylum had those cool trial rooms. Too bad the person at the top had a score of something like 989899483382948342. The number ran OFF the fucking box that was supposed to hold it. I calculated the max theoretical score for that level (getting a perfect streak) and it was something like 15000.

 

[Serenegoose]

Well, not points, exactly - but say it's a game that judges your performance, then I like to do as well as I can. Bayonetta is a good example. You get a medal for how well you do based on speed, combo originality, damage taken, etc. I like going back and getting as good medals for them as possible - in a game like TF2... I don't care about my K/D ratio, but it amuses me if it starts getting ridiculous and makes me feel good about my skill. However obviously if I was playing medic, then a high kill/death ratio would just mean I was playing medic wrong

 

[GloatingSwine]

Yeah, I love the high scores. It's one of the reasons I still play shmups.

 

[Jamboxdotcom]

i only care about achievements and such if they're in a game that i already enjoy but have mostly mastered. e.g. every weekend when i play L4D (1 or 2) with my buddies, i'll usually try to get some new achievement, just for variety's sake. but on an initial playthrough (which for most games is my only playthrough), i couldn't care less.