What am I playing for?

[LC Wynter]

I love a good multiplayer shooter. Getting in a helicopter with people I don't know and tearing up the map with a minigun while my XP bar shoots up like the beanstalk grown from magic beans in that fairlytale they used to read me in school.

Anyway, sometimes amid this carnage I pause my game and wonder, "Am I playing for the fun of it all, or for the sweet XP and achievement rewards I'm getting?"
Usually, it's the latter.

Is this wrong of me? Should I care more about the game than the rewards? What happens when I run out of uber weapons to clammer for? What obstacles will I have to grind my way through then?
One example of how this sort of thing affects people is in everyone's favourite PC online game Team Fortress 2. TF2 is a blast; I love it so much. I've wasted hours of my life in that game, and by far my fave class is pyro. Yet, there comes an interesting footnote- several years ago Valve added the charming new addition of hats. Since then, all we get on internet forums is people bitching about how hatless (or "poor and Irish") they are.
Thus became idling, a way for gamers to earn hats without actually playing the game they spent 30$ on. I find this exceptionally stupid. If you love the game so much, why not play it? Yes, I'm mostly hatless; (http://www.tf2items.com/id/wyntertheyaeger) does that stop me from having fun? No, TF2 is a great game regardless of what's perched on your head. Still, that doesn't change the addiction I have to achievements and unlocks. Is it the gratification that drives us? The bragging rights?

Discuss.

 

[Ze_Reaper_Of_Zeath]

I say it's the pure joy of completion. I have every single weapon in TF2, and a hat for the Sniper. And also the bragging rights. Although I don't brag.

http://www.tf2b.com/?id=ze_reaper_of_zeath

My backpack is there.

Go join TF2 PC Escapists, if you enjoy TF2.

I love it there.

 

[Celtic_Kerr]

Personally I playfor fun. I could care less what crazy, fun, and wacky acheivements a game has to offer me if I don't enjoy playing it. Sure the acheivements are nice and I can't think of one game where I would conciously STRIVE to simply get the trophies.

When my friend plays, he reads the trophies on his PS3 first, and later on plays the game and tries to hit them all (He hated Heavy Rain).

For me? it's all about fun. I'll pick up the collectibles and acheivements and rewards along the way, but I'm just looking for a good time

 

[Stollos]

People can play for whatever reason they want to play for. But I agree with you, and in my opinion, its just stupid and a waste of time if you play games for anything else other than fun. You want to play for the satisfaction of min/maxing, or winning the scoreboards? Seriously, go do something productive with your time with actual tangible benefits, like money. Part of the reason I left WoW was because it stopped being recreation and became a vocation.

When gaming stops being fun and becomes a job, or a chore, you're doing it wrong. If thats really what you enjoy and what you want to play games for, then you're doing it wrong. Go and focus your efforts on a real job or chore, and leave gaming to fun. Achievments and scoreboards were meant as a side-dish to having fun, not the other way around, and it really irks me when I see people who dine on the epeen/gamerscaw.

/rant. End opinion. ^^

 

[L4hlborg]

I like having a goal. I get satisfaction for completing the goal. Achievments and leveling up provide me specific goals. Therefor, I enjoy games by getting achievments.

I do have fun in other ways too (Ihave played twice the ammount of custom games in Halo 3 than matchmaking games). Achievments are just a big plus.

 

[LightningBanks]

It depends if its an ingame award. I always play for fun, but sometimes you do get consumed by getting new shiny things, especially in rpgs for me.

Achievments are trophies? Used to care, but not anymore, BUT the imaginitive ones (as in, not just for finishing the game) are quite good to extend the game should you get bored, especially with friends.

 

[Something Amyss]

I have to at least partially agree with the completionist thing. Playing Monday Night Combat, I find myself wanting to unlock all the ProTags, despite the fact that 80% of them are ones I'll never use. I'll do anything short of actually grind or boost to get them.

Of course, once they're gone, I picture myself still playing them. A good game will keep me coming back once I've got the unlockables. Saints Row 2 has to be my most replayed game ever. I con't have all the Achievements, but I'm not coming back for those. I'm coming back for the fun. XP gains and the like are awesome rewards (or can be), though.