Xbox Live Achievement Points: what's your view on them?

[Rage4Kon]

So my friend( paranoidandroid on the escapist forums )and I were having a discussion about Xbox Live Achievement Points and we decided to make this thread to find out what you guys think. Do you think Achievement Points should get you more than respect?

 

[Baron Von Evil Satan]

It's a nice idea. Give friends a little competition, and things to strive for in games to give them a bit more replay value (when done properly anyway). However, it'd be nice if MS gave them some sort of tangible value.

 

[Sir Boss]

I see no point to them at all, I see no point to achievements at all, hey... remember when we played games for fun, not just for e-peen points?

 

[Rage4Kon]

I see no point to them at all, I see no point to achievements at all, hey... remember when we played games for fun, not just for e-peen points?

This is my view entirely

 

[r0kle0nZ]

They are completely pointless. However, they are probably one of the most talked about features in gaming today. Me having over 43,000 Gamerscore on Xbox Live, do enjoy collecting these. Some extend the length of the game giving something you normally wouldn't do. Also, the sense of competition between friends makes the Meta game quite worth the trouble.

Once again utterly pointless, but one of the best things for a little competition.

 

[Littlee300]

Steam's achievement system where you could win your wish list was awesome because it helped me get back into games I haven't played in a while.
Edit: Also they can get you into some crazy situations

 

[CrustyOatmeal]

I see no point to them at all, I see no point to achievements at all, hey... remember when we played games for fun, not just for e-peen points?

if achievements are done properly they can extend the replay value of a game. achievements for beating levels and the game on certain difficulties are stupid. i think achievements thaty are creative are amazing. just go through the achievements on the orange box and i garantee you will spend ten or more hours trying to get them all.

they are also great for competition with friends. me and my brother constantly compete against each other. we are always pointing out what achievements the other is missing and we are always trying to be better than the other

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

I think it would be good if they added value to the points, eg. the tickets during the Steam Summer Sale. Harder 'cheevo's would earn small amounts of Microsoft Points, and they could be saved up to buy DLC or something.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Meh, I see no point to them. Getting achievement points doesn't get you anything extra, there is no incentive to get them, so there's really no reason to go out of your way for them. Seriously, I don't at all care about the little number next to my name, and I will never care about getting 100% in a game if it's not fun to do so in the first place. Achievements just seem to be there to pad the game for the few people who are obsessed with them, and nothing more.

 

[jamradar]

For me, useless.

I don't care about them and I don't know anyone that does.

 

[Hungry Donner]

Do you think Achievement Points should get you more than respect?

Short answer: no.

In general I'm not a fan of achievements, but I'm not against them. Some achievements are well made and require you think about gameplay in a new, interesting manner - or do something really impressive. I also don't have a problem with achievements that simply log how far you've gotten.

But I'm not impressed by having lots of achievements or completing all achievements for a particular game. I did this for Portal, which was fun, but then the majority of the achevements simply log what you have completed - and the scant few others are simple enough to get.

 

[Warachia]

I don't think they should get you more respect, but i enjoy them, because if you want to get all of them in a game you are playing it adds an extra level of challenge, and you will most likely play the game in a very different way than you did before, or go looking for things in the game you wouldn't have otherwise. A couple of times I've come back to a fun game, and thought I might as well have something extra to work for, or tried harder to do better at a new game I bought to get said achievements.

 

[AkaDad]

I will hang out in the bad sections of lobbies and shamelessly whore myself out to get an achievement fix.

 

[Jake0fTrades]

I'd love to trade in all of my GS points for MS points, at 1 MS point per 5 GS points.

 

[violent_quiche]

I'd love to trade in all of my GS points for MS points, at 1 MS point per 5 GS points.

Like the idea but unless M$ finds a way to monetize, I don't expect to see it. If it somehow bolstered the sale of games it might work, but I'm not sure about the economics.

I feel the same way about GS as I do about 100% completion: if the game is good, the achievements are fun or point to a corner of the game I haven't explored, then they add a bit of interest. There was a minor math nerd moment when I ticked over 10,000 (an extra digit, WOW!) otherwise I ignore it entirely.

 

[Aris Khandr]

We already get people modifying their gamerscores on XBL, and they don't do anything. Do we really want to encourage that behavior by tying them to actual rewards?

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

We already get people modifying their gamerscores on XBL, and they don't do anything. Do we really want to encourage that behavior by tying them to actual rewards?

People have already generated codes for MS points, but I should have thought of that before I posted. Crap, now I feel stupid.