@leon_90 thanks for the article, an enjoyable read.
I'm with you, I like achievements although their influence over me has reduced over time. I used to chase them, even some of the really silly ones like collectables in FPS games etc, they were just a time sink. Today I like the really well designed achievements, as you've said the ones that make sense in the context of the game and show some progression in the game and or development of skill. DiRT 4 is the most recent game I achieved 100% in and I'm close in PCARS2 too but the last online licence is a grind when clean racing is still really only achievable with skilled friends.
If I was making games I'd definitely want them to be an integral part of the design, not an after thought as with quite a few games. The brain science is simple enough here, achievements need to trigger the reward system, release some dopamine and trigger the desire for the next achievement. When done well, such as the Gran Turismo licence tests of old with bronze, silver and gold times showing a progression in skill and development they are superb. Few games get it this right even today, as a training tool for racing games it is still excellent in the latest GT game.
The danger of the reward system trigger is where it goes too far. Games like the now infamous EA Star Wars Battlefront 2 that have so many progress systems that they become a chase and grind. They are making people who don't realise what's going on like rats pressing a never ending lever for a tiny reward. This gets even worse when the rewards are hidden behind a paywall, looking at you Shadow of War - no end game completion without spending money, though that is coming soon some say cynically now they milked enough money out of those prepared to pay. Worst of all are the EA loot boxes, those promises of rewards for payment that turn out to be random drops, the sponsored YouTube channels convincing kids they will get a great FIFA Ultimate Team player in the next pack. These are destructive overuses of the achievement and human reward systems, even Forza tried to cash in but that definitely didn't prove as lucrative as they hoped.
Back to racing games and the likes of PCARS2 really got the achievements right this time, encouraging the use of cars that most people would probably never use and the longer challenges were still realistically achievable for the dedicated. DiRT4 were all game related and actually things you could achieve in playing the game with some skill. Forza 7, on the other hand, with it's race Le Mans on Extra Long in the C6R was excruciating with the terrible Forza 7 AI.
One last thing, if games include achievements they need to work, unlock and progression needs to be maintained. I'm afraid Assetto Corsa on console let players down on all fronts on this. Some achievements simply didn't unlock, loss of career progression meant that other long term achievements were next to impossible or required a huge amount of repetition - with the risk that even today all progress can be lost for no reason. It was also never explained why console players were expected to achieve times often 1 second quicker than the already difficult challenges on the PC version of special events, and no the console cars/surface etc are no quicker.
Overall though I'm in favour of achievements where they are well designed and fit the game, help develop skill, or offer me an experience I maybe wouldn't otherwise have tried. If I find myself chasing an achievement for the sake of it, I am now wise enough to stop it!
I'm with you, I like achievements although their influence over me has reduced over time. I used to chase them, even some of the really silly ones like collectables in FPS games etc, they were just a time sink. Today I like the really well designed achievements, as you've said the ones that make sense in the context of the game and show some progression in the game and or development of skill. DiRT 4 is the most recent game I achieved 100% in and I'm close in PCARS2 too but the last online licence is a grind when clean racing is still really only achievable with skilled friends.
If I was making games I'd definitely want them to be an integral part of the design, not an after thought as with quite a few games. The brain science is simple enough here, achievements need to trigger the reward system, release some dopamine and trigger the desire for the next achievement. When done well, such as the Gran Turismo licence tests of old with bronze, silver and gold times showing a progression in skill and development they are superb. Few games get it this right even today, as a training tool for racing games it is still excellent in the latest GT game.
The danger of the reward system trigger is where it goes too far. Games like the now infamous EA Star Wars Battlefront 2 that have so many progress systems that they become a chase and grind. They are making people who don't realise what's going on like rats pressing a never ending lever for a tiny reward. This gets even worse when the rewards are hidden behind a paywall, looking at you Shadow of War - no end game completion without spending money, though that is coming soon some say cynically now they milked enough money out of those prepared to pay. Worst of all are the EA loot boxes, those promises of rewards for payment that turn out to be random drops, the sponsored YouTube channels convincing kids they will get a great FIFA Ultimate Team player in the next pack. These are destructive overuses of the achievement and human reward systems, even Forza tried to cash in but that definitely didn't prove as lucrative as they hoped.
Back to racing games and the likes of PCARS2 really got the achievements right this time, encouraging the use of cars that most people would probably never use and the longer challenges were still realistically achievable for the dedicated. DiRT4 were all game related and actually things you could achieve in playing the game with some skill. Forza 7, on the other hand, with it's race Le Mans on Extra Long in the C6R was excruciating with the terrible Forza 7 AI.
One last thing, if games include achievements they need to work, unlock and progression needs to be maintained. I'm afraid Assetto Corsa on console let players down on all fronts on this. Some achievements simply didn't unlock, loss of career progression meant that other long term achievements were next to impossible or required a huge amount of repetition - with the risk that even today all progress can be lost for no reason. It was also never explained why console players were expected to achieve times often 1 second quicker than the already difficult challenges on the PC version of special events, and no the console cars/surface etc are no quicker.
Overall though I'm in favour of achievements where they are well designed and fit the game, help develop skill, or offer me an experience I maybe wouldn't otherwise have tried. If I find myself chasing an achievement for the sake of it, I am now wise enough to stop it!
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