Original Japanese article: https://www.kujoyugo.com/entry/2017/08/31/190300
Used with permission from the writer, https://www.kujoyugo.com
Hello, I'm Kujo.
Since the PS3, games consoles have started to come with a trophy feature built in.
This feature is a way of evaluating your progress in video games, and a system where you can receive trophies for accomplishing certain things in each game.
The name varies from maker to maker—they might be called trophies, achievements, etc.—but, well, their role is the same.
I was a game addict up until the PS2, then I drifted away from the gaming world for a while, and then recently made a return. Then, when I started playing PS3 games, I became aware of this trophy system.
At first, I only saw it as an extra feature for finding out your level of progress, but if you look at people's opinions online, that's not exactly the case, is it?
Reasons for collecting trophies
I think collecting trophies is all about personal satisfaction.
Trophies have difficulty levels. In order of most to least difficult to earn, the four types are platinum, gold, silver and bronze.
It is common for platinum and gold trophies to be so difficult that you cannot earn them without almost completing the game or some skillful gameplay.
I have absolutely no interest in the trophy system, so when I had a look at my PS3 stats, I had zero platinums and two golds. I have only completed six games, though.
I think it makes for a good objective for people who want to play through games, and it doesn't bother me, so I think the existence of a trophy or achievement system is a perfectly good thing in itself.
However, there are apparently people here and there whose goal is to collect trophies, which I really don't understand.
Do you play games based on whether the trophies are easy to collect?
While looking up video game reviews online, I saw comments like this:
"It's not all that fun, but the trophies are easy to collect—would recommend!"
"It's too hard to get all the trophies. 1 star."
I don't get it!
I thought trophies and achievements were basically just bonus features, but there are people who include trophies in their judgement of a game......
Rather than playing through a game because it's fun and just earning trophies as a result, I guess they want to play games where the trophies are easy to earn, because they want to get all the trophies.
Hmm, different people have fun in different ways, so it's not a big deal, but I can't deny the feeling that those people have their priorities mixed up.
Maybe it's about showing them off to friends?
I'm sure trophies and stats must be visible to friends.
Do people want to collect everything so they can brag to their friends, "I've unlocked a ton of trophies"? If that is the case, getting everything in a game where the trophies are easy to collect doesn't exactly seem like much to boast about.
I have zero friends, so that sort of showing off is unnecessary. Oof, what a relief! I'm glad I have no friends, so I don't have to worry about trophies!
In conclusion
Is there any other point to earning trophies?
I think it's better to play how you want and have fun, without desperately trying to collect everything. It makes sense to be happy about earning something that was difficult to accomplish, but obsessing over completion seems bad for your mental health.
One more thing: if unlocked trophies are visible to friends, does that mean that hard-core gamers who actually played things like Idolmaster and Dream Club will be exposed? And it's even more of a fail if they have all the trophies......
English translation by Eleanor Summers
