Can trophy hunting hinder your enjoyment of gaming?

[TheHarlex322]

I have been off and on with trophy hunting for years now. Well, if you look at my completion percentage and my number of plats I'm not the best trophy hunter haha. 

 

A few days ago, I started playing Alan Wake: Remastered. I am experiencing this game for the first time, and I am enjoying it a lot. I love the atmosphere and the unique narrative and structure like a television show. But, while I'm playing, I noticed I'm thinking a lot about the many collectables laying around and making sure I get all of them for the trophies. While I was playing today, the thought crossed my mind: 

 

Am I really experiencing what this game has to offer?

 

I'm largely thinking about getting the collectables. At least the manuscript pages, radio and TV shows offer lore to the game, and it gives me a lot more incentive to find them all and piece this mystery together. But, there are also the pointless coffee thermoses I have to collect, and it's definitely disrupting the flow of the game for me.

 

On the other side of the coin, there's trophy lists for games that make me end up hindering the experience of a game for me. The perfect example of this for me is Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2. I am an avid THPS fan, and I was absolutely dead set on getting the platinum trophy for this game. I ended up doing it, but the last 15 hours of my experience in the game were a nightmare. The hard get there challenges were making me rip my hair out, and then after that.... I had to waste 50  hours of my life slowly progressing to level 100 as the game seriously capped XP progression. I felt like the remaster was perfect for the first 20  hours I played going through the game's campaign and playing online, but once I finally got that platinum, I didn't feel accomplished.... I felt relieved it was over. 

 

I am going through the same thing with Horizon Chase Turbo. I love arcade racers, and Horizon Chase Turbo was a blast for me for about 15 to 20 hours. Now, I am currently 35 hours into the game and I finished getting gold in all of the tournaments, which really highlighted the flaws of this game's AI and made me seriously frustrated to where I wanted to punch something. Now that that's over.... I have another 4-6 hours to go to finish all of the endurance races. I am not giving this platinum up since I made it this far, but I'm likely to never pick this game up again once I am done. It's a shame, because I really enjoyed this game when I was going through the campaign. 

 

Apologies if this comes off as rambling, but I'm wondering if any more dedicated trophy hunters had experiences like this, and what keeps you going from burning out on gaming? 

 

 

 

 

[Lordguwa]

for me it doesn't. though i have faced situations where the plat is out of reach aka mahjong. typically i just move onto the next one and maybe come back to it later.

[TheDarkKratos]

Yes. Most definitely. But having said that, it also depends on what level of trophy-hunting you're at, or want.

 

If you're super hardcore in to trophies, then yes, the fun factor is almost non-existent. Only platinum's matter.

One's only goal at those levels is the acquisition of as many trophies as possible. Fun factor is not even a thing.

I believe a balance between the 2 is the best. Why avoid games you want to play for fun if a trophy is too hard.

I know gamers who will subject themselves to absolute hell to get that shiny new platinum. Myself included.

 

But that's just my view-point on the subject. This topic is actually an on-going battle in the gaming circles here.

Video-gaming used to be only about fun. But now, trophies and achievements are the driving force for many.

For me personally, I never burn out because I play some games solely for fun, even though I have platinum them.

If a person does burn out, they can always give that particular game a rest. No need to play it non-stop.

Unless a server is scheduled for closing, then that game can be a grindy nerve-racking priority. Lol

 

Playing video games is an individual thing for the most-part. It's about what you want to get out of it. Really.

So, to answer your original topic's question - the short and precise answer is YES, it can and will if you let it.

Edited October 19, 2023 by TheDarkKratos

[willows_blessing]

not for me but on concept alone it will, people spoilling games for themelsves so they know whats missable or not having fun to play the most optimal way instead of just being normal

[iriihutoR84]

I can quit a game anytime I want these days so not really. If the rest of the trophies in a game don't look like a fun time then I move on to the next game. Trophies can enhance a game for me but never ruin it. 

[mega-tallica]

Of course. I don't think any trophy hunter enjoys every moment of the hunt but we do it anyway because if you persevere, you know there's that quick dopamine rush when you finally get that trophy to pop that you've been working on for days/weeks/months that almost makes it all worth it. 

 

I say 'almost' because there's been moments where it doesn't even feel good for me to finally persevere and get that trophy to pop that I've been working on for a long time, it's just more a relief that the agony is finally over and I can move onto something else. 

 

It's a fine line balancing keeping your trophy hunting hobby alive while also finding enjoyment in the games themselves and not losing sight of that either. It works both ways, there are many games I would have never played if it weren't for trophies and then there's others that I loved but were tarnished because of the trophies for it. If anything, I envy more the days when I wasn't a trophy hunter and just played games for what they are and be a normal gamer without that constant cloud overhead of concerning yourself with the trophies for the games you play. It can get exhausting if you let it and it's only natural to question whether or not it's all worth it just for that digital cookie you get at the end. 

 

 

[FieryFieryFire]

I'm a pretty new trophy hunter myself, however, in my opinion, trophy hunting can definitely ruin a game.

Here are a few ways that this could happen:

 

-Spoiling the game by looking at the trophies ahead of time: Sure, this can prevent you from having to restart the game to get back to a certain point for a trophy, however it can also spoil a large portion of the game.

 

-Second playthroughs: Some trophies may require you to replay the game in order to get trophies and for the few times that I did this it was incredibly tedious and boring (mass effect 3 and Sea of stars). You already know everything that happens so there are no surprises, only painful grinding.

 

-Using a guide throughout the entire game: This is a great way to get trophies during a second playthrough as you already know everything that happens and it is already boring but using a guide throughout the first playthrough in order to get collectibles may take the fun out of the game as their is no struggle and you break the immersion by constantly going back to the guide.

 

-Thinking you have to complete ridiculously hard parts of a game: This usually involves repeating the same level/part over and over again while feeling like you are making absolutely no progress until you want to throw your controller (and maybe even your console) out the nearest window. Definitely a good way to make someone hate the game.

 

What I have been trying to do is play the entire game first (if I like the game, otherwise I just hide the trophies and it's no longer on my profile) and after completing the game look at the trophy list to get any remaining trophies that I can get without starting the game. If there is a trophy that I missed that requires me to restart, I delete the game and wait a while before coming back to the game and starting a new game to get that trophy.

[Good_Sir_Matt_II]

Absolutely, if I feel like the platinum hunt is starting to taint my view on the game, then I'll immediately stop, I did that with Yakuza 0.

[Xillynoc]

Yeah, if it has some glitchy/grindy trophies, it can definitely do that, but I usually persevere with it anyway.

[sepheroithisgod]

Not really. I only play games I'm interested in and enjoy going out of my way for little things. I actually enjoy grinding in games and will push through any challenge as I ultimately think it all just comes down to practice, and with enough time, I don't think anything would stop me.

 

Your point about collectibles is honestly just an example of bad gameplay design, rather than a problem with the trophy system. Collectibles have become a form of filler content that most games rely on heavily and often offer no interesting rewards, or gameplay modifications. The fact that they get in the way of the game when you look for them is proof they are a bad addition to the game. Don't get me wrong though, there are games that do collectibles right, but any game where I need to use a guide because the game doesn't have a good way of finding them in the game or a horrible tracking system is a problem with the game design, and not trophy hunting.

 

This might seem like a weird point, but most of the time I actually get annoyed about being a completionist/trophy hunter doesn't actually have to do with earning the trophies, but it's when a game keeps getting paid DLC and I really don't want to buy it, but kind of have to. I usually enjoy the content, but DLC in general is just overpriced for most titles. Sometimes it is fine, but my complaint is more with a pricing model than actually playing a game.

[TheDarkKratos]

26 minutes ago, sepheroithisgod said:

This might seem like a weird point, but most of the time I actually get annoyed about being a completionist/trophy hunter doesn't actually have to do with earning the trophies, but it's when a game keeps getting paid DLC and I really don't want to buy it, but kind of have to. I usually enjoy the content, but DLC in general is just overpriced for most titles. Sometimes it is fine, but my complaint is more with a pricing model than actually playing a game.

This is an excellent point. And it holds true for many serious gamers. Rebellion comes to mind for me personally. Their DLC in general is way over-priced.

In particular SE5 and ZA4. I refuse to pay what they're asking for the season pass's and DLC. It's a joke. Yet at the same time, I would love to play them.

Edited October 19, 2023 by TheDarkKratos

[Fr_0zt]

Yes. 

 

Take Death Stranding for example.  Loved the game but hated the last 10 or so ours of the platinum because of how repetitive it got (90 hours total).  Same happened with Yakuza 6 and its grind, Alan Wake collectibles and then there are the madness of Ubisoft games (AC Valhalla), etc.

 

On Mad Max I had to do the whole platinum TWICE, because one thing bugged out.  I was playing with a calculator besides me..... This is not the way.

 

[Beyondthegrave07]

If you aren't enjoying yourself,  personally, I think it's time to play something else and come back to it or just move on. 

 

Life's too short to be hung up on completion percentage, especially when you could be playing something else.

 

Trophies can enhance your experience of a game or hinder it, but in the end, it's your choice whether or not to let it do that to you.

 

I used to make myself miserable early in my hunting days going after plats for games I just frankly wasn't enjoying, and looking back, I feel like an absolute fool for pushing myself to do them. Learn from me, be better than my 20-year old self!

[modest_undue1]

Definetly, yeah. I was so obssessed with getting all the trophies for Goat Simulator, yes all 83, that I never actually played it for fun, even though that was my intention.

[ruexnimbus]

No. I played games for many, many years without caring about trophies and all I have are fond and faded memories. Since I've been going for trophies I see a lot more of the game than I would normally and it's just plain fun to get things accomplished. I'm not bothered by grinds or trials of patience. Life itself is a grind and a trial of patience.

[TheHarlex322]

1 hour ago, FieryFieryFire said:

I'm a pretty new trophy hunter myself, however, in my opinion, trophy hunting can definitely ruin a game.

Here are a few ways that this could happen:

 

-Spoiling the game by looking at the trophies ahead of time: Sure, this can prevent you from having to restart the game to get back to a certain point for a trophy, however it can also spoil a large portion of the game.

 

-Second playthroughs: Some trophies may require you to replay the game in order to get trophies and for the few times that I did this it was incredibly tedious and boring (mass effect 3 and Sea of stars). You already know everything that happens so there are no surprises, only painful grinding.

 

-Using a guide throughout the entire game: This is a great way to get trophies during a second playthrough as you already know everything that happens and it is already boring but using a guide throughout the first playthrough in order to get collectibles may take the fun out of the game as their is no struggle and you break the immersion by constantly going back to the guide.

 

-Thinking you have to complete ridiculously hard parts of a game: This usually involves repeating the same level/part over and over again while feeling like you are making absolutely no progress until you want to throw your controller (and maybe even your console) out the nearest window. Definitely a good way to make someone hate the game.

 

What I have been trying to do is play the entire game first (if I like the game, otherwise I just hide the trophies and it's no longer on my profile) and after completing the game look at the trophy list to get any remaining trophies that I can get without starting the game. If there is a trophy that I missed that requires me to restart, I delete the game and wait a while before coming back to the game and starting a new game to get that trophy.

This is a great approach. I remember attempting Uncharted on crushing in my first playthrough, and it was just a nightmare. Once I lowered the difficulty to normal for Uncharted 1, I had a blast. If I kept trying to power through Uncharted on crushing just to get the trophy, I think I'd be turned off from playing the other games in the series. Maybe I'll beat all the games in the series on normal/hard first, then I'll go for them on crushing. I didn't do this with the COD 4 remaster, and it really hindered my experience of the game going through it on Veteran in my first playthrough. The second half of the game is absolutely brutal if you haven't mastered the game. 

 

For trophies requiring second playthroughs, I think there's an issue where a lot of devs don't put variety in the trophy list for second playthroughs. It's just beat the game on normal, then on the hardest difficulty. I'd like to see more trophies where you have unique challenges for beating the game where it makes you change your whole approach. Though I haven't completed RE 4 Remake, I think the RE 4 Remake trophy list looks amazing because it has a lot of variety with playstyles and it feels like you truly mastered the game if you get that platinum. 

 

42 minutes ago, sepheroithisgod said:

Your point about collectibles is honestly just an example of bad gameplay design, rather than a problem with the trophy system. Collectibles have become a form of filler content that most games rely on heavily and often offer no interesting rewards, or gameplay modifications. The fact that they get in the way of the game when you look for them is proof they are a bad addition to the game. Don't get me wrong though, there are games that do collectibles right, but any game where I need to use a guide because the game doesn't have a good way of finding them in the game or a horrible tracking system is a problem with the game design, and not trophy hunting.

 

100% agree. If it weren't for trophies, I wouldn't even bother looking for the collectables in a game. It just feels like pointless busywork and it adds nothing of value to the game 9 times out of 10. At least in the new God of Wars there's an incentive to getting the collectables, especially in Ragnarok. I hated getting all of the ravens in GOW 2018, but in Ragnarok there's now incentive with the cool looking tree and chests to open. 

 

The worst experience I ever had with collectables was LA Noire. I had to do a glitch where I mindlessly clicked the X button on a car in the showroom to make it spawn outside of the police station. Even then, it was still random if it would work. It was just mindless and I hated it. 

[TheDarkKratos]

27 minutes ago, modest_undue1 said:

I was so obssessed with getting all the trophies for Goat Simulator, yes all 83, that I never actually played it for fun, even though that was my intention.

I actually only did the base platinum on both stacks. The Flappy Goat mini-game caused, and still does cause a lot of grief among some players to this day. 

Edited October 19, 2023 by TheDarkKratos

[modest_undue1]

2 minutes ago, TheDarkKratos said:

I actually only did the base platinum on both stacks. The Flappy Goat mini-game caused, and still does cause a lot of grief among some players to this day. 

I only 'accidently' broke a Nacon Light Up controller that I bought for 60 bucks a couple years back. IT WAS GREEN  

(i rage too much you should've seen me in real life)

[Hitman_Spinksy1]

There's both sides of the coin and needs to be done in moderation. Before I started trophy hunting then I would just stick to mainly playing Fifa and I would chop between games way too much, never really experiencing anything properly though the games I did plat first, I really did enjoy and never felt anything close to burnout. 

Now it's a challenge on what to play to avoid said burnout and bad gameplay mechanics can truly ruin a trophy hunting experience be it multiple playthroughs, too many collectibles/filler, bad tracking, no chapter select etc things that force a guide.

The best games are ones you can jump into a play from start to finish without worrying and then cleanup at the end but they're rare. Something I expected the trophy cards to tackle better but most games have failed to implement them properly. 

DLC is also way overpriced, Borderlands 3 comes to mind costing £65 for the season pass, that's just absurd and I waited years until I picked that up with the pandoras box collection but usually don't even bother with DLC because the price per content on a game I'm probably wishing to end is just not worth it.

 

[ReverzerO-]

I mostly start on normal difficulty, finish the game then platinum. In short, story 1st before trophy😊

[Jelly Soup]

It can, but not for just completionist/OCD reasons. A bad or excessively padded achievement list can make an otherwise interesting game seem annoying to play. Which is why I tend to not look at the lists for games I'm interested in.

[ZenaxPure]

I try not to blame the trophy system personally. A lot of things that typically make a game less fun are usually just game design problems. Yeah you would ignore them if trophies didn't exist, but, I don't think that is a very good excuse. Those problems are there and anyone who doesn't care about trophies will still encounter them. Missables are a good example. Not really talking like RPGs you need to play multiple times anyway, I mean games that just have random missables like quests/items for no good reason. Trophy hunting or not you have to play the game again to get that stuff if you miss it and that's lame.

 

That said when I do come across a game where certain trophies aren't all that fun I will just put the game on hold and move on to something else for the time being. As long as it's not an online game I can always come back later. A good example is the first Attack on Titan game which I've been slowly chipping away at since 2019. I think the game is a ton of fun but needing to grind out every crafting item is very boring and adds absolutely nothing of value to the game, so I just play the game when the mood strikes (since there is nothing else like it at all gameplay wise and sometimes I just wanna zip around killing giants.) The plat trophy will come eventually, I ain't in a rush.

[shadaik]

Can? Yes, of course, trophies can turn a good game into tedium via things like multiple playthroughs or New Game+. They can make you engage with otherwise optional parts you don't like (no, I don't want to play a mediocre boardgame inside an otherwise great open world game). Stuff like that.

 

Now, that all can be  avoided if developers/publishers just design their trophy lists well. But not everybody does that and, more to the point, what is a well-designed list is, in the end, subjective.

[DrBloodmoney]

Only if you let it

[ShadyWARcotix]

I never called myself a trophy hunter and I hate this term. Skipping games because the servers went offline (for example: Max Payne 3) would never come to my mind but I would understand if you play it on a side account if you care about completion.

and b2p I would say it depends: Yes and No.

Yes:
- Playing garbage games to be at the top of the leaderboards and skipping good games only to see those trophies pop
- Playing the bad (ps4) version only for autopopping the platinum on ps5
- Skipping through games just to see the shiny platinum
- Skipping nice 100% games because they don't have a platinum. (For example The Touryst, Limbo, Little Nightmares etc.)
- Having a trophy list with a lot of missables can't kill your hype of a game or worse, you never play it.

No:
- Because of trophies hunting or trophies in general I played games which I would never play because I would'nt knew they exist
- See where my limits were and try to do "hard platinums" of games which I enjoy.
- Finding and connecting with new people on the internet which share your same interest and you become good friends.

If a game is a chore and I don't want to plat it. I just play the story and move on or take my breaks when grinding/farming stuff / play different games inbetween.

For example dark picture games. When I platinumed Man of Medan I told myself that I never plat those type of games again. After that I played every other entry in the series once for the story and moved on. 

Edited October 19, 2023 by ShadyWARcotix