Popular Post Trumpet_Boi_208 Posted February 29 Popular Post Share Posted February 29 For the past couple of years, I've been constantly wondering: If you're not attempting to compete on the leaderboards, why do people hunt for easy platinum trophies? I'm not talking about high-quality games with easy platinums (I.E. OneShot, Severed Steel, etc.), because in that context, the platinum serves to cap off a wonderful and memorable experience with a game. I'm talking about the games that look like they were specifically designed for trophy hunters; ones that are dirt-cheap, quite poor in quality, and generally completed in less than an hour. I know there exists the argument of a quick dopamine rush, especially if it follows an especially grueling platinum or day, but is there ever a point of inflection where you feel as if it becomes a job? Is it the case with money where it feels good to watch the numbers go up? I really hope I make it clear that I harbor absolutely no contempt with this question. While I personally prefer each of my platinums to be distinct and memorable experiences, whether they be breezy or brutal, I obviously understand that preferences differ. I'm just interested in finally answering that question for myself, and perhaps many others. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDarkKratos Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 (edited) 16 minutes ago, Trumpet_Boi_208 said: why do people hunt for easy platinum trophies? You answered your own question. Because they are EASY. And in most cases cheap. 16 minutes ago, Trumpet_Boi_208 said: is there ever a point of inflection where you feel as if it becomes a job? Yes and No. depends on the person. Some people spend an obnoxious amount of time on trophies. 16 minutes ago, Trumpet_Boi_208 said: it feels good to watch the numbers go up? Most definitely - Yes. That's all it's about in most cases - the higher the number, the better. Edited February 29 by TheDarkKratos 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jelly Soup Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 If your intention is to complete on the leaderboards, the easy/quick platinum games are a requirement. Once you get to a certain point in the rankings, it becomes a matter of more numbers, faster. That one single one point platinum that takes 10 seconds is still one more platinum in your pile than the other guy who hasn't (yet) got it. That's really all there is to it, rankings and leaderboards are pure number meta-game and you're either willing to play or you're not. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidnightDragon Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 I don’t really much anymore. Short isn’t always equal to crap. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trumpet_Boi_208 Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 5 minutes ago, MidnightDragon said: Short isn’t always equal to crap. I wasn't making the implication that short is equal to crap. Most of my favorite indie hits never usually take longer than 5-10 hours to complete. Rather, I was referring to the trend that the games that are shovelware are generally less than 1 hour in length to retain their appeal to trophy hunters. 1 hour ago, TheDarkKratos said: Because they are EASY. And in most cases cheap. Some people spend an obnoxious amount of time on trophies. Yes. That's all it's about in most cases - the higher the number, the better. Like I mentioned, it's perfectly understandable why they hunt platinums for easy, high-quality games. When it comes to the shovelware platinums, they definitely are a source of quick dopamine, though I always thought that it wears off after a while. However, it is most likely the case that your third argument ties it together with the idea equivalent to that of alcohol tolerance: you need more to receive the same results. Thank you all for the input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kishnabe Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 (edited) If you have 3 years left to live, would you choose 3000 garbage easy platinum's or 30 worthwhile platinum's? Edited February 29 by Kishnabe 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidnightDragon Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 10 minutes ago, Trumpet_Boi_208 said: I wasn't making the implication that short is equal to crap. Most of my favorite indie hits never usually take longer than 5-10 hours to complete. Rather, I was referring to the trend that the games that are shovelware are generally less than 1 hour in length to retain their appeal to trophy hunters. Like I mentioned, it's perfectly understandable why they hunt platinums for easy, high-quality games. When it comes to the shovelware platinums, they definitely are a source of quick dopamine, though I always thought that it wears off after a while. However, it is most likely the case that your third argument ties it together with the idea equivalent to that of alcohol tolerance: you need more to receive the same results. Thank you all for the input! Guess I misunderstood you. My bad. I kind of allowed myself to fall into that for a bit, but then I hit what I considered rock bottom. A few were means to an end in my mind. I played one of the Dragon Break games on a dare, then redid it on PS5 on New Year’s Eve since I thought a bad year should end with a bad game and it amused me. As for others who do, if they want to waste their money on that, more power to them. Not what I do with mine, but hey. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imminent-file5 Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 1 hour ago, Trumpet_Boi_208 said: I know there exists the argument of a quick dopamine rush, especially if it follows an especially grueling platinum or day, but is there ever a point of inflection where you feel as if it becomes a job? Is it the case with money where it feels good to watch the numbers go up? To be fair you already answered the topic question, if it's not for leaderboards then it'll be for the dopamine rush. It all started with Ratalaika garbage, then it escalated into press x for trophies. My Name is Mayo first did it as a joke, but these braindead "devs" thought it would be a good idea to capitalize on it by selling trophy trash to the community. Essentially it did work, because it's clear that there are many trophy hunters that develop a consumer sheep mentality. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GothGirlMaxine Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 1 hour ago, TheDarkKratos said: Some people spend an obnoxious amount of time on trophies. Then there’s me who spent about 700 hours on Fernbus Simulator 😅 Thankfully that’s not shovelware lol. It’s just painful. ————————————- Although I will say I fell into the trap of “easy platinums” in 2020 (thankfully the shovelware didn’t exist then) and my mental health tanked. I don’t know how people deal with doing shovelware every day. But hey, more power to them, it’s their time and money. Good for them if it makes them happy. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jelly Soup Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 39 minutes ago, Kishnabe said: If you have 3 years left to live, would you choose 3000 garbage easy platinum's or 30 worthwhile platinum's? Most quick platinum games can be done in 10 minutes each, so a few days for the 3K quick stuff then the remaining 2 years, 11 month and three weeks for the "worthwhile" platinums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanolt Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 (edited) It has an aspect similar to the lottery or gambling. The games are so "cheap" that people usually buy them first knowing there's no harm economically, and you get a platinum in seconds. Upon realizing the reward is huge in almost no time, you buy a few more. When you less expect it, you already spent the amount a normal game would cost in bad games, but you can't quit; playing in the "normal" way will take a long time to get a platinum, and you know the dopamine reward can come a lot faster than that. It's an addiction. Like a lot of things in life. Edited February 29 by Jeanolt 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JCP3953 Posted February 29 Popular Post Share Posted February 29 I like making the elitist mad, but will say, some of them shovelware can be fun at times 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TheDarkKratos Posted February 29 Popular Post Share Posted February 29 53 minutes ago, Kishnabe said: If you have 3 years left to live, would you choose 3000 garbage easy platinum's or 30 worthwhile platinum's? Neither. I would look for more fulfilling ways to spend my last 3 years of life. And trophy-hunting may not be one of those ways. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zid960 Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 I do them as a self rule. A plat a week. So if I dick off or jump round different games. I won't get a plat that week. Which I then play some cheapo trash games to get it. It lead to some good things. Some of the bottom trash is fun if you play with the right mindset. Like can I beat the speed record blind. Analyzing what could make the game a legitimate good game. Or just get lucky finding those gems that the og poster said. Someone has to go though the trash to find them gem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helyx Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 I've gotten hundreds of codes for these types of games over the years. I play them if/when it pleases me. I also think it's funny to watch trophy elitists try to discredit my "GaMiNg" habits. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler13479 Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 It was a mindset I had, to constantly get more. But seeing the shovelware always stacking up, and my platinum collection rising with 99% rarities. I decided to back off. Today, I only play shovelware games for 1 of 3 reasons. 1. If the game looks generally appealing to platinum. I won’t just platinum any game. If it’s something like a visual novel, I can be there for a while since I enjoy reading, 2. To help with some sort of date challenge. Last year, I challenged myself to get a platinum at least every month of the year. Came close to failing, but with The Spidy Quiz, I succeeded. I also platinumed The Jumping Brownie for Leap Day which means I wouldn’t have to wait another 4 years. 3. If something goes on sale and it looks interesting. And I only have a dollar. I DO NOT platinum any more games in the series of a shovelware. Eg. jumping fries, etc. Because it would tag my money and sense of fun. A challenging Platinum or a platinum tied to a fun game is more fun than any shovelware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remiferia Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 (edited) (deleted) Edited March 17 by Remiferia 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlippiThePippi Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 (edited) I love earning trophies but they’ll come second to games. If a game isn’t fun why bother(Reggie gets me ). If someone value in shovelware that’s their experience, and honestly power to you, I just don’t see the appeal Edited February 29 by SlippiThePippi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipper321 Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 You likely won't get answers from the people that do, but rather don't. Regardless, I do them because they're usually very cheap, whether it's bought with spare wallet or debit card funds. Although that's not to say there aren't actual games for dirt cheap either. Paid 3p for an Aces of the Luftwaffe game. I found 5p on the street last week. Truly a crazy world! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiahMamoon Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 just for the milestones to be honest i know i'll never be number one but at least i can use them to get a cool looking milestone trophy right and like that one dude said there cheap lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spacey_Dweeb Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 I like an occassional low stakes platinum, especially when I'm dumping a lot of time into something. Like an entire replay of Horizon Forbidden West on Ultra Hard for a couple of bronze trophies. Either way, my account isn't going to impress anyone and I'm not competing, so it's nice to play something silly, get a platinum in an evening, and move on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt the Dog Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 I can't really speak to specifics on why people go for the trophy apps in particular since this stuff is well beyond my era of trophy whoring (closest I've gone to them is a bit of Breakthrough and Gamizumi stuff for a trophy competition back in late 2021), but from my experience from the kids' game era to a bit into the Rata games era, there's something neat about seeing an arbitrary number go up, particularly when it's attached to your own actions and it takes some investment/stakes to raise it. Just so happens that easy plats (and I suppose especially the new era of shovelware plats) make that number go up way more than pretty much anything else, so it's easy to get caught in a cycle of just spamming easy shit constantly in between real games to keep getting that dopamine and that feeling of making a number go up until you finally get tired of making the number go up, at which point hopefully you didn't sunk cost yourself into staying in anyway (unfortunately a very real risk given the aforementioned investment feeling like a waste if you just give up now). Also since it's hardly out of place relative to other people in the thread not even answering the question, may as well go into what kept me in when I was still going at it. Prior to the shovelware onslaught and, to a lesser extent, the Rata/Sometimes You assault, keeping up with the EZPZs was a fair bit more... attainable relatively speaking when it was like one or two EZPZs releasing a week if not a month and not the absolute hellspawn of 2022 onwards. The standards for what constituted EZPZ were also a fair bit lower than they are now, so there was also just some stuff that fell through the cracks that would still fit the mold. This all also had the effect of making the EZPZ scene easier to be properly competitive in while there was still the issue of the Vita VN bombardment (if you think having to pay for a bunch of trophy apps is dumb, the Vita VNs are like, full price games and there were probably like half a dozen a month at the peak if you wanted to be a top ranker; knowing people was the only way to really do it 🫠), that was far enough to the side of everything else due to the relative inaccessibility that you could pretty much just split between people who were and weren't willing to go that far. More importantly, actually spamming out a shitload of trophies in a short time was a bigger ask than it is now, which made stuff like trophy whoring competitions actually worth doing since there was some actual excitement in having to plan out what games you're gonna whore out, particularly in shorter competitions where every second counts and your game choices could make or break your standing. Even more recently when I've given up the overall EZPZ race, the ~2 weeks I spent in that aforementioned late 2021 competition doing the utmost to maximize my trophy count (for the most part within the bounds of pre-shovelware hunting) reminded me what made me even care about all the EZPZ spamming in the first place, something that really isn't there now that shovelware has pretty much snuffed out the idea of any trophy whoring competitions on account them being a matter of who has the most shovelware to burn through yet with literally nothing else having a chance of competing. Shit, even in the aforementioned trophy comp, I got snuffed out easily by people just spamming the damn [Theme] Break games to the tune of like 3000+ trophies when I busted ass getting like 1600 trophies from damn near every VN I had left to do from the Vita days + some random other recent-ish EZPZ. Someone who could do all the animal stroking, food jumping, ump jumps, and whatever else showed up would fucking decimate anyone who dared to employ any other strategy, so why even have competitions at that point when the far and away best strategy is about as if not more accessible than doing things the old way? If there's any bright side to the shovelware onslaught, it's that people well and truly do not give a fuck if you do other easy shit now that the bar is so insanely high. Also doesn't help that the most popular games have gotten a fair bit easier to plat to the point that the main difference between something like platinuming Disney's Up and platinuming Spiderman 2 is just time investment and the latter being a lot more polished and socially acceptable to play in the first place. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samunrizthym Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 4 hours ago, Kishnabe said: If you have 3 years left to live, would you choose 3000 garbage easy platinum's or 30 worthwhile platinum's? it says everything ,click x infinitly seems to be a self inflected punishment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 More often than not if I play an EZPZ, it's because I wanted to play something but didn't want to play the bigger game I was already working on, or I was in between games and didn't know what I wanted to play next. But I don't usually play more than one or two at a time (not counting last year where I played one every day of Hanukkah as I was getting a Plat on every Holiday). I tend to look at them as "companion games", where they can serve a purpose for something quick...but never something I'll play exclusively, and I'm not going out there buying every region of it to stack it 17 times. As of right now, you might see my playing an EZPZ as I have a near 200 day trophy streak going, and I'm aiming for a full year (need to make it to August). So I have an EZPZ on retainer to get 1 trophy that day, if I can't in my bigger game (Currently replaying Ghost of Tsushima, which has a lot of trophies that don't pop until near the end of the game). They're a means to an end for me...not something I seek to play full time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedDevil757 Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 They don't hunt shovelware. Unless finishing with a grenade in a barrel is hunting? They do it so they can climb the leaderboards and so you bow down to their awesomeness when you see their platinum count. Me, I just laugh at them and the leaderboards. Both are a joke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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