What's your opinion on share play boosting?

[Cyan]

I didn't know this was a thing. But even if it wasn't, we can't know if one and the same person has earned every trophy on their profile. 

 

Ndesu fight in Resident Evil 5 on professional difficulty, I gave the controller to my brother and went for a jog 'cause I was so annoyed with it. So, do I deserve RE5 platinum given that I didn't play the hardest portion of the game? 

 

What I think is that it's not such a serious business. It's virtual trophies that literally do nothing. I think it comes down to individuals and pride. I'm not ashamed to have RE5 plat, while being 'not worthy' of it. 

Edited August 11, 2017 by ID-69

[jacks]

I'm kind of two sides of the same street with the issue:

 

On one hand -- you do you, buddy. Simply put. Don't ask me to do it. Don't ask me if I need help. Don't ask me for money when you see me talking about a certain difficult trophy on a website, and are feeling "generous" with your spare time to help out little old incompetent me. I mean, as long as it has nothing to do with me, and it doesn't involve kicking kittens or puppies or something like that, then who am I to pass judgment on something so stupid? I have had this account for like 7 years or so, have amassed a fraction of the trophies and platinums I could have possibly netted by now -- do you really think I give enough of a shit about what you are doing with your profile, if I don't even care enough to push beyond a measly 45% or so completion percentage on my own profile?

 

On the other hand... yeah... it's pretty lame. I see people justifying either doing it for someone else, or having someone do it for them, even getting fairly hostile about the issue when questioned, but can you blame the people for calling the integrity of the profile into question? I mean, isn't that all trophies really are? A record -- a journal or diary, if you will -- of your gaming "accomplishments", "feats" and just general statistic of what YOU have done? It's not even calling to question the leaderboards (see above: I really couldn't care less, as I will never be competing for number one, and i don't care to), but why trivialize something even further that was the epitome of trivial to begin with? I don't even think it's comparable to boosting, because, for example, boosting something like GTAIV's "win in all game modes" trophy can take HOURS, and actually requires a semblance of dedication, AND DON'T EVEN START ME ON THE BOOST TO RANK 10. Even then is boosting lame? Yeah, it is no matter which way you slice it, and I'm guilty of doing it a couple of times in the past, but this takes lameness to a whole new level.

 

Long story short: I guess it's your or whoever-the-hell-else's profile... but I certainly would not want ANY trophy to appear on my profile that I didn't take at least some part in.

[nfsmwuk]

It's not cheating. 

 

The problem trophy hunters have with this feature is that it doesn't grant you that "effort" feeling that you get when you've put in actual time to achieve a trophy yourself. I did it a few times with a friend on my friends list but since then I've not bothered. I'd rather put in the actual effort, the feeling is too great.

[pinkrobot_pb]

I hardly find time to play and hunt trophies for myself, let alone for others

[Maxie_M0us3]

I would like to use it somehow with close friends but I'm far from them, making Share Play impossible.

 

I also don’t use Share Play since only the host gets the trophy, which is bothered.

[Sevens2-]

It is cheating, certainly for single player trophies. Multiplayer "boosting" somewhat works within the limits of the game, but is still dubious. Share play, however, is entirely cheated. It's "write message, get trophy affixed to your name".

 

Consider what you'd be fine with having marked on your profile.

[Ashande]

My opinion? It’s garbage and undermines the entire point of the exercise. The concept of a trophy is an award gained for one’s accomplishments. If you’re not the one accomplishing it, you don’t deserve the trophy. To me that applies equally whether we’re talking about digital bling or an Olympic medal.

 

Realistically, though, does it matter? Given the prevalence of cheaters, boosters, “team” accounts, regional stacks and cash-4-plats titles, the leaderboards are meaningless, and making someone else go get the last trophy or two isn’t going to impact anyone’s rank in a meaningful way; people who want to be obnoxious and rub their trophies in someone’s face are going to do that regardless; there is no impact to my pocket book or health. Therefore, no change detected. So no, I suppose it doesn’t matter.

 

That being said, it actually kind of does matter… to me, at least. But it doesn’t matter that it matters to me, if that makes any sense. My own opinion that accomplishments should be rewarded and that false accomplishments should be discarded (again, whether we’re talking about digital baubles or any real life example) is considered unpopular at best and some flavor of istaphobic at worst, so… ??‍♂️ You do you, boo. If someone finds it somehow pleasing that they have a Platinum that someone else earned for them, so be it.

[MonaSaxPayne]

no-lifers still scrolling through other people's profiles trying to verify whether trophies were earned through SharePlay? 

[TomataEighty9]

On 7.2.2017 at 0:03 AM, sephiroth4424 said:

If you are ok with boosting online trophies,then you can't be against share play

 

There's a very big difference in being an active part of a boost, in a game where the online is dead, and getting someone to actually DO the trophy for you. Please tell me you understand the difference. 

 

In one of the scenarios, you actually ACTIVELY participate and WORK for the trophy. In the other, you do NOTHING. 

 

You seriously see no difference in actively boosting a game for 50 hours, and doing zero work? 

Edited July 19, 2022 by TomataEighty9

[sephiroth4424]

1 hour ago, TomataEighty9 said:

 

There's a very big difference in being an active part of a boost, in a game where the online is dead, and getting someone to actually DO the trophy for you. Please tell me you understand the difference. 

 

In one of the scenarios, you actually ACTIVELY participate and WORK for the trophy. In the other, you do NOTHING. 

 

You seriously see no difference in actively boosting a game for 50 hours, and doing zero work? 

I think that my post you quoted was about ''Is share play a form of cheating or not, since another is doing a trophy for you''.

And i said that if you are ok with boosting there is nothing wrong with share play, meaning either both are legit or both are considered cheating.

 

Regarding the work and time you mention, i don't think that anyone would put 5-10-50 hours in share playing and not asking something in return.

Just like boosting, you help and get helped, why do you assume that if A helps B via share play, B won't do the same for A in another game?

Or B may boost online trophies with A in a game B already has the trophies

 

 

[TomataEighty9]

2 hours ago, sephiroth4424 said:

I think that my post you quoted was about ''Is share play a form of cheating or not, since another is doing a trophy for you''.

And i said that if you are ok with boosting there is nothing wrong with share play, meaning either both are legit or both are considered cheating.

 

Regarding the work and time you mention, i don't think that anyone would put 5-10-50 hours in share playing and not asking something in return.

Just like boosting, you help and get helped, why do you assume that if A helps B via share play, B won't do the same for A in another game?

Or B may boost online trophies with A in a game B already has the trophies

 

ill try again

 

Scenario A - Boosting + Actively contributing to trophy : 

 

You are playing FIFA, and need to get the pro club trophies (not hard trophies, most you get, just for playing, or winning a single game), but you are playing 6 months into the game, and pro clubs is dead. So you find 3 other players, so you can fill up lobby, and PLAY the games. 

 

Scenario B - Shareplay - Inactively NOT contributing to trophy : 

 

You are playing Max Payne 3, and have all trophies, except "The shadows rushed me", and you don't have the skills or the patience, so you get a friend to play FOR YOU, and you don't do anything. 

 

 

 

I think the difference is pretty clear  

 

You do you, and if you think it's cool and fulfilling, showing of trophies you did 0% for, go ahead, im not the trophy police. 

 

For ME, i wanna do my trophies myself, since i look at my trophies like my gaming history, and i don't mind having a game at 98%, if im not skilled or patient enough to fulfill the requirements. I would never let someone do a trophy for me. I would have no joy in a plat i didn't do  

 

 

5 hours ago, MonaSaxPayne said:

no-lifers still scrolling through other people's profiles trying to verify whether trophies were earned through SharePlay? 

 

Cause cheating on a virtual "competition" (leaderboards), and showing of "medals" YOU didn't earn, is LIFE  

 

Ok then. 

 

Look mommy, i got a medal, i didn't do anything, i got it for "participating".....

Edited July 19, 2022 by TomataEighty9

[Baranov_925]

"Modern problems require modern solutions"

 

 

[VegaMan-X4]

Some people just don't know what comradery is. Sad.

 

Disagree? Well try to read that sentence again but with Trump's voice in mind, lol.

[Vault-TecPhantom]

This will be an unpopular opinion but I think shareplay for the purposes of trophy hunting is terrible and should instantly disqualify a player from the site’s leaderboard if there's evidence that the trophy has been obtained by someone other than the account holder.

 

To be clear, I have no problem with people getting help with trophies from folks in their personal lives, such as significant others or friends or siblings etc because that’s arguably more about hanging out with loved ones than the trophy hunting itself, and there’s something inherently pure and organic in that. I’m sure a lot of us grew up playing video games with our parents or siblings which involved controller sharing. However, being so desperate as to post an ad for a random stranger on the web to take control of your game just to get a trophy is strange and, as some have already said, reeks of entitlement. 

 

I haven’t come across an (obtainable) trophy or a platinum that has beaten me yet, touch wood, but I know that when that day inevitably arrives I will just leave it for a while or, worst case scenario, simply move on. What makes the trophy hunting experience so special is not just the trophies you achieve but the ones you don’t, because those gaps in your profile validate the trophies you did get. If every trophy was easy to obtain it would render the hobby meaningless. Obviously, how "easy" or "hard" a trophy is will be completely subjective so the only person who can truly quantify that is the achiever. You can't look at somebody else's profile and say, "oh, that's a hard trophy/that's an easy trophy" because you don't know what that player's personal experience was with it. But just knowing that even one trophy was obtained via shareplay would instantly invalidate that player's entire profile because it would prove that the trophies they got legitimately wasn't achieved through sheer mental willpower, but simply because it was doable, dare I say it, because it was "easy" -  even if those trophies would normally be considered "hard". 

 

I just see it as the ultimate self-betrayal. I don’t doubt anyone’s abilities as a gamer when they hit a skill wall as that's perfectly normal in any skill-based hobby, but I do judge a person when their solution to their problems is just to have someone else take care of them. I’ve seen people post shareplay sessions and then have observed folks in the comment section of the session posting tips and tricks to help them only for the host to respond a few days later, “thanks guys, I finally got it!”

So it’s like, wait, you didn’t even search for alternative advice before you gave up???

 

And on the subject of “boosting being the same as shareplay”…no, it’s not. Otherwise, by that logic, non mandatory cooperative play would be cheating too…  Boosting is using an in-game exploit that is developer-intended most of the time anyway - otherwise there would be no such thing as private matches, or all pvp trophies would exclude private matches. It’s a team effort that isn’t feasible without your direct involvement. Most of the time, boosting happens because the servers are so dead that it would be near impossible to do normally, or because the multiplayer is, quite frankly, rubbish and the player just wants to get it over and done with. No shame in that.

[You]

4 minutes ago, Vault-TecPhantom said:

This will be an unpopular opinion but I think shareplay for the purposes of trophy hunting is terrible and should instantly disqualify a player from the site’s leaderboard if there's evidence that the trophy has been obtained by someone other than the account holder.

 

To be clear, I have no problem with people getting help with trophies from folks in their personal lives, such as significant others or friends or siblings etc because that’s arguably more about hanging out with loved ones than the trophy hunting itself, and there’s something inherently pure and organic in that. I’m sure a lot of us grew up playing video games with our parents or siblings which involved controller sharing. However, being so desperate as to post an ad for a random stranger on the web to take control of your game just to get a trophy is strange and, as some have already said, reeks of entitlement. 

 

I haven’t come across an (obtainable) trophy or a platinum that has beaten me yet, touch wood, but I know that when that day inevitably arrives I will just leave it for a while or, worst case scenario, simply move on. What makes the trophy hunting experience so special is not just the trophies you achieve but the ones you don’t, because those gaps in your profile validate the trophies you did get. If every trophy was easy to obtain it would render the hobby meaningless. Obviously, how "easy" or "hard" a trophy is will be completely subjective so the only person who can truly quantify that is the achiever. You can't look at somebody else's profile and say, "oh, that's a hard trophy/that's an easy trophy" because you don't know what that player's personal experience was with it. But just knowing that even one trophy was obtained via shareplay would instantly invalidate that player's entire profile because it would prove that the trophies they got legitimately wasn't achieved through sheer mental willpower, but simply because it was doable, dare I say it, because it was "easy" -  even if those trophies would normally be considered "hard". 

 

I just see it as the ultimate self-betrayal. I don’t doubt anyone’s abilities as a gamer when they hit a skill wall as that's perfectly normal in any skill-based hobby, but I do judge a person when their solution to their problems is just to have someone else take care of them. I’ve seen people post shareplay sessions and then have observed folks in the comment section of the session posting tips and tricks to help them only for the host to respond a few days later, “thanks guys, I finally got it!”

So it’s like, wait, you didn’t even search for alternative advice before you gave up???

 

And on the subject of “boosting being the same as shareplay”…no, it’s not. Otherwise, by that logic, non mandatory cooperative play would be cheating too…  Boosting is using an in-game exploit that is developer-intended most of the time anyway - otherwise there would be no such thing as private matches, or all pvp trophies would exclude private matches. It’s a team effort that isn’t feasible without your direct involvement. Most of the time, boosting happens because the servers are so dead that it would be near impossible to do normally, or because the multiplayer is, quite frankly, rubbish and the player just wants to get it over and done with. No shame in that.

 

Oh yeah it’s definitely cheating. No doubt about it. I mean it's like taking a driving test exam for a friend and passing it for them. They get the trophies and they didn't do a thing.

 

But there's also the grey area around, you're playing a 2 player coop game that is offline, only but, there is a "complete the game on coop trophy". We're in a pandemic, people don't go out much anymore. So there's no way of getting a 2nd player around your house, except through share play. If you play the game twice, once on your account and once on your friend's account. It's way harder to get the trophy not being in the same room, and you need to do it twice. But I think this is a valid option.

 

For me, a few years ago, my friend helped me boost some online trophies on a game that he already had done himself.

In return I did some difficult trophies for him on a different game on shareplay, he just watched me play and boy was it hard doing a difficult trophy with 1 second input lag. I enjoyed the challenge though.

 

I wouldn't want anyone to earn for trophies for me this way, but I don't mind helping someone else out, especially for a friend and not just a random stranger on a boosting thread.

 

Legal cheating like this though is likely the least important thing to worry about in the grand scheme of things. 1 second auto pops of an entire list, or thousands of 1 dollar 5 minutes are arguably way worse (and also things that complaining about will not solve....)

[Infected Elite]

doesn't matter to me. There's no guaranteed way to prove User X obtained every single trophy they have on their own.  Whether they share played, co-op(fair tho), let someone else play on their account (a friend, someone else with shared account info to earn trophies quicker), it shouldn't matter.

 

People really should only care about their own goals for their gaming.

[TheBlaskar]

Anything that devalues the work that people have done breaking their backs over trophies will undoubtedly become a topic of contention. If the trophies were easy to get, anybody would have them. We strive for these completions and ultra rares because they make us stand out above the rest. When more people earn these rare trophies, the rarity drops and the average rises. When the average rises, the highest points begin to blend in. Of course, those who stand on the highest peaks of this graph will become angry by this but those who are carried up by the rising tide will be content. What the question is really asking is "how protective are you over your trophy passion? How hard did you work, and how special do you feel?"

[syai0306]

 

Sony released "Goddess of Aim" in Japan in 2014 as a PV for Share Play.
In this PV, a woman who is having trouble finding a job turns to FPS and is asked to complete various tasks in Share Play.
The share-play request screen with the message at 3 minutes and 34 seconds is a request to get a trophy for Wolfenstein New Order.

I do not think this is a good thing. However, Sony has approved the substitution.

 

[DrBloodmoney]

 

3 hours ago, enaysoft said:

Oh yeah it’s definitely cheating. No doubt about it. I mean it's like taking a driving test exam for a friend and passing it for them. They get the trophies and they didn't do a thing.

 

I don't necessarily disagree with this, but I think we should be a little less liberal with throwing the term "cheating" around for things like this.

The fact is, if we start muddling up the "real-life" definitions of "cheating" with the trophy-hunting, PSNP specific definitions of "cheating", there is virtually no end to the rabbit-hole. 

 

Lots of things that are perfectly acceptable in the community are technically "cheating" if you do a one-to-one comparison to "real-life" scenarios, and apply a "real-life" definition.

 

Using a guide is "cheating" - because it's like going into an exam with all the answers written down.

Boosting is "cheating" - because it's like match-fixing in sports.

Making use of in game glitches is "cheating" - because it's like completing a marathon on roller-blades, just because the rules don't specifically prohibit it.

Save-Scumming is "cheating" - because it's like cutting together all your correct answers from a bunch of different tests you failed, and calling it a pass.

 

 

In the end - there are a set of rules here, just like everywhere else, and those have to be what defines the difference between what is "cheating" and not "cheating" broadly, for everyone.

 

The rest of it - that's down to ones own personal lines of good and bad "sportsmanship" - and those are personal.

Those are what allow people to feel good about their own personal hobby...

...but by definition, they are only applicable to oneself. 

They should be used as a barometer for personal satisfaction, not as a yardstick by which to judge others.

[You]

Yeah but 99% of shareplay requests are

 

"I can't get this trophy, please get it for me"

 

Popping trophies for someone else using my save data would be a flaggable offence, but for me to recreate that savedata (so to speak) a second time using my own hands to earn it again a second time. Well that's technically what is happening, I am popping a trophy for someone using the savedata and muscle memory stored in my head. But that's ok though.

 

I personally think helping people with shareplay is fine. but saying it's just another everyday way of gaining trophies legit, well that just isn't correct.

Edited July 28, 2022 by enaysoft

[running_Amok_86]

How is this even a debate?  It's cheating pure and simple.  Popping a trophy this way is defeating the point of earning trophies in my opinion. 

[TomataEighty9]

1 hour ago, DrBloodmoney said:

Lots of things that are perfectly acceptable in the community are technically "cheating" if you do a one-to-one comparison to "real-life" scenarios, and apply a "real-life" definition.

 

Using a guide is "cheating" - because it's like going into an exam with all the answers written down.

Boosting is "cheating" - because it's like match-fixing in sports.

Making use of in game glitches is "cheating" - because it's like completing a marathon on roller-blades, just because the rules don't specifically prohibit it.

Save-Scumming is "cheating" - because it's like cutting together all your correct answers from a bunch of different tests you failed, and calling it a pass.

 

I see the point you're making, but getting someone to GET the trophy for you, is like getting a friend to run a marathon FOR you, and doing NOTHING, and flashing a medal for it. 

All your examples demands actual WORk from you, share play boosting does not  

[DrBloodmoney]

1 minute ago, TomataEighty9 said:

 

I see the point you're making, but getting someone to GET the trophy for you, is like getting a friend to run a marathon FOR you, and doing NOTHING, and flashing a medal for it. 

All your examples demands actual WORk from you, share play boosting does not  

 

True - and I don't actually disagree - I find requests for share play "because I can't do it" pretty gauche too - I'm just point out that these debates can get a little unwieldy and a bit circular when the trophy definition of "cheating" gets muddled with the "real-life" definition of it.

Edited July 28, 2022 by DrBloodmoney

[You]

1 minute ago, DrBloodmoney said:

 

True - and I don't actually disagree - I find requests for share play "because I can't do it" pretty gauche too - I'm just point out that these debates can get a little unwieldy and a bit circular when the trophy definition of "cheating" gets muddled with the "real-life" definition of it.

 

I think it's allowed because well, if it was banned on this site, how in the hell could you possibly police it? The trophy was earned legit in legit means on the actual console, it's just the input for the controller was performed remotely, no different really to boosting or cheating using auto fire controllers or people using programmable input scripts, like in say Gran Turismo 7 to drive for you.

 

I doubt there's anyone crazy enough to get platinum for Crypt of the Necrodancer for somebody using shareplay even if they asked.

But even if they did, no way you could prove that somebody did it via shareplay.

[TheBlaskar]

Somebody asked people to Shareplay "The Kid" from Super Meat Boy. This was my response...

"The year was 2005. Times were simpler. Games were different. Little 10-year-old me, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, spent the summer season waking up just as the dawn yawned over the crest of the world, and happy that the day had officially begun. Not, mind you, because I like the day, or the sun, or summer heat, or any other aspect of "daytime," but because the sun meant it was an acceptable time of day for me to be awake, and the square, bubble TV's unavoidable click-and-static means of powering-on wouldn't get me in trouble for not being a good little boy and being asleep when I should be. Neither here nor there. There were a few games I loved to juggle back then, picking some up and tossing some aside, trying to find one that I liked. It was a process.

This was, you see, before trophies and achievements existed (at least on the console side of the landscape), so everybody and their mother started dozens of games and never finished them because "completions" and "statistics" were "good ideas," at best. Finding a game that I could really sink my teeth into took quite a bit of trial and error. There was one franchise, though, that I'd play until blue in the face, without even needing to "try" the games to see if I would like them; I could rent them right off the shelf and know that I would be spending countless hours with them. Star Wars. Those games fueled my childhood almost as much as the movies have. As time has gone on, the games and the movies have grown to disappoint but my *memories* of the games are strong, still.

As mentioned, 2005. "Revenge of the Sith" was everywhere, and everything. Toys. Merchandise. Double-sided puzzles that you could sandwich between two pieces of plexiglass and hang from your ceiling so you can see the Jedi AND the Sith as it slowly spins oh my god it was amazing. And, of course, video games... back then, every movie had a game adaptation but Star Wars didn't do it like the others did. Star Wars did it right. The Revenge of the Sith video game was lightning in a bottle. It was the most beautiful game ever created. It was better than anything that had come out before and most certainly better than anything that has come out since. If there was one thing to give to the aliens to prove how advanced we are as a species, it's the artistic and creative masterpiece that is the Revenge of the Sith video game adaptation on the original Xbox. Please note: I also haven't played it since 2005 so my memory of it may be faded, biased, and inaccurate.

Anyways, I loved the game. I loved it, even though it was stressful. The game was hard for a kid. There were fights I struggled with, and some I all but gave up on. But, I persevered and prevailed.

 

I'm sorry. I've lied to you. I prevailed with most parts of the game after hours of trial and error, but there was one part that I could not beat. Mace Windu v Palpatine. I'm not sure what about it was so difficult but I simply could not grasp success. Breathless, angry, and disappointed, I asked my then-stepdad to beat it for me. He did, fairly quickly and painlessly. I learned then and there that the anger and disappointment of failure pale in comparison to the anger and disappointment of giving up; to having somebody else help with the challenge and strip me of potential pride. I regret that to this day.

I beat the remainder of the game and, although it was still hard, I knew that it was possible as I had seen it done. I don't remember the rest of the game. I remember the Windu v Palpatine fight. I remember giving up. I remember never being able to beat it without, first, somebody doing the work for me. The fight had been won. But, I wasn't the one to do it. I don't think I've ever played that fight since, nor do I want to. It haunts me. I was the chosen one. It was said I was to bring balance to the force, not leave it in darkness; destroy the Sith, not join them. Alas, fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to shareplaying. You deserve to be content with your memory of Super Meat Boy. I believe in you. May the force be with you"

 

EDIT: I've been corrected. It's Windu v Anakin during Palpatine's reveal as a Sith. Either way.

 

 

 

Edited July 28, 2022 by DaivRules
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