Addicted to Trophies Help

[Valyrious]

Constantly in awe that people put so much importance in trophies, and then wonder why they get burnt out...

 

Uhh, it ain't that complicated chief.

[VigilantCrow]

5 minutes ago, Valyrious said:

Constantly in awe that people put so much importance in trophies, and then wonder why they get burnt out...

 

Uhh, it ain't that complicated chief.

Why do you think trophies, achievements etc exist? They're designed to reel in people with addictive personalities and exploit that weakness for sales. It's a well known marketing strategy that's been going on for well over 100 years (think back to collecting trading cards, dolls etc). Most marketing and business universities have entire units solely on this sort of subject matter.


 

Quote

 

Hi, I'm not really sure where a post like this would be appropriate but I wanted to talk a little bit about my trophy addiction and to ask for help or advice. These forums felt like the best place to go, from what I've seen we have a great community here. Let me first start with my problem.

I dont care about having a high trophy level, it's actually more about having 100% completion on games. I used to spend way too much money on games back on the 360 and would never beat anything. About 5 years ago I started a family and didn't have time or money for that so I made a new ps4 profile with 2 rules - only buy games I WANT and get my money's worth. The best way I figured I could get my money's worth was to get 100% trophies for it, that gives most games a definitive end point for me (with the exception of stuff like call of duty which I play endlessly with real life friends).

At first it was pretty easy but as all you trophy hunters know, there are always roadblocks. The first roadblock for me was dlc. As games release dlc, they release trophies, making my game no longer be 100%. This really triggers me, like a lot, and has ended up costing me way more money than anticipated.

The next problem was I couldn't even keep my original commitment to myself... I LOVE nba2k but havent been able to play in years because the lists are basically unobtainable, which would ruin my 100%. 

I'm at the point now where I hate gaming sometimes. Who wants to hunt every species in red dead 2? No one. I loath destiny 2 but had to earn a triumph seal for a dlc trophy. You think a casual game like the sims 4 is easy? Think again and say hello to pure rng (I'm looking at you triplets).

Its easy I'm sure for people to look at my problem and say "just dont go for trophies then," but then I feel like I'm wasting my time gaming because i dont have a goal, because of the habit I've built over time. It's a vicious loop and I'm sure it sounds psychotic but this shit stresses me out lol I envy my friends who can pick up spiderman and beat the main story in a weekend then move on with their life.

It's a little hard to explain, but I hope even 1 person understands what it's like and I'm just curious if anyone has went through or is going through something similar that has a best practices I could implement to fight this neurotic behavior. Or even share your story if its therapudic for you.

 

 

Here's some advise from someone who has the same addictive personality type (gave up a 600k gamerscore account for the same reason). Start a fresh account, only play 2-3 games at a time (games you whole heartily enjoy) and focus on playing them to 100%. DLC can be expensive depending on the game but if you're limiting the number of games you play at any time, you'll be saving money.

Don't buy additional games when sales come around, don't get involved in the site's competitive sphere etc. The biggest problem with these gaming addictions is comparing yourself to other people and falling for the "high score phenomenon" (same concept of social media addiction with like and share numbers). Focus on the games and less so on the forums.

 

[tjoe1bkhjtqxm]

Trophies and achievements are only a new modern addiction to virtual life, like who hopes to receive more than 100 like on his posts on Facebook or to his pictures on Instagram.

 

My advise is stop thinking about trophies if this thing is getting too much inside your gaming attitude and personal life (I suffer instead of compulsive shopping, I don't know how it's called I'm italian...).

 

Look at my profile, it's probably in the top 3 of unearned trophies players: more than 12k unearned trophies since 2009 lol

[redcar200]

I use to worry about trophies like a 2nd job until I realized if I were to die today none of that would mean anything. God really helped me with my addiction to gaming and trophies. When u really accept Jesus Christ in your heart, you soon realize that ur time is short n unpredictable that you don't  want to waste it worried about a digital trophy that will mean nothing after you die. I still play games n trophy hunt but don't care about what I play anymore as long as I enjoy it. I even make videos on YouTube were I relate video games to God. Check out my channel on YouTube redcar200. Hopefully this just put a thought in your head n points you toward the right direction. God bless you!

[VoidVictorious]

12 hours ago, dansomekid said:

Hi, I'm not really sure where a post like this would be appropriate but I wanted to talk a little bit about my trophy addiction and to ask for help or advice. These forums felt like the best place to go, from what I've seen we have a great community here. Let me first start with my problem.

 

I dont care about having a high trophy level, it's actually more about having 100% completion on games. I used to spend way too much money on games back on the 360 and would never beat anything. About 5 years ago I started a family and didn't have time or money for that so I made a new ps4 profile with 2 rules - only buy games I WANT and get my money's worth. The best way I figured I could get my money's worth was to get 100% trophies for it, that gives most games a definitive end point for me (with the exception of stuff like call of duty which I play endlessly with real life friends).

 

At first it was pretty easy but as all you trophy hunters know, there are always roadblocks. The first roadblock for me was dlc. As games release dlc, they release trophies, making my game no longer be 100%. This really triggers me, like a lot, and has ended up costing me way more money than anticipated.

 

The next problem was I couldn't even keep my original commitment to myself... I LOVE nba2k but havent been able to play in years because the lists are basically unobtainable, which would ruin my 100%. 

 

I'm at the point now where I hate gaming sometimes. Who wants to hunt every species in red dead 2? No one. I loath destiny 2 but had to earn a triumph seal for a dlc trophy. You think a casual game like the sims 4 is easy? Think again and say hello to pure rng (I'm looking at you triplets).

 

Its easy I'm sure for people to look at my problem and say "just dont go for trophies then," but then I feel like I'm wasting my time gaming because i dont have a goal, because of the habit I've built over time. It's a vicious loop and I'm sure it sounds psychotic but this shit stresses me out lol I envy my friends who can pick up spiderman and beat the main story in a weekend then move on with their life.

 

It's a little hard to explain, but I hope even 1 person understands what it's like and I'm just curious if anyone has went through or is going through something similar that has a best practices I could implement to fight this neurotic behavior. Or even share your story if its therapudic for you.

Honestly, there is a reason that you are addicted to trophies. When you pop a trophy or achievement, dopamine spikes in the brain which produces euphoria. They were designed to be addictive.

[me_is_caveman]

I'm the same way with trophies. (Going for 100% completion including DLC). Except I don't see it as an "addiction" that has to be "fixed". I see it as dedication to a craft, to reap the fruits of my labor, (the trophies). Kind of like going for an Olympic gold medal. While it may be grindy or frustrating during the process, eventually I overcome the problem and accomplish a job well done, the 100%, which brings me satisfaction. ?

[VoidVictorious]

13 hours ago, dansomekid said:

Hi, I'm not really sure where a post like this would be appropriate but I wanted to talk a little bit about my trophy addiction and to ask for help or advice. These forums felt like the best place to go, from what I've seen we have a great community here. Let me first start with my problem.

 

I dont care about having a high trophy level, it's actually more about having 100% completion on games. I used to spend way too much money on games back on the 360 and would never beat anything. About 5 years ago I started a family and didn't have time or money for that so I made a new ps4 profile with 2 rules - only buy games I WANT and get my money's worth. The best way I figured I could get my money's worth was to get 100% trophies for it, that gives most games a definitive end point for me (with the exception of stuff like call of duty which I play endlessly with real life friends).

 

At first it was pretty easy but as all you trophy hunters know, there are always roadblocks. The first roadblock for me was dlc. As games release dlc, they release trophies, making my game no longer be 100%. This really triggers me, like a lot, and has ended up costing me way more money than anticipated.

 

The next problem was I couldn't even keep my original commitment to myself... I LOVE nba2k but havent been able to play in years because the lists are basically unobtainable, which would ruin my 100%. 

 

I'm at the point now where I hate gaming sometimes. Who wants to hunt every species in red dead 2? No one. I loath destiny 2 but had to earn a triumph seal for a dlc trophy. You think a casual game like the sims 4 is easy? Think again and say hello to pure rng (I'm looking at you triplets).

 

Its easy I'm sure for people to look at my problem and say "just dont go for trophies then," but then I feel like I'm wasting my time gaming because i dont have a goal, because of the habit I've built over time. It's a vicious loop and I'm sure it sounds psychotic but this shit stresses me out lol I envy my friends who can pick up spiderman and beat the main story in a weekend then move on with their life.

 

It's a little hard to explain, but I hope even 1 person understands what it's like and I'm just curious if anyone has went through or is going through something similar that has a best practices I could implement to fight this neurotic behavior. Or even share your story if its therapudic for you.

Here is a good article for you: https://turnongaming.com/achievement-whores

[Gommes_]

I kinda get what you are saying. Personally it all changed for me when I played Ni No Kuni 2 which made me question the hobby of going for every single trophy of a game. The reason for it is that Ni No Kuni 2 was plain awful imo. In that moment I decided to make things different so I don't "waste" my time with certain games.

 

The first thing was to create another account where I just randomly play games that interest me but where I don't wanna go for the platinum. Now comes the "new" aspect. Every game where I am unsure if I will even like it (because of a new genre, the length, the difficulty, my ability to beat the game etc.) is being played on a blank account. While playing I can figure out if I wanna go for the platinum or not and in either case I sync it with one of my accounts.

 

RDR2 was the first game where I did that and it worked like a charm. This could help you to tackle the burden of finishing every game, since your "no 1" profile will always be the one with finished games - simply because you decided that. So if you hate a game, don't even sync it at all. Just delete that certain profile and you are good. The only catch is that you can "only" create 100 accounts in total on the PS4. Anyway, maybe that's a solution for you.

 

 

[angelbless45]

Cant help too much since nowadays I manily focus my time on gaming according to the lenght of a platinum. If it is too long, despite being good (Im looking to you RDR2),  I wont play it. Yeah, I feel dumb at times, but again, trophy hunting has become an enjoyable part of my free time. I dont think it wil llast for ever though,

[DansomeTV]

14 hours ago, Eyjabria said:

Playing games on a platform with no trophies/achievements might help you change your mindset about gaming and help see it's not just about achieving but more about enjoying the games themselves. I've been playing more on Nintendo's consoles and PC lately and haven't felt like playing anything on Playstation platforms at all.

 

I have experiences of trophy hunting where striving to "perfection" only ruins the experience and an otherwise great game turns into an aggravating and unpleasant chore. I've sometimes wished I had stopped playing after just completing the story to have better memories of the game.
Yakuza 0 was a great eye opener for me when I was planning to go for 100% completion in the minigames only to find out it was nearly a never-ending grind. I had seen everything the game has to offer, why would I need to win a ridiculous RNG minigame 30 more times just to get a trophy? I didn't want to waste my life continuing as there are plenty of other quality games and things to spend my limited time on.

 

Money is infinite but your time is limited and the most valuable resource. If you feel going for trophies affects you negatively and you're not having fun, try to step away and move on.

 

Great suggestion! I have a nintendo switch and gaming pc but something that prevents me from getting more into those is that none of my friends play them. when im on my ps4, even if i playing a single player game, i can jump right into a party with buddies to chat.

 

12 hours ago, Kristycism said:

 

I can maybe help a little with this as I used to have the same problem and only recently overcame it!

 

Try starting a game that will take several months to complete because it requires real time to pass. E.g. anything that has “seasons” where you’ll need to check in at several points or something. I personally chose Rayman Legends for this because it’s got Daily Challenges and you need to complete them for a couple of months with no way of speeding it up.

 

Once you’ve got everything done besides that real-time requirement, you’re not going to want to just not play any game at all for the next few months (since you only need 5-10 mins for the Challenges each day) so you’ll be more likely to start a new game during that time (and just play the other game here and there on the side as you do so), giving you two games on the go instead of one.

 

Doing it once makes you realise “having multiple games on the go at once” isn’t actually as bad as you thought. I currently have 5 on-going (though one is almost done, it was just DLC and wasn’t intended to be an ongoing game right now, and Idle Champions is another that requires the passing of real weeks/months to do) - and I’m fine with that because I know I’ll complete them all eventually so it’s not a big deal that they’re incomplete right now. And actually, I don’t really enjoy Dauntless, so being able to put it aside until I feel like playing it has been super healthy, I don’t feel “forced” (by myself) to play it when I don’t really want to because I know I’ll return to it later and it won’t sit at not-100% forever.

 

It’s worth trying out to see if it helps you  I know it definitely helped me, because I used to be exactly like you in that regard, but now I’m a lot more chill about playing multiple games at once and switching between them as I feel like it.

 

Interesting idea. I've been trying to do this with RDR2, I haven't even touched the online mode and will attempt not to to break the habit. I would do something like rayman thats time based but I already played the living hell out of that game on my other console so I can't do it agian lol

 

11 hours ago, UlvenFenrir said:

let me just tell you straight away that no one on these forums will be able to help you. you think its because youre addicted to trophies thats the problem here, i can almost guarantee its not. you have an underlying issue here and its triggered when you go for trophies. you already said you spent way more money than you wanted to.

 

find the cause of the underlying issue and work it out from there. taking peoples advice, such as playing on another system that doesnt have trophies/achievements wont help. what will you do when you return to playstation again because theres a game you really want to play? youre back to square one. im saying all of this because ive had the same problem once, many years ago and i know how you feel.

 

trust me, once you find out what the *real* problem is, and work on it, youll realise it had nothing to do with trophies. you think it is because its whats triggering it. like you said, its a vicious loop to get into and a hard one to get out of again. i wish you the best of luck dude and i hope you find a solution, you wont find it on here.

 

There may be another issue for sure, but I don't want to say that someone on here won't be able to help. Everyone has experienced many different things in life and maybe this will speak to 1 person who is going through or went through the exact same thing, and I think that still makes the conversation meaningful. To your point though, I definitely need to fight his OCD by attacking the root cause.

 

10 hours ago, Montyzu said:

 

That's a good advice. I had a pretty bad achievement addiction when I played on PC but once I made a self-analysis of my problem and figured out where it came from I was able to fight it. My parents didnt had money to expend on games during my childhood and I had to play the same game for months until I explored it inside and out, I had games that I 100% 3 or 4 times for nowadays standards that is nuts. But now that I am at a good financial state and can buy anything I want the old habit is still there. Knowing where my guilt of not completing games came from made a lot easier to fight it, I still go for 100% because I think its fun but I am totally cool to let games sit at any % like AC Odyssey I don't know if I will ever play that game again and its sitting there at 20% and it doesn't bother me.

 

You don't wanna play OC Odyssey?! I loved the game! What's funny is I was going through a phase similar to now where I was like "I'm not going to care about achievements anymore, I'm just going to buy a game and play it blind..." and that game was AC Odyssey. I naturally unlocked most of the trophies without even paying attention.

 

8 hours ago, DaivRules said:

 

You're using some phrases that are queues for seeking professional help. One of the first things I'd frankly suggest is self assessment to how much this is impacting your thoughts and actions throughout a typical day. If you find this influencing things outside gaming, I highly advise you talk to someone about how you're feeling. There is no shame in getting help.

 

If you are just looking for coping strategy and this isn't really a big deal and doesn't impact you outside gaming you'll want to look at the restrictions you set up for yourself and decide if they're all worth keeping or if you can give yourself some flexibility on some of them to reduce the stress you put on yourself. See if all those restrictions really make sense for what you want to get out of them.

 

 

 

 

 

Is all this stress worth it to "get your money's worth"? Do all of these really contribute to getting your money's worth? Maybe you can measure it in a different way and say a game has to provide at least X hours per $ to get your money's worth.

 

 

Stuff changes all the time, whether we want it to or not. It's okay to change your goals or habits if you're not getting out of them what you used to.

 

Is all the stress worth it? Probably not, but it's a compulsion at this point to continue. Most people smoking cigarettes don't want to do it, but they keep doing it anyway. Now, regarding seeking professional help, I'm not sure I'm there yet lol I live a relatively healthy life. I have a decent job, I support a family of 5 by myself, I work out, this is like my one vice I'm not proud of. Let's see if getting some ideas from the forums works first, and if not, I'll check out a therapist ;-)

 

9 hours ago, sepheroithisgod said:

I put a lot of emphasis on completing my games, but due to server closures(Resistance 2), delisted and unreleased DLC, I will never have a 100% profile. However, I keep going because I genuinely enjoy playing the games and collecting all of the trophies. I have also spent a staggering amount of money and time on this profile that I am unwilling to throw away.

 

With that said, there are certainly times where I can definitely admit a trophy has ruined a game for me, but that kinda comes with the territory. You are not going to like every aspect of every game.

 

I can 100% relate to your DLC issues. I have spent 100's of dollars on DLC and in a lot of cases, feel completely cheated by the lack of content they give out for the price tag. That said, you need to look for sales and understand trends.

 

Most season passes do go on sale and patience is key. You also need to keep an eye out for physical GOTY editions. These are a great way to get overpriced DLC for a very cheap price.

 

For example, I decided to finish Skyrim on the PS3 a few years ago, but they still have the nerve to charge $20 for their DLC in 2019, but you can literally find the GOTY edition for under 20 on eBay and it includes both of the DLCs.

 

The best advice I can give is to use other games in the series to determine if there will be DLC trophies. There really is a pattern when you look at them.

 

Based on your profile, I don't think its too late to make a new one with the intention of getting 100% completion, but you should really make sure that's what you really want.

 

Really good tips on how to save some money. I can't say that money is my main problem, I make a decent living and don't buy a metric ton of games, I just hate spending money on stuff I don't want (like dumb DLC). Thanks for the comment!

 

8 hours ago, VigilantCrow said:

Why do you think trophies, achievements etc exist? They're designed to reel in people with addictive personalities and exploit that weakness for sales. It's a well known marketing strategy that's been going on for well over 100 years (think back to collecting trading cards, dolls etc). Most marketing and business universities have entire units solely on this sort of subject matter.


 

Here's some advise from someone who has the same addictive personality type (gave up a 600k gamerscore account for the same reason). Start a fresh account, only play 2-3 games at a time (games you whole heartily enjoy) and focus on playing them to 100%. DLC can be expensive depending on the game but if you're limiting the number of games you play at any time, you'll be saving money.

Don't buy additional games when sales come around, don't get involved in the site's competitive sphere etc. The biggest problem with these gaming addictions is comparing yourself to other people and falling for the "high score phenomenon" (same concept of social media addiction with like and share numbers). Focus on the games and less so on the forums.

 

 

As much as I'm invested into this account like it's my baby, I have seriously thought about it. Maybe a fresh start where from the get go where I don't track trophies would be the best way to handle it. I know that might some dumb to some but I like things to have a process and a place in the world, for everything to make sense. And to me, this makes sense.

 

7 hours ago, redcar200 said:

I use to worry about trophies like a 2nd job until I realized if I were to die today none of that would mean anything. God really helped me with my addiction to gaming and trophies. When u really accept Jesus Christ in your heart, you soon realize that ur time is short n unpredictable that you don't  want to waste it worried about a digital trophy that will mean nothing after you die. I still play games n trophy hunt but don't care about what I play anymore as long as I enjoy it. I even make videos on YouTube were I relate video games to God. Check out my channel on YouTube redcar200. Hopefully this just put a thought in your head n points you toward the right direction. God bless you!

 

I appreciate the comment man! Not sure if this will convert me to believing in God but I can tell you mean well, appreciate it!

 

6 hours ago, me_is_caveman said:

I'm the same way with trophies. (Going for 100% completion including DLC). Except I don't see it as an "addiction" that has to be "fixed". I see it as dedication to a craft, to reap the fruits of my labor, (the trophies). Kind of like going for an Olympic gold medal. While it may be grindy or frustrating during the process, eventually I overcome the problem and accomplish a job well done, the 100%, which brings me satisfaction. ?

 

I didn't always see it the way that I do now, I used to agree with you. I'm just at the point now where chasing trophies I could care less about really bothers me.

 

6 hours ago, VoidVictorious said:

Here is a good article for you: https://turnongaming.com/achievement-whores

 

I actually read that before posting this forum post funny enough. Lot of good points in there, nothing really spoke to my completionist mentality though, it was more about just chasing achievements in general which I don't do.

 

5 hours ago, Gommes_ said:

I kinda get what you are saying. Personally it all changed for me when I played Ni No Kuni 2 which made me question the hobby of going for every single trophy of a game. The reason for it is that Ni No Kuni 2 was plain awful imo. In that moment I decided to make things different so I don't "waste" my time with certain games.

 

The first thing was to create another account where I just randomly play games that interest me but where I don't wanna go for the platinum. Now comes the "new" aspect. Every game where I am unsure if I will even like it (because of a new genre, the length, the difficulty, my ability to beat the game etc.) is being played on a blank account. While playing I can figure out if I wanna go for the platinum or not and in either case I sync it with one of my accounts.

 

RDR2 was the first game where I did that and it worked like a charm. This could help you to tackle the burden of finishing every game, since your "no 1" profile will always be the one with finished games - simply because you decided that. So if you hate a game, don't even sync it at all. Just delete that certain profile and you are good. The only catch is that you can "only" create 100 accounts in total on the PS4. Anyway, maybe that's a solution for you.

 

 

 

Ni No Kuni 2 is one of the games from my nightmares lol I bought it not even really liking JRPG's to begin with, I just wanted to give it a shot, and regret every second of it. Skipped every cut scene, hated the combat, and the DLC... Good GOD the DLC was ALL sooo BORING AND GRINDY. I feel your pain with that game. I keep pushing through it, but damn, I hate it lol. I like the idea of having a second account but I just don't think I can personally do that, I like just having 1. It's like my identity in a weird way, I don't want two of them.

 

5 hours ago, angelbless45 said:

Cant help too much since nowadays I manily focus my time on gaming according to the lenght of a platinum. If it is too long, despite being good (Im looking to you RDR2),  I wont play it. Yeah, I feel dumb at times, but again, trophy hunting has become an enjoyable part of my free time. I dont think it wil llast for ever though,

 

Yeah I don't let that influence my decision, but what I DO let influence is if it's broken or not. NBA2k series for example comes out broken every single year, and that's just too risky for me. I feel like you're really missing out by not playing RDR2 - the story was great! But I could you could just Youtube is all and get the same effect lol

[SnowxSakura]

Put unobtainables on your list and that might break your addiction

[DansomeTV]

3 minutes ago, SnowxSakura said:

Put unobtainables on your list and that might break your addiction

 

Yerp, preordered nba2k20 for that reason lol

[AffectatiousDonk]

If you want some practical strategies I would suggest

 

1. Do some mindfulness training. Preferably with a professional to start but you can also do it through recordings by yourself. It will help you to learn to “ feel “ and “ live “ in the moment. It takes some commitment but it will help with your anxiety if you give it time.

 

2. Be honest with yourself, do you even enjoy gaming anymore or do you simply “enjoy” the structure, checklist and perceived sense of order / achievement it brings to your free time.

 

3. Find another avenue for your gaming, not to diminish it but to supplement it. Look into writing, talking about or creating some form of content around games you will meet a lot of interesting people and you can learn from their experiences. 

 

4. Take a complete 2 week break. Most forms of addiction can be broken in this time. You will be in a clearer headspace to tackle how you want to move forward.

 

5. Never seek advice from other addicts, it will only serve to justify your beliefs which you concede have lead you to this path. Trying to learn from an addict is a very slippery slope.

 

If you did read this far then you might consider that only the tough love approach will work. Whatever you do it is your life, your choice. If you are really looking for a change it will have to come from you. I read your reluctance to seek any professional help at this time but I would really recommend it. It is never a sign of weakness. It is merely a sign that you are ready to take back control. 

 

It is exciting you are standing at a cross roads now you get to decide how it will play out.

 

Gaming is Fun, Life is Good, both can mutually coexist. 

 

Goodluck

 

 

 

 

[DansomeTV]

4 minutes ago, AffectatiousDonk said:

If you want some practical strategies I would suggest

 

1. Do some mindfulness training. Preferably with a professional to start but you can also do it through recordings by yourself. It will help you to learn to “ feel “ and “ live “ in the moment. It takes some commitment but it will help with your anxiety if you give it time.

 

2. Be honest with yourself, do you even enjoy gaming anymore or do you simply “enjoy” the structure, checklist and perceived sense of order / achievement it brings to your free time.

 

3. Find another avenue for your gaming, not to diminish it but to supplement it. Look into writing, talking about or creating some form of content around games you will meet a lot of interesting people and you can learn from their experiences. 

 

4. Take a complete 2 week break. Most forms of addiction can be broken in this time. You will be in a clearer headspace to tackle how you want to move forward.

 

5. Never seek advice from other addicts, it will only serve to justify your beliefs which you concede have lead you to this path. Trying to learn from an addict is a very slippery slope.

 

If you did read this far then you might consider that only the tough love approach will work. Whatever you do it is your life, your choice. If you are really looking for a change it will have to come from you. I read your reluctance to seek any professional help at this time but I would really recommend it. It is never a sign of weakness. It is merely a sign that you are ready to take back control. 

 

It is exciting you are standing at a cross roads now you get to decide how it will play out.

 

Gaming is Fun, Life is Good, both can mutually coexist. 

 

Goodluck

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the thoughtful response.

 

I think part of the problem is I'm a completionist with things in life in general. If I get into a fight with someone, I can't just give it time to cool down, I have to try and fix it and it usually makes it worse. With my job I always have to be the best and be chasing some type of goal, I'm never happy with just what I got.

 

I think some of your suggestions will help. I have to figure out what is right for ME, but it has certainly given me something to think about. I always have thought about what I could do more with my gaming. 

 

You blew my expectations away man, thanks a lot!

[Upendo_Vitani]

I used to be super addicted to trophies, and to this day they do have a big influence not so much on what I play, but when I play games. What helps for me though is having a busier real life. I find I'm often away from my consoles for many days at a time, and it's getting to the point where I just want to play a game and dgaf about the trophies. I do care about finishing games, however, so once I do pick a game I tend to not want to start a new one until I get somewhere in it unless I don't really like it.

[SinnTrophyHunter]

HI mate i couldnt help but read this post and i relate to it in a few ways like most people here

example: take a look at this poor soul https://psnprofiles.com/Perfect_Sinn

dont get me wrong it was very fun to do once it got going but like so many others have said here, its to stressful and takes a lot of work and research, i needed to get away from it and by doing so i made SinnTrophyHunter profile which is built for a few reasons or goals if you wish,

1) no need to worry or do reaserch lol

2) its built for PSN points so even a broken game can help or the games with servers closed so long as it has trophies lol im not to fussed

3) have fun and dont care about 100% anymore

 

i also have a family although the kids are now in there early 20's lol but i do still have responsibilities and a full time job to but i try to play as much as i can as its a release and cool down from work and most of all its my hobby

any questions please feel free to PM me here or on PSN PSN ID: SinnTrophyHunter

 

good luck mate 

 

[Baka_Marimo]

19 hours ago, Emina said:

I wish I could offer some constructive feedback as to how to shake this habit but unfortunately I’m in the same pickle and don’t know how to shake it! I strive to have 100% including DLC regardless of price.

 

The bigger issue for me is that I cannot start another game unless I complete the one before. This literally prevents me from enjoying other games and I can feel myself being worn down pushing for completion. It’s exhausting and I just want to move on already but I can’t, it’s like a nagging beast! I can’t even look at my 1% games because ugh!! ?

 

Sometimes I wonder why it is that I put myself through this, trophy hunting doesn’t personally give back anything in return except maybe a few comments of praise on a rare occasion. As I’ve said before, I must enjoy torturing myself. There is not another reasonable answer.

 

 Best of luck to you and yours ?

 

This truly speaks from my heart. Couldn't have put it better myself. I even do it at work, spending way too much time on stuff to have it in perfect order (when nobody really cares about it). I could leave like 30 minutes early if I did things like everybody else but no, something keeps bugging me on the inside unless I've taken care of every last thing there is. OCD is a nasty disorder ?

[DansomeTV]

2 hours ago, Baka_Marimo said:

 

This truly speaks from my heart. Couldn't have put it better myself. I even do it at work, spending way too much time on stuff to have it in perfect order (when nobody really cares about it). I could leave like 30 minutes early if I did things like everybody else but no, something keeps bugging me on the inside unless I've taken care of every last thing there is. OCD is a nasty disorder 

 

Yeeah I'm not sure I'd classify myself as OCD but it sure feels like it sometimes.

 

Good luck to you!

 

I would like to say as well, for anyone interested, I have decided to turn off trophy notifications for a few days to see if that helps. Maybe if I'm not exposing myself to it then it will nag at me a little bit less, who knows.

Edited July 24, 2019 by dansomekid

[ZenRhino]

The best advice I read here was to not seek advice from other addicts....

 

So here is my advice  :

 

I had exactly the same problem as you and had 400k+ Gamerscore at 100%...proper games as well.

 

Virtually the whole of 2018, I was very unhappy when gaming. It was stupid really, but gaming had become a second job. 

 

I tried everything listed above, none of which worked for me until I had a moment of clarity.

 

I realised I had two choices if I wanted to be a happy human again: either give up being a completionist OR give up be a gamer!

 

I didn't want give up being a gamer...I used to love games ffs! So i gave up being a completionist.

 

Thinking about it in those binary terms worked a treat for me. I have even spent some time playing on the Switch and the Xbox this year without a care in the world...enjoyed some great games too. I still trophy hunt (going for Bloodstained right now), but I will never again 100% a game I don't enjoy.

 

I expect my completion percentage will still be fairly high anyway, probably 80%- ish.

 

If you go this route, I would honestly suggest starting a new profile. It may seem drastic, but you'll always be looking back otherwise.

 

I also started a game I know I will never 100% - DMC5. I am a bit rubbish at these games, so I will never have the skill to beat it. Having a game like that on your profile really helps cement the idea that your profile will never be at 100% and you will let go.

 

Try it for a month, it can't do any harm.

 

Whatever you do, please don't keep suffering like I did for ages, your time is so precious, so enjoy it brother!

 

 

Edited July 24, 2019 by ZenRhino

[Mina]

2 hours ago, Baka_Marimo said:

 

This truly speaks from my heart. Couldn't have put it better myself. I even do it at work, spending way too much time on stuff to have it in perfect order (when nobody really cares about it). I could leave like 30 minutes early if I did things like everybody else but no, something keeps bugging me on the inside unless I've taken care of every last thing there is. OCD is a nasty disorder 

 

I do the same thing at work, I am usually the last to leave. By the end of a few months I’d have so much overtime banked that I’d be forced to go on a holiday for a week. I mistreat myself at work the same way I do when I hunt trophies it seems lol. 

[Baka_Marimo]

5 hours ago, Emina said:

By the end of a few months I’d have so much overtime banked that I’d be forced to go on a holiday for a week.

 

I don't know about you but nobody would have to force me to go on a holiday you know?  No but seriously, isn't that banking hours thing an issue for your employer? Because it certainly was for mine and I remember getting scolded for it every now and then. Now that I'm self-employed nobody bothers me (although I kinda wish someone would lol) but since I work in the evening I'm on my own for the most time regardless.

 

Anyway, getting back to the issue at hand I think Nintendo is a great place to turn to since they haven't got a trophy/achievement system in place yet. I used to be a Nintendo kid during the 90s and early 2000s and still love the classic 2D Mario games. I'm amazed by how enjoyable they still are and how much fun it is to go for 100% completion without the need to throw out virtual bling as an incentive. I still miss the old times when I didn't care about trophies. I got my PS3 back in 2008 and the first Platinum I attempted was Uncharted 1. I was a mere casual back then and found some of the trophy requirements so daunting that I pretty much gave up immediately. And since I assumed that every Platinum would be that hard (my, how times change ) I didn't give trophies another thought. It wasn't until 3 years later when I got my first Platinum that things changed and trophies slowly became my drug. The problem we have is that we prioritize trophies over anything else when their original purpose has always been to act as a mere supplement, an additional challenge if you haven't gotten enough of a game. We have lost sight of what really matters when playing games. Remember why you started playing games in the first place. Was it for rewards? Was it to beat others? Was it to complete every single thing a game has to offer? Hell no. Video games are meant to be just one thing: Fun. That is what everybody needs to remind themselves from time to time. If a game isn't fun, stop playing it. Get rid of your trophy obsession and you'll have a much better time rightaway. Easier said than done, I know. After all, I can't even do it myself ?

Edited July 24, 2019 by Baka_Marimo

[AlchemistWer]

The impression I have after read your trophy problem is that you love more trophies than games, it does not mean something wrong, I think a lot of people think 2 times before buy or play a game while judge the trophy list, trophy guide or sometimes, the rarity of the platinum. You also have a premise " buy games I WANT and get my money's worth" I think everybody don't want spent money in something that never play or use like cloth, shoes, furniture or whatever, but what is exaclty worth? think about it, the money and even something more precious than money, the TIME you invest in videogame could be use for example to learn another language. 

 

[Mori]

You seem to me more like a perfectionist with a desire to be likeable by many. Especially after the bit with fixing arguements instantly and wanting to be the best at work.

 

The urge to perfectionism is always an indication of insecurity. I think in every post you have made in this thread so far, at some point you run yourself down, "It's a vicious loop and I'm sure it sounds psychotic but this shit stresses me out lol", "Yeah I was an idiot and didn't think about the DLC component when I originally started.", "I like the idea of ownership as nutty as that sounds", "Us trophy hunters are actually insane lol or maybe it's just me", "I know that might some dumb to some but I like things to have a process and a place in the world, for everything to make sense".

 

I think you should ask yourself, why is it so important to you, what others think of you? That could also lead to an answer and solution why you have the need for a 100% completion profile.

 

Other than that, I think Ulven, Daiv and Affectatious gave you the best advices so far.

 

[thefourfoldroot]

Just change the target away from 100% and to platinums. Consider DLC a separate game (because as far as trophies go they are separate) then only buy it if it meets criteria 1 of loving the game.

[Ayden-Bonnette]

I teared up a bit while reading this because I connected with it so deeply, I think my issue now isn't that I'm solely focused on 100% anymore after so many accounts and name changes, even though I spend a lot of time hunting trophies, this hurts particularly because I know that I'm beyond burnt out on gaming but it's the only thing i can do in my free time to feed an addiction that keeps growing but also it's the escape I have to real life right now and it's the one thing that distracts me from killing myself, I don't know if talking about this is allowed, I grew getting physically and emotionally abused every day until I turned 18 and would only have video games to distract myself that life was a living nightmare and its continued because i dint have another coping mechanism. I failed growing up to learn social skills so I haven't had many friends and don't now, and am being pushed to go through college due to major depression and no motivation for a degree I don't want but will benefit me for making more than minimum wage I guess, I know my problem is that I have a lot of abuse and trauma that I need to work through for major depression and anxiety to learn how to live in the real world and just be me but I don't have any money because of school and I'm terrified of change due to all this trauma and not having any good role models, I don't want this come off as pity me post or a I need help I'm suicidal thing, I just wanted to let you know I appreciated reading that other people get addicted to this stuff because I thought I was so stupid being 21 years old and my weekends were heating myself for playing a game I hated because I'm too depressed and scared of everything to go do normal college kid stuff, I think this post is a hit shot because it's way to emotion filled and sad triggering for a normal response and I'm probably gonna be getting some messages to go seek therapy or check myself into a hospital and take a break from school even though I can't afford either. I don't know how to end this or say something positive at the end due to lack of social skills, but I just wanted to say that I remember reading posts from you a couple years ago when the division first came out and you seemed like a cool dude then, so just remember that while people on here can sometimes be rude, or we may not have the best advice to give as it seems many people are struggling with this, it seems like this thread has a lot of caring people and somebody is going to have some tips and if anything it was really terrifying and mind releasing to talk about this for me at least, so I thank you nonetheless for making this, I think I might also go awkwardly never touch my account again