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Fredrik Thailander, who previously worked on the achievement system for Mirror's Edge, believes that achievements and trophies have made video games worse.
Achievement systems in video games have long been a subject of controversy. While some players see them as an integral part of the gaming experience, others view them as an artificial way to extend the game. In addition, players often are not really rewarded for earning those achievements.
The lead gameplay designer at Ubisoft Massive Fredrik Thailander, who previously worked on the achievement system for Mirror's Edge, has recently taken to Twitter to share his opinion on the matter.
The game designer said that he believes that achievements "have been bad for gaming" as, according to him, an achievement system "narrows games down" as well as "disrupts and diverts attention." Thailander stressed that he is speaking not only as a player but also as a developer noting that working on reward systems "eats resources that could have made the game better."
"I just think games should have the reward mechanisms most suited for them, and the one-size-fits-all mandate from platform holders to make reward systems that benefit the platform makes games worse," he added.
Many, however, disagreed with Thailander noting that getting trophies and achievement can be "a great meta game in addition to the base game" or that such systems encourage players to do multiple playthroughs.
What's your take on achievements in games? Do they make your gaming experience more enjoyable, or do you believe that it is a useless thing that is also not quite rewarding?
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