If there were 12 step programs available for gamerscore-aholics, I would have to go to meetings every week and drink terrible coffee, all so I could listen to people talk about trading in Bioshock to get their hands on Avatar: The Last Airbender. It is a horrible, consuming addiction. I find myself playing games on systems other than the 360 and in the back of my mind I keep thinking, “I could be getting Achievements!” This even happens when I am playing games that I really enjoy. “Man, this Shadow of the Colossus is amazing, but I could go play Cars: Mater-National and pick up some achievements.” I know that I have a horrible addiction.

I love Achievements. I love the little bloop blip sound that pops up every time you get a new one. I love checking to make sure that I have more points than my friends. I just love Achievements.

For those of you that don’t know, Achievements are part of every Xbox 360 game. You get Achievements for fulfilling certain tasks in the game. For some games, that can mean beating a level, winning a race, or taking a Garden Gnome to a rocket at the end of the game. Each one is worth a set point value. Each retail release has 1000 points for the main game and up to 250 extra points for DLC. Every Xbox Live Arcade release has 200 points.

I don’t think Microsoft even really understood the primal power of the Achievement. There is something so gratifying about having that little badge that says, “Yes, I beat Mirror’s Edge without shooting anyone,” or, “I beat Call of Duty: World at War on Veteran,” or, “I came in first in all the races in Radiator Springs.” They are perfect as proof of your prowess. I remember when Halo 2 came out. It seemed like everyone claimed to have beaten the game on Legendary. With Halo 3, far fewer people seemed to make the claim, partly because you could go check their profile and see if they had the Achievement.

The other cool thing about Achievements is that it pushes you to try new things, to play the games in ways that you normally wouldn’t. I would never try to get through Veteran difficulty on COD: World at War. The game is completely unfair, the enemies spam grenades and can shoot you through a hole thinner than most bullets. The game is a brutal, controller breaking affair that I would never even think to try if not for Achievements. However, the fact that everyone can see what difficulty I beat it on is a powerful motivator (so are the sweet points you get for beating the game on Veteran).

When I am presented with the option of playing a game on the PS3 or the Xbox 360, I will go Xbox 360 98% of the time. It is a little bit pathetic, but given the option of Achievements or Trophies, I go Achievements every time. Part of the reason is that Microsoft came out of the starting blocks with Achievements already a part of the 360 experience. They even went so far as to make them mandatory.  Sony took a little while before they came out with their trophy program and even then not every game supported Trophies. Some games never received Trophy support while others released patches well after their release. Patched games did not take into account the stuff you had already accomplished. This eventually led to me having to replay games I had already beaten so I could get the Trophies I had already earned. Needless to say, Trophies haven’t caught on for me in the same way Achievements have.

I have even managed to get into a couple of Achievement wars with various people. Either they get ahead of me in score and I need to catch up or they begin nipping at my heels and I have to scramble to stay ahead. I am way too competitive and I can’t stand to lose to anyone. These little mini battles are part of the reason that I have played so many terrible games. If I heard that game X had really easy points, then I would play it just to win the battle. Is it an unfair tactic? Probably. But it is extremely effective and has actually gotten me to play some games I never would have tried.

I am currently sitting at about 36,250. I know there are some people out there with way higher scores, but I am married, I work full time, I write for WingDamage, and I have been working on getting my B.A. I have to plan around my schedule in order to get achievements and if that means staying up until four in the morning shooting terrorists with DJ Whoo Kid, then that is what I have to do. I have been better lately. I try not to look at the Achievements before I start up a new game and I haven’t played a children’s game in months. I swear.

I know that in the long run, my points are meaningless. They don’t really get me anything. I can’t turn them in for cash prizes or free games, but I can turn to Masterlookas and tell him I am 5,000 points ahead of him. Doesn’t that mean something?

Tags: Achievements, addiction, Avatar: The Last Airbender, bioshock, Call of Duty: World at War, Cars: Mater-National, gamerscore, Garden Gnome, Halo 3, microsoft, Mirror's Edge, Shadow of the Colossus, Trophies, Xbox 360

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