Achievements
have become a very major part of the gaming experience. That is an undisputed fact
that began with Xbox Live and the Xbox 360. Players enjoyed having a visual
representation of things they had done in their games, and having a way to gauge
it against their friends. It was a brilliant move by Xbox, and it has spread
throughout the gaming industry as a whole. Could it be possible though, that
this trend is getting a little bit out of hand, and propelling itself to areas
that are essentially unneeded?
Very
recently, Microsoft has said that they will be implementing achievements for
other forms of media on the Xbox One. This was specifically outlined by the
example of users being able to earn achievements through watching shows and
movies on Amazon’s video streaming service, as well as through Xbox Video. For
example, if a player were to watch ten titles on Xbox One by the end of 2013?
Achievement.
It should be
noted of course, that achievements earned through movies and shows will not
affect a player’s score. The only method of increasing gamer score will still solely
rely on playing video games, as it should. At the same time, I can’t help but
think this is taking the achievement a little bit too far.
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| Get rewards for being a couch potato! |
I can
understand the visual representation for video games. You actually do something
in games. You guide your experience and ultimately rely on your own skills. But
what sort of skill, and what exactly can you achieve while watching a movie? Do
you even need a pat on the back for sitting down and watching ten movies?
A person
shouldn’t need to get a clap just for watching a movie. As far as I can tell,
no one has ever really wanted one. It’s an unnecessary and an absolute waste of
resources. Since movies came in to existence, we’ve watched them simply because
we enjoyed them, and the hour and a half of entertainment is often reward
enough for spending or money. While sitting down and watching the Avengers, I
didn’t think the experience would be enhanced in any way if a little blip
popped up congratulating me for finishing the movie. Nor did I feel like I
deserved some sort of recognition for sitting down and having a Lord of the
Rings marathon. Sure, they are long, but I didn’t really do anything but sit on
my couch.
Now, I know
this isn’t the first time we have seen achievements spill out of the gaming
world. This trend is reaching phenomenal proportions, and for some reason, tech
developers all over the world believe that the consumers just can’t get enough
of them. Kobo e-readers have the ability to reward players for the simple act
of reading a book. Reading has been around even longer than movies, this is a
no-brainers. No one has ever needed this proverbial pat on the back for sitting
down and enriching one’s mind through the written word.
Like I had
previously said, I think that achievements in games work. I’ll admit that I’ve
never really seen the point by them, but I can at least see where the fit in to
the picture as a whole. Gaming has an inherent and very prevalent competitive
aspect to it. You want to look at what your buddies have done compared to you.
You want to see who has had the most success and this deserves the bragging
rights that go along with accomplishing those goals.
This doesn’t
really fit in with other types of entertainment media. No one competes while
watching movies. Movies are something you do strictly to be entertained. Does
Microsoft believe there is actually a group of people who want this type of experience?
How many hipsters are really in the market for a new video game console?
Perhaps this
plays in to the ideology of the Xbox One. Microsoft wants the One to be the
centre of your living room. Your single go to machine for all of your
entertainment needs. Games, music, movies, television. I can see why they would
want to beef up the experience in every way possible. Otherwise, people are
likely to continue just watching TV from their DVR’s and through other methods
that are not the One. They need to set the entertainment experience you get on
the One apart from everything else. I just don’t think they are going about it
the right way.
Microsoft
would be better off providing ways to extend the experience. Film and TV buffs
love getting secondary content. Commentary tracks are a valued item to have on
DVD and Blueray packages, and become the reason to actually purchase the discs
as they are released. Plenty of people enjoy peeling back the curtain and
getting a glimpse behind the scenes. Others enjoy watching gag reels and
outtakes and missing scenes. This is the sort of experience Microsoft should
strive for. We don’t need achievements for movies. Gamers love their games, but
we are not defined by that simple word. And if someone enjoys watching movies,
they don’t need an incentive to do the simple task of being entertained.
