Achieving Entertainment

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.

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.