There’s something strange going on. Not exactly wrong, but just… different. I feel different when I’m gaming: more competitive and yet somehow more vulnerable. I need a sense of completion and reward, a thank you and “job well done”. I need trophies. *stands up* My name is Ed and I am a trophyholic.

Trophies are not a new concept. We all know another console which has had it’s own version of them for ages. Not owning that particular device I never really gave much thought to a task-related reward system. Tut tut I thought, why are these silly people straining to perform some ludicrious act of gaming perseverance, simply to tick it off the list? Oh what a fool I’ve been.

Since the firmware update hit the shores of the PS3 the number of titles either shipping with trophies or being patched has steadily grown. I currently have about six of them. I was initially a little dismissive of what the update brought, but now I love checking out my PS3 card and comparing it with friends’. There’s two things going on here: the need to complete; and the need to be rewarded for doing well. Everybody loves a little basic psychology, right?

Ask any PS3 fan and they’ll tell you that Uncharted is a great game. It is: no question. Yet would I have played it through multiple times without the chance to get that platinum trophy which now adorns my virtual mantlepiece? I doubt it very much. Yes, some games (Uncharted included) had internal reward points but you couldn’t share and compare. Where’s the bragging fun it that?

Thankfully I know I have my limits in terms of addiction. I won’t buy everything just to increase my total – I have my principles! Still, if I buy a game because I want to play it, the trophies will probably get a hammering too. Ask a mountaineer why he climbs the mountain: “because it’s there”. So then, trophies are my Everest. I yearn to reach the summit and get the 100% progress bar beside each game. Will I achieve my goal? Probably not. Am I enjoying trying? Good lord yes!

Filed under: Trophies