Poll: Is it wrong to buy a game for the achievements?

[Daedalus1942]

I've never been hugely bothered by my gamerscore until recently. I've only ever gained all 1000 points on one game (Lost: Via Domus), and even then I only did so because it was difficult not to. Seriously, the game just throws them at you like a paedophile dispensing candy in a playground. However, the other day I reached 9990G and found myself with a burning desire to pass the 10K mark, so I stuck in an older game and cleaned up a few achievements I'd never bothered with. Since then I've found myself actively chasing achievements where once I would have left them alone.

The poll title may be slightly misleading; I don't mean I'm going to start playing games aimed at kids or notoriously easy games just for the achievements. What got started me onto this line of thinking was the original Godfather game. I saw it pre-owned in a shop recently, and back in the day I had it for my PS2 and actually played through the whole thing three times. From a quick glance at an achievement guide I can tell I've already earned most of them (albeit on a different console).

However, I don't want to think of myself as a guy who'd buy a game just for gamescore. I've played the game through three times already, and while it is immensely fun, this time I'd know I was only doing it to earn points, and that makes me feel slightly dirty.

Thoughts, opinions, mad frothing-at-the-mouth rambling? All are welcome.

I think you're not a gamerscore whore and you're like me.
You enjoyed a game so much, that you actually felt like getting all the achievements for it (for instance in my case, I love the new Prince of Persia and Assassin's Creed II so much, that I platinum trophied (i'm a Ps3 owner) them both and I'm currently in the middle of trying to platinum inFamous, but not because I'm a score whore. I just enjoyed those three games so immensely, I want to finish them 100% (in the most final sense that screams "I loved this game!")

 

[Mr.Black]

I have a guy who comes into work (I work at EB games) and buys CSI games just for the achievements haha. Yeah his gamerscore is over 20k he said.

 

[A.A.K]

i never bother with gamerscore. i never care. i have like 13 games on my 360. but only 2765 gamerscore. like for example, i have 6 characters in Saints Row 2 ( over the course of 4 months ), all with different personalities, but i cheat like hell just to mess around and cause mayhem. Otherwise i should have approximately 900+ more gamerscore. Unreal Tournament 3, never bothered getting the achievements, so long as S/HE DIES and theres blood everywhere, i dont care. =]

 

[Spiner909]

Depends on the price.

 

[Davey Woo]

I think buying a game for the achievements is wrong.
I think buying a game because you like it, and trying to get all the achievements is OK.
My friend bought Avatar, which has 5 achievements worth in the region of 200g each. I never forgive him for that.

 

[silasbufu]

As it says in the 1st option..Yes, you litte whores

 

[brumby]

You need turn tail to avoid the hellshakers, the only other creature on the island. This method will net you shit loads of sp and xp. By the time you're done they'll all be up to level 49 and have most of their skills. Cheap yes, but saves hours of level grinding later on.

Interesting. I did do the Kelolon statue game, so probably got gamble, but I don't recall ever using it. Trying to kill the silver kelolons with normal attacks is a big annoying pile of wank, though. I assumed they'd be worth a ton of XP given how often they ran away

Not wrong, but would you really pay for a game just to get the achievements? You're not buying it because you enjoy it. You're just buying it to bolster some number.
Your poll really should have another option. Those of us who say "no" don't have to be achievement hunters.

Well, I'd hardly be paying full price. In fact I'd probably be renting the game, but if for some reason the company I rent from wouldn't let me, I'd be buying it pre-owned. Also, buying it for the achievements doesn't mean I won't enjoy playing it, just that I have a main motive other than finishing the game. I'm sure it'll still be fun this time around, but I still feel a little weird about my primary reason for purchasing/renting it again being to gain gamerscore. A few months ago, I'd have been perplexed by anyone making such a decision.

I don't know why but I really like getting achievements, although I wouldn't buy a really easy game for them. I will borrow things like Lego:Batman from my friends though, just because it's so chillaxed.

I tried Lego: Star Wars Complete Saga the other day, because I'd heard it was a fun, relaxed game. I hadn't heard that it was dull as hell, and reluctant to give me any hints. There were hundreds of things to collect like studs, minikits, orange blocks, gold blocks, but the game itself didn't tell me about them. It didn't even tell me what I'd get for collecting them. I just ran about picking up everything I could see, and then at the end of a level it would add them up and put them into my score for the level. A tutorial or something would have been nice, or some kind of incentive to keep picking up this crap...

Im gonna keep it simple here.

Play games for fun and enjoyment. If getting achievements gives you that, then go ahead. A lot of games are so easy these days trying to get 1000 is the only challenge, so i don't look down upon you.

Well, thanks for that. You seem to be in the minority though, judging by the poll results ;-)

actually i said i voted for i don't care for achievements, because they don't give me any sense of well... achievement! although admittedly i did take the gnome to the rocket ship in HL2 Ep2 but I really had fun doing it and i did it for the challenge, not to increase my epenis. And did I buy the game for the achievements? God no! but i liked that they were implemented.

 

[The Warden]

Who knows, you might buy a game for achievements and find so much more good in it.

 

[Sixties Spidey]

Achievements are just a number anyway. I found it a hell of a lot more when I was unlocking Halo 3 Achievements online without aiming to do it.