Achievements and Trophies Why We Want Them
Today’s video games are defined by achievements, accomplishments, and more. Whether it is achievements points like are dolled out on the Xbox One, or trophies on the PlayStation 4, people want to be rewarded for their accomplishments in games. While some companies – namely Nintendo – haven’t jumped onto this bandwagon yet, others have, including Google and Apple, through their mobile gaming platforms. People want to feel like they are accomplishing something, and most games today give them that satisfaction. So, why not an online casino, right?
The process of collecting achievements, trophies, etc. in games is pretty odd. Virtual pats on the back for things may be a few dozen people will ultimately see. But for most gamers, it is a lot more than that. Right now in Canada, a brand new video game release will cost you roughly 79.99 plus the associated provincial tax. In Ontario, that drives the price of games up to about $90.00. To be fair, the size of games now a days probably justifies the price, but gamers are always looking for something more.
For many, trophies and achievements are a way to track their progress in a game. Many feel that they haven’t really finished a game until they’ve bagged all the achievements or trophies. If that means grinding to kill 1000 enemies with a certain weapon, you better believe they are going to do their best to accomplish that task! Deep down, it’s an internal desire in all of us to squeeze every last drop of game play out of the titles we are buying. For such a huge investment, we all want to see some type of reward. Despite the fact that, in general, these achievements mean absolutely nothing to our own quality of life, they still hold a special place in our hearts.
We all wear them as a badge of honour. We want everyone to know what accomplishments we have earned over the year. So now, I revert back to the online casino environment. Your traditional gamers who clamour for achievements and trophies probably aren’t the ones playing on these websites, but yet, badges exist there too. It’s because personal accolades and pride isn’t only for those playing console video games. Everyone in life wants something when they spend money, even if it ultimately is a meaningless achievement, trophy, or badge.
Achievements, trophies, and badges are not going anywhere, anytime soon. People love to earn them, people love to show them off, and people like to use them to compare themselves to others. It is our competitive mindset that pushes us to find every collectable, pull 10,000 cranks on a slot machine, or whatever. We also want to know that, for the moeny we are spending, we are getting something besides the game we are playing. Everyone, regardless of whether they care about these achievements or not, likes to get them. Why? It validates their purchase, the money they’ve spent and the time they have invested. Is it silly? For sure, but gaming companies know how to get inside the heads of the consumers buying their products, and frankly, it is brilliant!
Do you love collecting achievements, trophies, an badges? Are you more likely to play an online casino that rewards you just for pulling cranks and flipping cards, regardless of whether or not you win money? Many people would be more likely, and these companies know it. It’s a brilliant marketing strategy that digs into the inner core of all gamers, and touches something that begins to make us click. Hats of to these companies, who provide that extra experience at no additional cost.