I have to admit that for a long time I found achievement
systems pointless. To me the true achievement was beating the game, and the
thought of playing the game repeatedly for the equivalent of a self-congratulatory
pat on the back seemed tiresome. But I’ve done what many people (regrettably) might
consider impossible: I changed my view. After returning to two of my favorite
games, Civilization 6 and Starcraft 2, I noticed how the achievement system helped me have
fun. And I learned it wasn’t simply about unlocking an icon in my Steam or
Blizzard account, either.
I tend to fall into comfort zones as a player—both with the
selection of games I play as well as my style of play. Once I got serious about
game design, I realized I’d need to stretch myself a little or risk missing out
on everything gaming has to offer. Still, even with new games I know that I
zero in on one gameplay style and stick with it until it fails. That’s where
achievements come in. Setting achievements can convince players to interact
with the game in a new way, baiting them out of their comfort zone.
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| Some of my completed Steam achievements for Civ 6 |
Civ 6 offers around 150 achievements. Most of them are
simple: winning a game with each distinct civilization, trying different paths
to victory, and even playing on bigger or smaller maps. Some are more complex.
One of my favorite Civ games ever involved a conscious effort to complete the “Loire
Valley” achievement. Based off of the historically significant and vineyard-soaked
valley of central France with the same name, the achievement challenges you to
build five special chateaux buildings, unique to the French civilization, in a
city that produces wine. I remember feeling remarkable pride in that game—not necessarily because
of the achievement itself, but because of how beautiful the city looked. It
felt just like the type of culturally-significant city that tourists would want
to visit.
Starcraft's campaign bakes its achievements into the
game itself, rather than abstracting the achievements into a space outside the
game. After each completed mission, you can see if you completed any or all of
three achievements. (You can find out the achievements before the end of the
mission, but it takes a little bit of extra work.) Some achievements are easy
to accidentally complete, but most require you to approach the mission in a
completely different way. Additionally, one of the three achievements must also
be completed in hard mode which provides a subtle push to try the game at a
higher difficulty level.
I certainly haven’t become obsessive about “100-percenting”
achievements. I doubt I ever will. But I do love how different achievement
systems have encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and try parts of the
game I would normally pass right by. I think carefully considered achievements help
game designers to nudge players toward unique gameplay styles they’d otherwise disregard,
and I’m excited to mull over achievement options for Alkanaur as we get closer
to release.
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