Rewards for Achievements. . . finally!

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Achievements have become the new staple to gaming. They have reshaped they way we play games, and even every day tasks. A little blip, some text, and a small square image gives us a feeling of satisfaction, and something to gloat about! Achievements can be surmised as a digital trophy to show off your skills. But why? Why do we bother with maxing our gamerscore, or unlocking the platinum trophy? Why do we play a game for days, or weeks, on end performing the same mundane tasks day in and day out only to get that one little blip? Maybe it’s for bragging rights. Maybe to show ourselves what we’re capable of in the digital realm. Who really knows? The one thing we do know is that we didn’t expect an actual reward for our achievements.

I remember when I first heard about gamerscore and MicroSoft Points on Xbox 360. I didn’t own the console, so I assumed both point systems were the same. I thought you could play games, earn points, and use those points to purchase DLC and other items. It was the coolest aspect of this console generation, and the only redeeming quality I saw in the Xbox 360. When it was explained to me that this wasn’t the case I questioned the necessity of achievements and gamerscore. The only answer I ever heard was “It’s so awesome!” But it appeared as if no one knew why. When Sony introduced trophies I fell into the mentality of “I NEED MORE TROPHIES!” Only recently coming to the realization that these rewards are anything but. When I realized there was no real reward for completing my trophy list I stopped caring about the platinum and started to just enjoy the game. Looks like Microsoft and Sony don’t like that mentality. . .

Sony ran a promotion about 2 years ago called PlayStation Rewards. Based on your trophy level you’d qualify for prizes. It was interesting, but the rewards were dumb items like avatars, backgrounds, and a T-Shirt. PlayStation Rewards also had some silly quirks like resetting your status every quarter, but overall it was a welcomed move toward rewarding you for spending your time on their console. Ultimately the rewards program was canceled, and those involved received another T-Shirt. Fast forward to today and we get the news that Microsoft is introducing a rewards program tied to their achievements and gamerscores.

MyAchievements rewards X-Box Live Gold account holders with small incentives to play more games. Here’s the breakdown:

Let’s face it, the rewards are lame at best. We all know the “Special Gift during your birth month” is going to be an avatar item, and 1-2% as a rebate is really low. What’s worse is you’re going to get it as XBL points, and not money. But the true reality is, this is awesome! While the rewards may not be amazing, they’re still reward, and it’s something for free that you weren’t receiving before. The rebates are low, but eventually you’ll be able to use those points on another game, and it’ll essentially be for free.

With Sony trying to push for digital downloads by offering a discount for digital preorders(after a $50 PS+ membership), and Nintendo rumored to have a premium account that rewards purchases with a 10% credit per purchase(after a $50 upfront buy in), it only seems natural that Microsoft would follow in suit with their own form of rewards program. Just remember you still have to pay for that yearly Gold membership to enjoy the benefits.

What do you think of the rewards programs offered by the Big 3? Let us know in the comments below!

Eric is not a boss. You can Email Eric or follow Eric on Twitter @EricSweeten or Facebook

2 responses to “Rewards for Achievements. . . finally!”

1. Hunter says:

   October 1, 2012 at 4:27 pm

   I’ve got a 360 myself and for me I really don’t care for the achievements, it’s honestly just a pissing contest. The only time I’ll actually go for them is if it adds to the game or it’s something funny. For example, there was a cheevo in Gears of War 1 which was “My Love for You Is Like a Truck”:Defeat a Berserker on Hardcore Difficulty. I really wanted that one for obvious reasons, it didn’t add anything extra to the game I just thought it was funny as hell that those guys gave a nod to Clerks.

   As for what Xbox will be offering right out of the gate, it’s better then nothing and paying for live isn’t that big of a deal since I can get it cheap(er) at work. Who knows what will happen if this takes off amd I do like free shit. My gamer score is already at the Legend level with it at 30930.

2. Hunter says:

   October 1, 2012 at 4:27 pm

   I’ve got a 360 myself and for me I really don’t care for the achievements, it’s honestly just a pissing contest. The only time I’ll actually go for them is if it adds to the game or it’s something funny. For example, there was a cheevo in Gears of War 1 which was “My Love for You Is Like a Truck”:Defeat a Berserker on Hardcore Difficulty. I really wanted that one for obvious reasons, it didn’t add anything extra to the game I just thought it was funny as hell that those guys gave a nod to Clerks.

   As for what Xbox will be offering right out of the gate, it’s better then nothing and paying for live isn’t that big of a deal since I can get it cheap(er) at work. Who knows what will happen if this takes off amd I do like free shit. My gamer score is already at the Legend level with it at 30930.