She's Got Game

Why do some of us love the delicious plinking sound of 'Achievement Unlocked'? What is it about that magical sound that drives us to collect unending numbers of skulls, lunchboxes or small children all in the name of conquering cleverly named quests while threatened with the prospect of dying badly in the process?



I started contemplating my addiction to achievement hunting after dying for the 16th time trying to defend a certain Gnome Chompski in L4D2.

"Why oh why," i asked myself while whacking zombies in their pasty faces and nether regions with the aforementioned gnome, "am i doing this again??"


"I'll tell you why!" Screamed Sgt. Achievement, the voice in my head that tirelessly pushes me on into the early morning hours in hot pursuit of even the most paltry 5 point achievement,
"Because that gamerscore of yours needs some muscle! Now drop and gimme 20 achievement points! MOVE! MOOOVE!!" Did I stand up for myself, defend my gamerscore (which is not tiny by the way, although compared to some of my friends' scores I have sometimes experienced feelings of inadequacy), and throw the Gnome at Sgt. Achievement's boots like a brightly-colored gauntlet? Hell no. I clutched that little gnome tighter, put my head down and ran for escape to the chopper like my hair was on fire.

*PLINK*!!!

And there it was. Forgotten were the hoards of zombies, the personal death streak in the teens, gone were the hours trying, just trying to get the apple of my eye: The beautiful Achievement pop-up accompanied by that magical sound. It's like a badge or shiny new button to review, a roadmap now of all the rest of those achievements you have yet to hunt. But before the hunt begins, you still have that beautiful moment, the PLINK ringing in your ears...


Randomness: You know, I wish I actually had buttons or badges of achievements I've unlocked, little fun ones I could put on my jean jacket or purse. Especially those annoying ones, the ones I sweat blood (or at least wasted uncountable, unretrievable hours of my life) achieving! Are these already found in some amazing Etsy shop I have yet to discover? Lemme know, people, if you know!

Now, I have heard horror stories of friends playing through the most difficult difficulties, charging up and down hills of battle...to receive no achievement for their efforts. Some glitch, some Gremlin or something in the system yanking away the gold at the finish line. And these friends of mine are no storytellers...they are hardcore gamers with gamerscore and experience far outweighing my own, kinda like butt kicking Old Video Game Wisemen. I'll tell you true, my heart broke a bit for them to hear that, but that is alright, as they and I play video games for the sheer unending joy, thrill and challenge they of them. But for all that love, do not doubt for a moment that if crap like that happened to me I would want what they'd wanted: to break controllers and anything within reach into little, crunchy bits.

Personal tale of Achievement Unlocked woe, slightly more benign yet still mad-making:
I was playing the everloving stuffing out of a game, rockin its face. I was hitting a ton of achievement requirements and became suddenly curious... "Why are my precious (you are encouraged to read the following sentence in the voice of Gollum/Smeagul from Lord of the Rings) my preeeciouuuss acheevos not coming to meeee? Why do they run away from us, why do they hide??"

Okay kids, Moral of the Story: after watching Netflix through your Xbox, BE SURE to turn your notifications BACK ON, lest you miss out on tons of scrumptious, delicious, non-redo-able achievement plinkings. It felt like a kid who'd dropped their ice cream cone on a hot day with no pocket change to get more. It felt like buying a meal and not getting dessert. It felt like a lot of sad things complete with poor analogies but lemme tell you I now watch Netflix notifications on, full force. That's right, I will not be stopped again from getting my Video Game sprinkles on my Video Game dessert!

Once upon a time, I realized I was on the verge needing an Achievement Unlockers Anonymous meeting, so I downloaded the original Fable. It offered no achievements as it's an Xbox original, but what it did offer was a reunion with the wonder and love of games for games' sake. It reminded me of the sweetness of complete immersion in a game, growing of a character and the beauty of a story well told. It was a refreshing time of gaming, as Fable and I skipped through the hills of flowers, braiding each other's hair and telling ghost stories when the lights went out. But after that sweet respite, I was excited to find that the newest installment of Fable not only came with slammin' graphics and sweet Hero expressions/skills/butt kicking powers, but it came with an ENTIRE CATALOGUE OF NEW ACHIEVEMENTS!! The marriage of a great game to fun achievements? Good times, good times...

So, how about you? Are you hooked on that lovely Plinking Sound, or do you merely accept them as they come, like some Video Game Monk, letting the river of achievements flow as they may? Are you like me, who loves video games and all they offer yet will chase down even the craziest challenge just to see that badge, that shiny, candy-like button at the end of an achievement hunting session?

I'm going to keep playing games until I'm 103 or until my hands fall off, whichever comes first...although in the event of death or dismemberment I will most probably still find a way to play. And while I'm on my video game journey, I will still be thrilled at that magical plinking sound, the illuminated pop-up of the Achievement Unlocked...I mean, I don't need that sound, right? *ahem* Yeah! I can uh...stop at any time!