Jerykk wrote on May 9, 2011, 03:25:
Achievements are interesting - for some, the ego driven (the ePeen centric folk) it's about having the most points or icons so they can feel they've accomplished something. For others they play the role of both virtual sign post and milestone; a goal of "can you do this?" and a marker for when they do. For some others, it's a way to share memories of gaming moments, creating more of an emotional investment in the game.
Based on what I've seen, the vast majority of people who like achievements do so based on the ePeen factor. The only reason they do the usually random and pointless tasks required for achievements is so they can see their stats (in this case, icons and Gamer Points) increase. I don't particularly respect that mentality. I believe people should play games for the sake of gameplay, not grinding.
For the sake of argument: what is your sample size of "vast majority"? Are you pulling from your friends lists? Online forums? Who-and how many-are you referring to?
You've suggested that the vast majority of people are "grinding" achievements while completely dismissing what I consider to be valid reasons why people enjoy having them in games. To be frank: it looks like you're only interested in the most negative aspect of this facet of gaming, and that you're not willing to consider that there are other types of gamers out there for whom achievements help derive additional enjoyment.
I was accused of condescension earlier in this thread, but it seems that some here have a bit of a superiority complex when it comes to this topic.