Some people don’t buy into the idea of unlockable ego-trips within games. Often earned through blowing up three enemies with one grenade or scoring an overhead kick from twenty-five yards out, these Achievements on the Xbox 360 or Trophies on the PS3 will continue to divide opinion amongst gamers. However, Microsoft’s Stephen Toulouse has gone about making his professional view rather clear.

“It’s been statistically shown that games that have achievements and implement them well sell better,” Toulouse told Major Nelson during a recent podcast, while failing to provide any solid evidence to back his claim up.

The quality with which Trophies and Achievements are implemented within the structure of a title can go a long way toward influencing one’s gaming experience. Provided these bonuses don’t encroach on the freedom we are granted through play nowadays, Toulouse’s statement is probably quite accurate. However, it can be regrettable and a often shame for companies to force players to play unnaturally to reach their goals.

Having said that, the amount of whoring that goes on for such bragging rights at the moment probably means Achievements are an incentive to buy and play games you wouldn’t normally touch with a barge pole.

Source: CVG