Being a “trophy hunter” can mean any number of different things to different people. On a basic level, trophy hunting is a niche hobby in the gaming space in which video game developers create challenges that more dedicated players aim to complete. However, player attitudes, individual playstyles, more or less forgiving design philosophies, and even different genres of games can all quickly make the topic more complex.
What aspects matter for different types of trophy hunters? Are you less of a trophy hunter because you only have common platinums like Spider-Man? Does the mettle of a hunter hinge on whether Souls-like games adorn a spot on their list? Certainly, there are different levels to this hobby. Below is a sorted gradient that aims to bring more clarity to these questions, beginning with casual players and ending with those most entrenched. These are the five different types of trophy hunters based on their attitude towards the hobby.
Table of Contents
1. I don’t care about trophies at all
The only trophies these players get are ones that are unlocked by playing normally. If they have any platinums, it’s most likely games like Telltale’s The Walking Dead or Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. These games only have trophies that emerge from simply playing the game to its completion with very minor deviations.
Players in this category generally don’t qualify as “trophy hunters” because they simply don’t care about trophies at all. They play games for their inherent qualities and may or may not finish their games. These players will often not even consider such unfinished games to be a part of their backlog; they simply move on to newer things. There’s nothing wrong with playing games this way so long as you are having fun.
2. I love THIS game
These types of trophy hunters fall in love with a certain game and complete everything they can within the title because they can’t get enough. It doesn’t really have to do with trophies, but rather trying to see and do everything their beloved title has to offer. These players will complete games regardless of what platform they are on, and if there are in-game achievements, you bet they’ll try their best to get them all. And if there aren’t, a lot of the time these players will make their own challenges, such as Pokémon Nuzlocke runs or single-day dungeons in Persona games.
Examples of commonly beloved games are numerous. Many casual gamers enjoyed Insomniac’s Spider-Man enough to put in the extra effort to complete its map and associated activities to their fullest, regardless of any trophies. Lots of others raved about the Dark Souls series and went all-out when Elden Ring released. Some players may even feel compelled to play and complete every game developed by Spike Chunsoft because they love the atmosphere, flair, and gameplay mechanics the studio is known for.
3. I love ALL games
The third entry in this list is the middling point of the trophy hunting hobby. These players are enthusiastic about gaming in general and tend to consume all different types of media. You will typically see a large breadth of titles on these players’ mosaics, spanning from arena fighters, to JRPG’s, to walking simulators. Independent or AAA-studio development doesn’t matter, so long as the game is fun.
These players likely check trophy lists prior to playing a game but may not be stringent enough to use walkthroughs or collectible guides. Instead, they might prefer doing clean-up in the post-game or doing a second playthrough to get what they missed.
That said, these types of trophy hunters usually won’t hesitate to drop a game that’s causing them grief. They often feel a heightened sense of respect for their time and generally prefer to spend it with games that can appreciate their investment. After all, grinding for dozens of hours to reach the maximum level in a game you don’t fully enjoy can seem ludicrous when you could instead have a brand-new experience.
As a result, these players may have a considerable number of trophies and platinums under their belt, but their completion percentage is more likely to be around 50-70% or lower. At this stage, they don’t mind the numbers one bit, and focus more on what they have achieved than what they’ve missed.
4. I love how games make me feel
Most trophy hunters probably find themselves somewhere between #3 and #4. The distinction is that players in this tier generally have a personal stake in the games they play. They tend to play any genre of game without discrimination and take a lot of pride in that fact.
However, unlike players in the third group, those that align with #4 will often seek completion even for games they despise. For example, on Reddit, you will see many posts in which the author boasts about obtaining a platinum for a game they claim to hate. Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is a popular platinum that often comes with a negative opinion.
These players go for these games despite any perceived poor quality because unlocking trophies scratches an itch in their brain and makes them feel happy and accomplished. Leaving a game unfinished, however, would weigh on them, almost like a heavy conscience. These behaviors can often be justified because many feel that there is value in persevering when giving up would be easier.
These feelings can persist even when there is nothing that you can do to assuage them. These types of trophy hunters will feel irritated about games that are stuck on their list that are impossible to complete, like Guitar Hero Live or Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. These trophy hunters tend to have completion percentages higher than those in #3, but likely are not satisfied with whatever that number happens to be. Often it will be between 70-80%.
5. I love trophies
Finally, this group takes everything from the fourth tier and exacerbates it. These players have gone beyond playing games for fun; they find that unlocking trophies is fun. They might make reaching level 999 their goal, and often even go for shovelware or very easy titles to make it a reality. These are the gamers that reach prestigious positions on community leaderboards by completing an average of 10+ trophies per day. They usually have completion percentages above 90-95%. Players that hack or cheat trophies also belong in this category.
To be frank, these types of trophy hunters have a completely different perspective on the trophy hunting hobby than those in the lower tiers. This can often lead to a disconnect in forums that leads players to argue with one another.
The author’s perspective is that trophy hunting is what you make of it—regardless of where you land on this list, you should try to make sure that going for trophies is a net positive in your life and not holding you back from your goals. After all, we are all here to have fun while getting as many trophies as we can to stuff in our digital packs. Emphasis on the fun part!
Where do you fall on this list? Are there any types of trophy hunters that I missed? Check out ways that you can improve your trophy hunting profile if you’d like to level up as a trophy hunter. Comment down below with your thoughts.
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