The problem is...

by breitzen , Kansas, Monday, April 22, 2013, 10:23 (4022 days ago) @ kapowaz

In reality it is not an objective argument.

Accomplishment is another valid reason to pursue something — even in something that's ostensibly a leisure activity. I fundamentally disagree with Cody's primary assertion; not all rewards undermine the enjoyment of a game. I would definitely agree that some do, but there are plenty of examples where this isn't the case, and in fact I'd go so far as to say the majority of videogames operate on the principle of rewarding the player to keep them engaged.

I would agree with this statement. A personal example would be when my wife played Firefight in Reach with me. She didn't get gratification from getting a headshot, she got gratification because confetti would fly and children would yell happily. So is this reward a bad thing? Not really, it actually made the game more fun for her (and me because she was enjoying herself).

Now when it comes to grinding for armor, I think that is fundamentally flawed system (even though every buys into it) because my charcter is forced to evolve. I can't start out with the look I want, I have to 'earn' it by playing. I never actually feel like unlocking armor in H4 is a reward, it'd more of a "finally" feeling.