Rewind about 35 years and the odds of seeing all a game had to offer were either completely in your favor, or dead set against you. In the former case, many games were simple and only took place on a few levels or screens. The challenge came from making a run at a high score. In the latter case, by the mid 80’s, games were designed to be quarter vacuums. Cabinets like Dragon’s Lair would suck you in with their attract mode, then shake you down for all your folding cash. Probably you never even came close to Singe’s keep.

The boom in home consoles brought on by the NES changed all that. Players could spend countless hours scouring every corner and testing every limit of their games’ programming. Fast forward a few console generations and that tendency was rewarded with the addition of trophy systems. Network accounts and cloud saves make it easier than ever to show off the quantity and quality of your gaming trophies. And atop them all is the concept of “platinum”-ing a game: Unlocking every trophy a game’s developer could possibly come up with to put you on the hunt.

Is that enough for you? Do you quest for a game’s trophy list in Steam, PSN, or XBox Live?

Personally I’ve only earned a platinum trophy in one game: Horizon Zero Dawn. But it wasn’t for the sake of the trophy. By the time I realized I was close, the game had already rewarded me countless times for spending time with it and enjoying its complex (yet approachable) world. If Nintendo were in the trophy business, I’d be able to add a handful more to that list. Zelda, Mario, and Metroid games all have perfectly dialed challenges for achieving 100%. And they subtly only goad completionists. All three series also give understated, yet appropriate nods to the players who do uncover everything.

Are you motivated to completely finish a game or earn its platinum trophy? If so, what drives you? Tell us in the comments or over at the Boss Rush Discord!

Featured Art: Sony/Push Square