I'm in the opposite camp. I used to care a lot about achievements (mostly due to an achievements arms race between me and my buddy) but then I realized I was playing the game differently just to rack up points. Since then I've disabled achievement and trophy notifications and I'm a lot happier.
In general, I think achievements have been a negative development for the industry. They are, by definition, extrinsic to the video game experience, and yet they texture and, in many cases, define how we play. It creates an uncomfortable relationship between internal motivators -- the rules and challenges of the game -- and external motivators -- achievements, trophies, etc.
They're not the worst thing in the world. You can turn off notifications, after all, and they can frame a second play-through, although that time could be spent playing a new game instead of inflating a largely meaningless number. But, overall, they've changed the way we evaluate and play games, and not for the better.










