In my opinion Trophies are a huge improvement (if they are done right). My trophy list is my personal gaming diary (although it can be seen online by others I do not care about comparing my trophy list with others). I sometimes run through my own trophy list and look back at all the games that I have played, that I liked and which memories I still have about the game.

I am pretty sure that most people set themselves certain goals in games long before trophies were implemented. Beating alle the Secret Weapons or maxing out all materias in Final Fantasy 7, getting all Secrets in Super Mario World, finding all Heart Containers in Zelda, beating a game on the hardest difficulty level... that is nothing new. The "new" thing about the trophy system is that your achievements are no longer tied to a save file, but you can keep this information on your profile. It now has some sort of lasting effect.

I have my favourite franchises and I like to have all Platinum Trophies in them (like Final Fantasy, Ratchet & Clank, Uncharted, Assassin's Creed,...). It would be great to have the possibility to earn all Super Mario, Zelda or Metroid Platinum Trophies... It is some sort of showing one's appreciation to the favourite games. It is not about the comparison or bragging. I do it for myself, like I got these self-defined goals year before.

Really good games don't need trophies/achievements to be worth playing; you play them for the experience, for the fun, the story and for the gameplay. Only bad games need Trophies/Achievements to make it look attractive.

I play my WiiU for
- the games experience
- fun with friends and family
- interaction with other players with miiverse

I really don´t care about trophies and achievements. I don´t need to compare myself all the time with other players neither compete with them all the time. For me, they´re useless.

Systems like the Rayman Legend´s and NSMBU´s Challenge modes and online rankings are enough.

Great. I think and feel exactely like this. I never needed them, and I´ll never need. 

Some people just want to be competitive all the time and want to scream "look my trophies, I´m better than you!" all the time. Even some idiots choose their rivals online based on trophies. I don´t need this sick kind of seggregation when playing videogames. I prefer to use games as a way to bring people together rather than just create dumb rivalries

A friend once showed me a screen on his xbox about some medals in CoD:

"hey, look at this. This is a mural were people earn medals according to their accomplishments in the game."

me - "so what is it for?"

"oh its for other people to see and have respect for your skills"

me - "Bitch please, the first thing I think when I see it, is that some lifeless 25 year old kid does nothing else but playing games all day in his parents basement"


Never heard anything else from him regarding achievements since that day.

I think the lack of "Achievement unlocked. Gave gf an orgasm" may put people down on sex, because then it is not as much motivational.

Yeah i dont understand all this achievements nonsense, just play your game and enjoy it, if not, stop playing.

Ok, boss.

I think such a system is completely unnecessary. I understand the appeal of such achievements, however.
Of course, because of these achievements, some people might do certain stuff they never would without getting one for it. I don't really think that that's a good way of "enhancing" the game. If I like a game (meaning: If I deem it good), then I will go for completion anyway. I did everything there was to do in Super Paper Mario (collected all the cards, all cooking reciepts, did all sidequests) an am currently trying to reach the level cap (just out of enjoyment). I played through Fire Emblem: Awakening multiple times and I am on my way to unlock each and every support conversation in the game. Of course, this is kind of an achievement in itself, but I get something for it that actually means something for me instead of an virtual trophy with no use whatsoever.
If I don't like a game, I won't try to get the "acheivements". I have a few PlayStation 3/Vita games that have trophies, but the only one that I might get a platinum on is Persona 4 Golden, because it is the only achievement compatible game that I want to 100% anyway.

So really, achievements don't motivate me to play a game thoroughly, it is (and imo should be) the game itself that motivates me to do so. The only achievements I like are ingame achievements (not the Uncharted: Golden Abyss or Sonic The Hedgehog 2006 [Medals!!1] kind), like the systems used in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and to an extend Kid Icarus Uprising, where you actually get new music tracks to listen to or new other stuff if you do certain things. But even then, I could live without that.

Oh, and the biggest problem I have regarding the Playstation achivement system (dunno about the Xbox) is the fact that some games give out trophies like it's their business, while some others make you do all kinds of crazy/hard things to even get one. Best example: MegaMan 10 awards you a silver trophy for completing the game without getting hit, while Assassin's Creed Liberation gives out silver trophies for story progression. That's stupid. Or Persona 4 Arenas "Tune In" bronze trophy, that requires nothing more than pushing start on the title screen. Why should I get a trophy for that?

who are you to judge how people enjoy entertaiment?