Are mobile achievements worth it?

Hello. I'm porting a game from desktop to mobile, and I can't help but wonder if bringing achievements over is worthwhile. I'm not as familiar with Android, but Apple never seemed to push them, and killing Game Center as an app would seem to confirm their apathy. It reminds me of going through the motions to set up leaderboards on Steam, which are buried in the UI and much harder to find.

Does anyone feel that achievements really drive player engagement on mobile? Or is it not a crucial part of the platform?

 

I would say in a sense it does. It also sometimes inspires some players, to want to go back and play your game again, to unlock an achievement. Unlockables and unlockable items, are also other things that brings players back to your game too.

 

Good made achievemnts, bring interesting challenges to players. They wanting to feel accomplishment.

Even completed level, can be treated as achievement. Some games have multiple levels, with multiple difficulties and challenges each. To complete them, you must progress into game, then come back to these levels later.

Just an example.

 

Hmm...I may have to see how the game does and add them afterward. Time is an issue, and with the Game Center UI no longer available, having to add menus for achievements (and leaderboards) is a major inconvenience.

 

Hey @BrianCrandell
I'm curios about the 'Game Center UI no longer available'. I can't seem to find anything related to it, would you mind sharing a link about it?
We're thinking of implementing Game Center as well right now and it would certainly be a bummer if Apple stopped supporting it..

 

@BrianCrandell
Also, if you are making achievements and unlockable items, don't make them too tough to unlock. And try not to make it too much of a grindfest to unlock them. Doing that, sometimes has a tendency to demotivate players, and would sometimes cause them to stop playing your game.

 

Hi, I am not sure if you have seen this or not, but Apple completely redesigned Game Center for iOS13 and its updated API is used across many games, and even pulls data into the App Store (to show which of your friends are playing the same game, and what achievements they have).

I would say achievements are definitely worth it if you have enough time. I have integrated Leaderboards into my game and am thinking about adding achievements too.

Game Center Link: https://developer.apple.com/game-center/
Overview Video: https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2020/10145/

 

Having a mobile achievement, where you unlock an art gallery with lots of cool looking pics from your game, is always a good idea too.