Author: by Staff

In Gamasutra's latest feature, researcher and designer Lucas Blair delivers more knowledge about designing achievements, based on both academic writing and an understanding of games. One issue is whether or not achievements should be visible to other players or whether players should be the only ones to understand what they've earned. While making them visible is a "powerful incentive," writes Blair, there are ways to avoid scaring off newbies or making those who haven't earned as many feel excluded. "To prevent players from being excluded because of their lack of experience, create achievements for players who take other players under their wing. Let players display a few achievements they are proud of to increase motivation and highlight their play style," Blair writes. There's more to the issue than simply bragging rights, in other words. "Having visible achievements can also act like a gaming resume. Another player's earned achievements might reveal that they would make a good teammate or someone to ask for help." The full feature, which goes into further depth on the topic, is live now on Gamasutra -- and it's part two in a series. You can read the original article here.