10 Underhand Ways Video Games Get You Hooked

1. Trophies/Achievements

The bane of every completionist's existence. We know trophies and achievements are simple benchmarks that mark your progression through a given game, but we also know all too well the frustration of attempting to obtain every single one. As if going through the struggle to obtain them isn't enough, they're also ranked to make you feel or good or bad about yourself accordingly. Not to mention, some developers seem to purposely aim for stressing the players out by including some trophies and achievements that are just impossible enough to make you nearly pull your hair out.

You can brag about how you've got over five thousand trophies, but how many of those are actually platinum or gold? I'm willing to bet they're mostly bronze. Or how about your gamerscore? Don't even bother comparing that to anyone else's, because no matter how hardcore of a gamer you think you are, there's going to be someone out there to put you to shame. And that's where the hook comes in. Even if you're not directly competing with someone, your desire to bolster your own personal game statistics can take over rational thought. You might eventually get to the point where you aren't ashamed to allow public viewing of your accomplishments, but when you stop and reflect on how much time went into getting to that point, a whole new kind of shame will kick in. But hey, at least you've got your cyber dignity right?