AVOID PARTICIPATION TROPHIES

The most common style of Trophy in games are those that mark the end of a chapter or section of the game. If a story-driven game is broken into 13 chapters you can almost be certain that there will be 13 Trophies to accompany the ending of each chapter. Likewise a game with a crafting system is almost guaranteed to have several Trophies relating to milestones surrounding crafting unlocks.

Not only is it a lost opportunity for getting the players to experience something fun and unique within the game, it also devalues Trophies altogether by giving them out cheaply and for completing tasks the player would have done regardless during regular play. Essentially they become participation awards and meaningless forgettable checklists.

Receiving a single high rank Trophy for completing the game is still a nice accolade to receive in recognition of the effort invested. However anything more than this lends itself to being hollow.

EXAMPLES TO AVOID

Nearly every game is guilty of this. It's prolific.

Skyrim - Bleak Falls Barrow

Tekken 7 - Let's Do This

Red Dead Redemption 2 - Back in the Mud

Uncharted 4: Thief's End - First Treasure

Final Fantasy VII - First Blood

Borderlands - Ding! Newbie

The Last of Us - Let's Gear Up