The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy Of Trophy Guides

The common misconception around the internet is that those trophy guides you frequently use just fall off some magical tree that’s been planted by intergalactic space bunnies. That couldn’t be any further from the truth. They’re magical space unicorns, not bunnies, actually.

Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself; allow me to introduce myself. I’m Dan Webb and I’m the Editor-in-Chief over at one of the biggest PlayStation 3 websites on the internet http://www.ps3trophies.org – which is a posh way for saying I run stuff over there. When an invitation was extended to me to come over here and make a guest post on the topic of trophy guides, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

Despite my inane segue, the shocking truth behind writing a trophy guide is that the process isn’t pretty. It’s not simple, it’s not a five-minute job and it’s certainly not a joy – although admittedly, some people do find pleasure in the process. So why would anyone put themselves through such torture then? Well, that’s simple: on some levels it’s about infamy; having your name permanently attached to a game’s guide that will be Googled for years to come can be a bit of a thrill and it’s something you can’t appreciate until you’ve been there and bought the T-shirt.

“Oh hey, that’s that jqtaxpayer fella… He made that ‘road map’ and trophy guide for the hardest game EVER!!” – that’s Demon Soul’s by the way. Being recognised for such feats is akin to what I believe a celebrity must feel like, albeit a Z-list one. On another level, I truly believe it’s about helping out the community and your fellow gamer. It’s a fairly altruistic state of affairs in truth. Sure, you’ll get a bit of praise and recognition for it, but that doesn’t really compare to the amount of work you have to put in when writing one.

That lure of being associated with your favourite game’s trophy guide and having that level of infamy can lead to a bit of competition. Although we don’t operate on a first come first served basis, that is often the case as once the guide seed is planted; the community can muck in and do the rest. We always say that it’s quality before quantity and speed, but if you want to write a guide for a game and you aren’t quick enough, there are enough talented guide writers out there that will nip in before you. After all, the trophy guide writing world is a cut throat one!

How people approach trophy guides can differ from person to person, and from game to game. Some people complete the game first and then write the guide after. Others like to write the guide as they go, although that comes with its risks – after all, trophy lists can sometimes be like windows into the game with spoilers galore, and once you read that spoiler, you can’t unread it, potentially spoiling the enjoyment of the game for yourself. You’re lucky if that game’s Heavy Rain then; or rather, unlucky, with 52 of the 57 trophies being secret, but that in itself opens up a whole can of worms as the community will often be left to figure out the trophies before they can even tackle the guide itself.

So who can write a guide? That’s the beauty – just about anyone can write a guide and for those that have a particular fascination with a game or franchise, it can be quite a satisfying experience. In fact, there have been a lot of instances where our community has combined to create one of the most bumper packed and helpful guides on the internet, which is especially gratifying from our perspective. Most of the time it isn’t planned and, through a sense of community spirit, what started off as a skeleton guide soon fleshes out into a group of 5-10 individuals mucking in for the greater good. It’s like an unplanned flash mob for guide writing.

How it goes from the forums to the main page is an age-old mystery. Okay, it’s not, but there’s more to a guide than the author. There’s the community that helps with tips to improve strategies and there’s the guide team – yes, we have a dedicated and enthusiastic team of moderators who look after their well-being – who do the editing, upload it to the main page, make sure the strategies are sound and so on. It really is a team effort.

There are instances where things can get a little messy; after all, who in their right mind would sink the 600 hours needed into Gran Turismo 5 to get that elusive ‘Gold Standard’ trophy? There are a few games like this that require you to dedicate a lifetime to completing, so games like Lost Planet 2 or Fight Night Round 4 require supreme dedication if you’re going to write a guide for them. Although the trophy system is just over three years old now, these instances are few and far between, and for every Fight Night Round 4, there are hugely original trophy lists like Red Dead Redemption and Portal 2 to restore faith in the whole thing.

Thanks to the inclusion of trophies and the massive effort of the PS3T community and beyond in creating these guides, both have instilled a certain level of replayability into our favourite PlayStation 3 games, and for that, we’re extremely grateful. Just remember the next time you’re reading a guide that someone probably piled a good 30+ hours into it and be thankful that they did it for you and other like-minded gamers. It’s this community spirit that maintains our sanity at 4am in the morning when we’re chasing after that much sought-after trophy. Remember that when you’re punching the air with satisfaction after that tiny notification pops up. ‘Ding!’

While you still have that triumphant sound ringing in your ear, check out our guide to the ten most satisfying Platinum Trophies over at eu.playstation.com.