Badges Are Stupid

[jorsian]

Let me start by saying I understand the novelty of badges and have been a fan of them since they were first initiated as a way to reward users for their dedication to the site, completion of goals, or competition wins. However, the current state of badges is simply laughable.

I estimate the current amount of badges released into the hotel per week to be about 10-20. They are rewarded for anything from stepping into a room to completing a poll. But does anyone know or care to remember what these badges were handed out for? I sure as hell don't.

From the start, there should have been a definitive leaderboard or system of keeping track of all the badges released into the hotel--some sort of guide that users could look at in order to assign meaning to badges. Instead, a lot of users have simply given up on making sense of which badge means what and now regard them as a "number" towards badge count.

There should have been an archive, created by the staff, that keeps track of which badge was released for which occasion and how many of that badge exist within the hotel. Instead, the staff are content with releasing ill-designed badges lacking coherent descriptions. Most badges are forgotten about within 2-3 days.

Anyway, I have long given up on trying to collect badges as soon as they come out. I've reasoned with myself that having 4-5 cute badges is all that really matters, because that's all you can show off at one time anyway. I'd love if someone could enlighten me on the appeal of collecting these meaningless pixels or make sense of spending 100c on a badge, like those recent 2013 furni bundles.

[Matt]

They've released so many badges that yeah, i hate having all these cheap and tacky ones. The only ones I wear anyway is the dragon dance ones that make a complete dragon. If they did more of these, with cooler designs I think it would be better. They just look tacky now and theres so many of them.

[Daltron]

I agree that badges are becoming a just a number but I think that is the novelty and fun of it for a lot of users including myself. It provides me with a fun almost daily activity to log on, check out some fansites and complete some tasks to increase my badge count.

Given the success of the fansites; HabboSecrets and HabboQuests it shows there is an obvious trend, new users love badges and I think the more Sulake make them available the more the majority of the userbase is going to stick around. It provides a purpose for people to log into the client and visit rooms and also for Sulake to gain profit.

I can understand the frustration coming from older users such as yourself who have seen badges becomes commercialised but at the end of the day Sulake and Habbo need a viable way to maintain profit and interest in the company and handing out badges like cookies is an easy remedy to any immediate problems of debt or declining user base.

For many users I am sure badges feel like a form of currency in which the more they have collected, the more successful they feel in the game.

I assume many older users find it disgusting and stupid, but I find that collecting "these meaningless pixels" is quite a fun activity and the same could be said about furni which I know you take a strong interest in. Like why bother collecting "these meaningless pixels" we call rares?

Increased badges I dare say along side a string of nuHabbo initiatives such as LTD's, room layouts etc are quite necessary for the function and success of modern day Habbo.

[Star-Fighter]

I do agree that badges are getting to the point of being stupid and even annoying at times. Especially since so many of them look horrible, you get them with almost no effort at all (enter a room etc.) and there are so many of them. If the badges were designed well, and you'd get them for actually doing something/winning competitions and on specific occasions only, they would be received better I think.

One of the latest Habbo blog text mentioned that last year they created 922 badges - I'm assuming that's worldwide, so that divided by all the hotels (12) would make the average about 76 badges per different hotel. Some larger hotels (like the com one) get more badges than smaller hotels, but it's still multiple badges a week, which I personally find unnecessary. If they were to actually get a grip, organize and make right decisions, badges wouldn't have to be the sole thing to keep users logging in and active.

[Daltron]

I do agree that badges are getting to the point of being stupid and even annoying at times. Especially since so many of them look horrible, you get them with almost no effort at all (enter a room etc.) and there are so many of them. If the badges were designed well, and you'd get them for actually doing something/winning competitions and on specific occasions only, they would be received better I think.

One of the latest Habbo blog text mentioned that last year they created 922 badges - I'm assuming that's worldwide, so that divided by all the hotels (12) would make the average about 76 badges per different hotel. Some larger hotels (like the com one) get more badges than smaller hotels, but it's still multiple badges a week, which I personally find unnecessary. If they were to actually get a grip, organize and make right decisions, badges wouldn't have to be the sole thing to keep users logging in and active.

No way I reckon I collected about 200-300 last year

[Kardan]

I'm sure I read that there were thousands of badges in-game now? Anyway, badges were devalued when achievements were brought into the game in my opinion - why you need a badge for visiting 1 room, I don't know. It also makes me laugh when people complained about the 2006 Christmas badge saying it would devalue badges...

[jorsian]

I assume many older users find it disgusting and stupid, but I find that collecting "these meaningless pixels" is quite a fun activity and the same could be said about furni which I know you take a strong interest in. Like why bother collecting "these meaningless pixels" we call rares?

I wouldn't equate rares with badges for the simple fact that rares can be traded and have actual monetary value within the site. Badges can not be traded, but rares can. Badges can not be used within rooms, but rares can. In fact, don't you feel it a little ridiculous that some people are paying more money for badges than they are for rares?

To each their own, I guess. But you won't see me spending 200c on a bundle of furni or competition when the only real prize is a badge. Years ago they would hand out a large sum of coins, a badge and perhaps a rare furni to the winner of a competition. Now, most competition wins are rewarded with a badge--nothing more. The staff have turned badges into a way to reward users for every single thing they do on the site instead of them having to pay us with something that has actual worth. I think it's cheap and deceptive, and the fact that users are falling for it makes it even worse in my eyes.

[Plebings]

it is interesting though that for seemingly one of the biggest aspects of habbo they don't put much effort into it, just create a tiny graphic in 10 mins. would love to see badge stats like how many own this badge, maybe a list of who, a badge finder, etc.

[Astronomist]

Do you know what proves they are stupid?

I gave up​

[Yawn]

oyh i dont even bother any more couldnt care less about them