MSN and Pogo Badge Challenge FYI

Perhaps one of the main reasons Pogo and MSN players use Play Buddy Buddies for their games is because of badges. Interestingly enough, Yahoo players and players of other game sites are undoubtedly unfamiliar with this term (but not for long), so this blog will shed some light on the mystery of badge challenges.

While both MSN and Pogo offer opportunities for players to win badges via badge challenges, the sport is most common on Pogo. In fact, one could argue that the sole reason why players play on the Pogo gamesite is for these virtual trinkets that become available on a weekly basis (every 2 weeks to a month on MSN). So, exactly what is a badge and how does one acquire one? Excellent questions both.

A badge is a virtual token that has no monetary value. It is collected by completing a specified challenge, and it is added to a virtual album. For example, Pogo or MSN declares that there is a Hearts Badge Challenge; you must win 10 hearts games to achieve the challenge and once you do, you earn that badge of accomplishment in your online badge album. The album can then be viewed and for every badge that has been collected, a small picture – representing the badge – appears; for every badge that was missed or not collected, a grayed-out vacant slot appears.

And who wants grayed-out vacant slots?!

Of course, there aren’t hundreds of thousands of players playing solely to collect badges, are there? Well actually, yes. Log onto Pogo games every Wednesday (the start of the new badge week) and 10,000+ people will be logged into the corresponding badge challenge games. Considering that this is only 1 day of the week and that most badges take under 30 minutes to complete – with the help of Play Buddy autos – and one can deduce that this badge collecting is a serious business!

The natural question you’re likely asking yourself now is WHY would anyone play to collect a virtual badge? On MSN the badges are a testimony to how often and how well you play the game. In other words: competition and pride! (You only have a level 2 flowerly flower badge? That’s nothing compared to my level 13 flowerly flower power badge!) On Pogo the badge collecting deal is sweetened with thousands of bonus tokens which are used to purchase items on the gamesite, and completing a badge with thousands of other players offers a sense of camaraderie. It is also fulfilling to see a full badge album.

Now that the activity known as badge collecting has been described, one must wonder if any Yahoo or other gamesite players reading this blog, are intrigued. This leads me to the concluding questions…

If you collect badges, what is the appeal it has for you?
If you don’t collect badges, are you now considering trying it out?
What other thoughts or opinions would you like to share about badge collecting?