100% game completion

It had to happen...

The first post I mean, nothing else! Everyone starts somewhere - I'm just starting this half way through everything... quite literally EVERYTHING.

I am playing a multitude of games and the only ones that I have completed 100% are... well none. I played Assassins Creed 2 to "100% Platinum" and game completion but then along comes the DLC and WHAM... more things to do so that has been knocked off the pedestal entitled "100% completed".

It is strange to think that the games industry is moving us towards playing games for longer by giving us trophies (PS3) and gamer points (XBox) for doing tasks from the simple to the insane. Before our time was spent getting to the end of the game as quickly as possible because we could not save progress along the way. The SEGA Master System and Megadrive were prime candidates for this! I would rush through Sonic the Hedgehog trying to collect all the emeralds in a Saturday afternoon. Now, I spend at least 25 hours of gaming time playing through the main game, every side quest, every discovery and EVEN doing activities that have no effect on the game as a whole.

What is it within our brains that drive us gamers towards 100% completion of games... scrap that thought... what is it that drives us towards COMPLETING a game to any degree???

I am currently playing Square Enix's latest Final Fantasy Epic (FFXIII) and look forward to the journey... but how complete would my experience of the game be if I did not put my all into investing time to 100% it? I don't think it would affect it too much, although every time I look at my trophy list I will be reminded that I could go back and still do more...

Well done developers and producers... you have us hooked