Mastering iOS Frameworks: Beyond the Basics, Second Edition

4. Achievements

Like leaderboards, achievements are quickly becoming a vital component of modern gaming. Although the history of achievements isn’t as clearly cemented into gaming history as that of leaderboards, today it could be argued that they are even more important to the social success of a game.

An achievement is, in short, an unlockable accomplishment that, although not necessary to the completion of a game, tracks the user’s competition of additional aspects of the game. Commonly, achievements are issued for additional side tasks or extended play, such as beating a game on hard difficulty, exploring areas, or collecting items. One of the core features of Game Center is the achievement system, which makes adding your own achievements ...