Xbox Live achievements inspired by Atari 2600?

While 1982 may be a dim and distant memory for some people, for others it feels like only yesterday. Activision fans may remember it well, as a special reward was introduced for keen gamers that year—cloth badges to show off your high scores. All top-scoring players had to do was photograph their TV and send in their score to Activision, and—lo and behold—a shiny new patch would soon be winging its way to the lucky high achiever.

The Atari 2600 may be gathering dust for most of us now, but the concept is still alive and kicking, with
Xbox Live's new Gaming Achievements. This time, the rewards are virtual, but the pride that goes alongside the tougher achievements is a good match for the nerdish glow that suffused young faces as they clumsily sewed hard-won gaming patches alongside their Scout badges. Time to bring back more tangible rewards, and benefit a new generation, perhaps.

[Thanks, Murphy]