Those badges are just as addictive to me as cigars are. But then I feel the same about bombs, trades, purchases, box splits, critiques, donations etc.
It's CG as a whole I'm addicted to but don't get me wrong, all I do I do cause I feel like doing it, badges or no badges. I love cigars and would treat others as I would want to be treated, no matter what.
Badges seem to me as a great incentive to have more geeks be more invested in the community and it takes nothing away to those who don't seek that public recognition. If more badges mean more knowledge, more participation, more Geekness, I'm all for it.
As for the extra work, I'm certain some geeks could pinch in. I'm sure we got many Sys Admins here that talk in PHP and dream of UNIX at night