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Cheating in Video Games


Dr.Flintlock
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I've always wondered why there was a sudden fallout in cheating in video games. I remember in the 80s and 90s, cheat codes were a staple of gaming overall, and you could go so far as to beating a game using infinite lives, ammo or what have you. But over time, these features seem to have been omitted from the current games that are released today, and to be honest, it kind of irks me.

I know there may be some of you who cry foul at the idea of cheating in order to complete a single player game, but for me personally, I liked the idea of being able to enjoy a shooter without having to worry about ammo or reloading. It was nice to be able to play an RPG without having to grind through levels, instead launching my characters to level 99 and enjoy the story as I saw fit. I'm not saying I was into cheating all the time, but I did like the option.

If you spend $25 (average) on a movie, you pop it in, come across a scene that you may find too graphic or intense, you hit the fast forward button. You enjoy the movie as you want to. If you fork over $15 for a book, you sit down to read and you come across a chapter that has nothing but tons of description and fluff. You need to find out what happens to your character quickly, so you choose to skim over the chapter and get to what you want. Again, you enjoy the book as you want to.

Now if I fork over $50-$60 for a game, I start to play, and I get to a part that's unnecessarily difficult and I want to get to the next stage, what can I do?...

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

Because for the most part, cheating is a lost pleasure in the video game industry. Some developers may include a few easter eggs here and there, but for the most part, its a big negative. My point is, if I'm going to pay my hard-earned money for a video game, I think I should be able to play it as I want to and not within a developer's constraints.

That being said, I find cheating during multiplayer to be pretty low because in that regard, you do ruin the game for others. I understand not everyone likes cheating and so I don't mean to confuse this matter with multiplayer gaming.

So I don't know if I'm just being a blow-hard, but I was curious if anyone felt similar about the state of cheats in video games today?

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Cheating in video games... Frankly, there probably isn't any cheating in them anymore because the games are so damn easy as they are. The makers probably thought to themselves 'Hey, man - no one could be struggling with THIS game... why the hell do they need any help with cheats?!?'...

Stupid noobification of the people... Now if they had the difficulty of the older generation and no cheats at all, that would be my kind of game. I'd rather feel like I've earned something that someone without the nerdy patience or time could never achieve or experience. Cheats rob me of that - I watch the ending and such for an RPG only to realize that anyone could've done the same thing by cheating which I achieved through sweat and toil.

Easier games, no cheats. Can't have everything, I guess...

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it's those damned achievements ruining everything for everybody else icon_anger.gif

Not really. Devs can simply make it so that you can't earn achievements when a cheat is enabled. I know they did this in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, but don't know of any other game that's done this.

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Remember that those 'cheats' were often tools used by developers to help them test the game. For example, if you were trying to see if a level glitch would crash the game or not, you wouldn't want to need to worry about the quite perfectly functional AI enemies that gaurd that area. Hence, go into god mode and then check the area.

That they left these commands in there was simply the way of the times. These days, they're still in some, but not as often. I agree; those were the days, but still, I've taken to trying to do things myself without cheats or strategy guides. Trying anyways :<

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Looking back on it, I realize its not necessarily the lack of cheats I miss so much. It is true that many games are created so that practically anyone can complete them (Although I think schmups are still pretty much designed for a niche audience). No, my issue is that if I spend my money on a product and its basically for my own personal enjoyment (ex: a single player game), I should be able to play it the way I want to, cheats are otherwise. Saying I have to spend X-amount of hours on a game to get to a certain part of it just seems kind of unnecessary these days.

Don't get me wrong, I like a good challenge occasionally, but I play games out of enjoyment. I don't really get a sense of accomplishment from completing an area or defeating a boss. I'll play a game and complete it because I enjoy the experience and entertainment I receive out of it.

Like I said before, technically you don't have to read every single paragraph of a novel to get to the parts you really enjoy or even the ending for that matter. You aren't forced to watch a movie from beginning to end (Unless you're in a theater/cinema). Why shouldn't a game be the same way? As long as you're paying the people making them, I don't see why you should have to play by their rules in the comfort of your home. It sounds almost tyrannical if you ask me.

it's those damned achievements ruining everything for everybody else icon_anger.gif

I swear I'll assassinate the bastard who came up with the idea of a point system whose only purpose is bragging rights. Basically, we've gotten rid of cheats, but we can't get over the "High Score" board apparently.

Can you believe I actually know people who play games for NOTHING but points?

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its a tough call for me.

I'm kinda on both sides of the fence here

on one hand i can see the fun in cheating also the need for it if your stuck(however strategy guides can be used for sort of the same thing) also there is plenty for free online these days.

but on the other hand I am a hardcore gamer so I really don't like to bring myself to cheat to get through a game, I just feel shallow afterwards (i also don't like skipping though movies or books, there might be something important or interesting in the parts you skim over)i have cheated a couple times to get through games (i cheated to get through the mine cart sequence in half-life1 i think I missed some important plot points too and i still kick myself to this day because of it)and the very end of gta3 i didn't really need to i just got tempted.

personally i prefer to cheat after i have finished a game.

i feel that I've seen everything there is to see in this game and now i can just have some good old fashioned plain fun.

also i love achievements i don't really care so much about them as bragging rights

they just give me something to shoot for in a game.Also they give you some extended play with a game because for me i can beat a game in a week and i would just be done with it,but with those achievements lingering around they give me a reason to go back and play some more.

and yea cheating in multiplayer i just low down dirty bullcrap.

I wont even get into the whole competitive gaming subculture right now, which is something I'm truly disgusted with right now.

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I could do without Game Genie type cheatery devices, but I will say that I miss button-combo codes where you just type in a (usually long and complicated) sequence of buttons and something awesome happens. The most recent game I can think of that still uses that is the GTA III series. I also tend to like the weird-but-fun cheats more than the standard useful ones (like, the "get all weapons" cheat in GTA III wasn't nearly as fun as the "flying cars" cheat).

Frankly, there probably isn't any cheating in them anymore because the games are so damn easy as they are.

Stupid noobification of the people... Now if they had the difficulty of the older generation and no cheats at all, that would be my kind of game.

hur dur dur I'm cooler than you because I'm HARDCORE HELLZ YEAH everyone else is noobs.

If you don't like cheats, don't use them. Easy.

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Cheating in video games... Frankly, there probably isn't any cheating in them anymore because the games are so damn easy as they are. The makers probably thought to themselves 'Hey, man - no one could be struggling with THIS game... why the hell do they need any help with cheats?!?'...

Stupid noobification of the people... Now if they had the difficulty of the older generation and no cheats at all, that would be my kind of game. I'd rather feel like I've earned something that someone without the nerdy patience or time could never achieve or experience. Cheats rob me of that - I watch the ending and such for an RPG only to realize that anyone could've done the same thing by cheating which I achieved through sweat and toil.

Easier games, no cheats. Can't have everything, I guess...

I would argue that it's a good thing that most games have dropped in difficulty.

Unlike early games, most of today's games are meant to actually be completed. They aren't just "obstacle courses" anymore. The gameplay isn't their only draw; they have stories to tell. In the original Super Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong, no one cared that they never got even halfway to the end of the game. They weren't on the edge of their seat wondering what would happen next. "Will the princess be in THIS castle? Oh god, I hope she's ok. You'd think those Toadstools would try to stop these kidnappings they keep witnessing. Oh shit. I bet they're in on the whole thing."

But games are telling stories now, and people want to see how they end. And developers want players to see the game all the way through. Why would they want to put so much work into twelve levels if 90% of players will only see the first three over and over? Old school difficulty in new school games would just be frustrating in many cases.

Of course, there are still the Ninja Gaidens and shmups out there offering a real challenge for those who want it. Personally, I would like to see the cheat come back. Sometimes, you just want to see a game to the end without the frustration. And sometimes it's just fun to plow through the place on god mode.

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I've wondered that myself, about why you can't use the product how you like, why do things need to be "unlocked"? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it's like that, but you don't need to unlock the bonus features in your favourite DVD. Also, when it comes to movies and Video Games, you paid for the whole product so I've always figured that the soundtrack should be included for free.

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"Will the princess be in THIS castle? Oh god, I hope she's ok. You'd think those Toadstools would try to stop these kidnappings they keep witnessing. Oh shit. I bet they're in on the whole thing."

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's considered this perspective on the whole "The Princesss is in another castle" debacle. =P

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To be honest, I can't put it any better than this guy (not yahtzee, by the way, but good nonetheless).

Nothing about cheating, mind you, but more about difficulty in games. I still don't feel that people that actually work hard at something should be equally rewarded for they're efforts as someone who cheated (and thus put no effort at all - admit it, winning with cheats takes no effort). If you cheated, fine - but you shouldn't get an ending, hear the story, watch the CGI's, etc., either. I want to feel I've earned something other people simply can't view without the work, is all.

Call me a selfish asshole - I won't deny it 8O.

Also, when it comes to movies and Video Games, you paid for the whole product so I've always figured that the soundtrack should be included for free.

Woot.

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To be honest, I can't put it any better than this guy (not yahtzee, by the way, but good nonetheless).

Nothing about cheating, mind you, but more about difficulty in games. I still don't feel that people that actually work hard at something should be equally rewarded for they're efforts as someone who cheated (and thus put no effort at all - admit it, winning with cheats takes no effort). If you cheated, fine - but you shouldn't get an ending, hear the story, watch the CGI's, etc., either. I want to feel I've earned something other people simply can't view without the work, is all.

Call me a selfish asshole - I won't deny it 8O.

Woot.

You're a selfish asshole. I won't deny it. :-P

But it all seriousness, I just don't see why people who cheat on a video game deserve to be penalized for it. The only difference between the person who cheats to get through a game and the person who doesn't is that the one who doesn't can boast about how they were able to work within the rules to beat the system. The other guy just screams *metal slug announcer voice* "Infinite RAWKET LAWNCHAW!!!"

There's no difference in the amount of entertainment. Its just a matter of perspective, I suppose.

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I just don't see why people who cheat on a video game deserve to be penalized for it.

If you cheat you didn't do the work, so you shouldn't get the reward. My logic is simple (and selfish...). It's not a penalty - it's simply not a reward. That's my take on it.

Of course, arguing about 'reward' and 'penalty' is stupid - in the end it IS just a game, so my ranting really has no place. I would personally enjoy it more if there was no cheating in the system - other people feel differently on it. It's just my feeling on cheating, is all.

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