Cheating in Video Games

[StandingInMotion]

I have never had the luxury of using a GameGenie, ActionReplay, or any of those other nifty little cheat devices. When people say, "Ahh cheats... those were the days," I have no idea what you mean.

Sure, I knew what cheats were at the time, but if you're going to cheat through a game, why even bother to play it or enjoy it? Personally, I think it takes all the enjoyment out of a game if you cheat.

When my aunt bought me Pokemon Silver, she also bought me a device called the "Monster Brain" I believe... it was a useful little tool for backing up all sorts of games (used it for games that could only hold one saved file on the cartridge), but it was specially designed to give you nearly 100% control over your Pokemon games.

Want a Charizard that knows Surf, Psychic, Hyper Beam, and Flamethrower, all of which having 40PP, and maxed out stats? You simply change your pokemon number to match that of Charizard, and select the abilities you want it to have, and so forth. You could edit items, badges, money, literally everything! No codes were needed at all.

I used that feature once, and lost all interest in my game.

For me, using a cheat makes me think, "So what's the point, then?" I never use cheats to play through games... I just don't like to. The only time I use a cheat is when I've already mastered a game, and I'm just doing it to explore glitches and bugs and whatnot.

Call me old-fashioned or whatever, but hearing people complain about not having cheats or whatever just makes me roll my eyes. There is no game too difficult to beat without cheats.

[Gollgagh]

There is no game too difficult to beat without cheats.

that's not what's being said btw

[Dr.Flintlock]

Pay for something to do work? Sounds like College.

This.

I've never understand how you have to pay $200+ to take a class and there's the possibility that it may all be for naught because you may fail, having to pay for the class again.

Unless you cheat- BUT ITS WRONG!!! (Isn't it?)

But that's why I like the option to cheat in video games. I don't see any lack of moral integrity in cheating in a game. Cheating on anything else (School, sports, significant other) usually has some lasting negative effect on you.

Oh well, to each his own I suppose.

[StandingInMotion]

that's not what's being said btw

Well, I skimmed through and saw people claiming that if a part is "too hard" or something they should have the option to somehow get through it by cheating... Just like if a part of a movie is too intense, or a part of a book is too boring, you can skip over that.

I guess that's my way of saying the only thing making it "too hard" is yourself.

[Native Jovian]

I guess that's my way of saying the only thing making it "too hard" is yourself.

That is retarded.

[Dr.Flintlock]

Well, I skimmed through and saw people claiming that if a part is "too hard" or something they should have the option to somehow get through it by cheating... Just like if a part of a movie is too intense, or a part of a book is too boring, you can skip over that.

I guess that's my way of saying the only thing making it "too hard" is yourself.

I suppose I can see that from your angle, and I'm trying to make it clear that I don't want the ability to cheat all the time. I just miss the days when it was an option.

I mean, I'm pretty sure some of us wish we could have another "Konami Code" to use on occasion for today's generation of video games.

[StandingInMotion]

I suppose I can see that from your angle, and I'm trying to make it clear that I don't want the ability to cheat all the time. I just miss the days when it was an option.

I mean, I'm pretty sure some of us wish we could have another "Konami Code" to use on occasion for today's generation of video games.

Yeah, I understand... I guess what I'm just trying to explain is a different point of view is all. Sorry, I wasn't trying to call anyone out or start an argument or anything.

That is retarded.

Please, I'm not looking for an argument, but if you have something to say, at least say something that contributes to the conversation.

Seriously, though... The only reason why a part of a game is "too hard" is because you won't hone your skills enough to get past that part.

[Bleck]

god mode ereday

[Gario]

How does the mere existence of cheats affect your enjoyment of the game, if you choose not to use them?

Answering the topic on College and this, if I work for something I do not want someone else to get the same thing for absolutely nothing. It just doesn't seem fair for me. It's completely selfish (as I said before), but it just makes the game feel dirty for me. It doesn't detract from it much, but it does take some enjoyment out of it for me.

Besides, why the hell would you cheat in college? What are you going for, to learn or see pretty grades on your papers? Seriously, I don't care if you do, but you better not be recognised or recommended for anything serious over someone who knows what they're doing.

[SynthesizedStampede]

Answering the topic on College and this, if I work for something I do not want someone else to get the same thing for absolutely nothing. It just doesn't seem fair for me. It's completely selfish (as I said before), but it just makes the game feel dirty for me. It doesn't detract from it much, but it does take some enjoyment out of it for me.

Besides, why the hell would you cheat in college? What are you going for, to learn or see pretty grades on your papers? Seriously, I don't care if you do, but you better not be recognised or recommended for anything serious over someone who knows what they're doing.

I guess it's just the way you approach cheats. I mean, I never used cheats right off the bat, I always beat a game fair and square first, then used cheats when I was nearly all bored with it to make the game more interesting. I mean, I played Mario 64 to death with friends and family, but that didn't stop me from getting infinite red shells and just blasting it around.

If you use cheats to beat a game without really even trying yourself, then yeah, I can see it as a waste. But for those of us who love a game and just want something different, then you know, I really love them. I agree though: play a game how it should, because it's annoying when I heard my friend play Rise of Nations against the CPU and hear the clicking of his comp as he typed up cheats. No point in playing a game that way.

[WillRock]

I agree with what SynthStampede has said to be honest, I think cheats are nice to have but it can take out the challenge of the game if used too soon, but can increase the re-playability if you have completed it and don't want too much of a challenge for once.

I have good memories of using cheats in the sims to get as much money as I wanted and making awesomely expensive houses for example.

[Native Jovian]

Seriously, though... The only reason why a part of a game is "too hard" is because you won't hone your skills enough to get past that part.

Shockingly, not everyone wants to turn video gaming into another job. Some people don't equate "hard" with "fun" and if they find something frustrating, their reaction isn't "Oho, I must hone my gaming-fu skills to become a master!"

They say "this is too hard, fuck it" and go do something else.

People play games to have fun. Something that's frustrating isn't fun. Cheats turn things that are frustrating into things that are fun. That's why people like them.

Saying "fuck it" and no longer playing the game keeps people from playing the whole game. It keeps them from experiencing part of what they paid for when they bought the game. That's understandably annoying. Cheats allow people to get the whole experience of the game even past the frustrating parts.

If you're one of those people who likes challenge, then you don't have to use the cheats. You lose nothing. The mere existence of cheats doesn't somehow take something away from you if you choose not to use them.

So yeah. Cheats good.

[sefirosu]

Shockingly, not everyone wants to turn video gaming into another job. Some people don't equate "hard" with "fun" and if they find something frustrating, their reaction isn't "Oho, I must hone my gaming-fu skills to become a master!"

They say "this is too hard, fuck it" and go do something else.

People play games to have fun. Something that's frustrating isn't fun. Cheats turn things that are frustrating into things that are fun. That's why people like them.

Saying "fuck it" and no longer playing the game keeps people from playing the whole game. It keeps them from experiencing part of what they paid for when they bought the game. That's understandably annoying. Cheats allow people to get the whole experience of the game even past the frustrating parts.

If you're one of those people who likes challenge, then you don't have to use the cheats. You lose nothing. The mere existence of cheats doesn't somehow take something away from you if you choose not to use them.

So yeah. Cheats good.

I definitely agree with all of this.

[Dr.Flintlock]

Well here's a hypothetical situation on how I think cheats might pay off in a situation today.

Say I'm playing the game Lost Odyssey for the 360, and I really like where the story/character development/world created for this game, but I find the battles in the later parts downright frustarating and don't really want to spend hours grinding my characters to obscene levels.

If I had the ability, I could cheat through the fighting so that the battles were made much easier and I could effectively skip through what I don't like about the game, and enjoy what I do like. This way, I'm still spending the money on said game, and I'm getting the entertainment I want.

And for those of you who declare that beating a game like this strips the challenge from it, what I'm trying to demonstrate is that some people don't want a challenge. They want to sit back, chill, and enjoy a good story or get to a really good boss fight. There's no bigger killjoy in this regard than fighting an enemy you've almost got nailed, only to have it spam some ridiculously powerful technique at the last moment, thus wasting all that time you've spent.

Also, for the arguement of replayability, I don't know about you, but I replay games that many individuals don't find to have a lot of replayability. In my opinion, playing through another game's story or whatnot is similar to watching your favorite movie, reading your favorite book, or listening to your favorite album.

Some things grow better over time.

Ranting aside, I think cheats are what you make them. Some will love them, some will think they kill everything that makes gaming what it is. I just wish there wasn't such a "right-winged" approach on the matter.

[JadeAuto]

gabbagabbahey

bigred

guile

Name the game. It reset your score, which is why I eventually beat it without. But damn, in the day, it was fun.

Cheats, imo, should be as described earlier - allowable, but they remove the ability to gain achievements/points/etc.

People should be allowed to enjoy the game as they see fit. Some people play just for story. Others for acomplishment.

I play to have fun. End of line.

[Gollgagh]

iddqd

iddt

idbehold - i,v,b,r,a,l

idchopper (what a useless cheat, I mean you almost always have the damned thing by the first or second level)

idclip (Doom II)

idspispopd (Doom I)

idclev##

idkfa

idfa

did I miss any

idmus I guess

[Arek the Absolute]

gabbagabbahey

bigred

guile

Name the game. It reset your score, which is why I eventually beat it without. But damn, in the day, it was fun.

Cheats, imo, should be as described earlier - allowable, but they remove the ability to gain achievements/points/etc.

People should be allowed to enjoy the game as they see fit. Some people play just for story. Others for acomplishment.

I play to have fun. End of line.

descent if i remember correctly

[Gollgagh]

Descent II it took away all your energy and shields I think

also iddqd in Heretic took away your weapons entirely so you were totally screwed

[Arek the Absolute]

Descent II it took away all your energy and shields I think

also iddqd in Heretic took away your weapons entirely so you were totally screwed

I thought that was IDKFA. I thought IDDQD insta killed you.

If I remember right, every doom code was reversed in heretic.

[Gollgagh]

oh yeah, that's right

I never did like heretic as much as doom

maybe it was the lack of awesome music

and maybe the lack of enemies (seriously go from final doom to heretic and tell me there isn't a serious lack of enemies in heretic)

[TheHands]

When you can't play a game, you practice and get better. Can't hit a ball? Do you throw the bat and storm off like a little bitch?

Not saying that cheats don't have a place, but they don't matter in the overall design of a game. Why do I give a shit about the final video if I could've just put in a code to skip to it? There's no payoff.

Sure, godmode is fun and will always have a place in my heart, but what's the fucking point of buying a game if you're just going to skip through most of it anyway? It's great for kids, but for people that've been playing games for as long as most of this board, it's really just an added feature that doesn't get used.

[Gollgagh]

It's great for kids, but for people that've been playing games for as long as most of this board, it's really just an added feature that doesn't get used.

thanks for designating yourself the representative of every gamer ever

[Brian]

First I play games without cheats. If I'm stuck, I look up a walkthrough guide. After I've beaten the game I enable cheats just for the lolz. Explore places that would otherwise be impossible without cheats. See if you can screw up the scripts like something that wasn't supposed to happen.

[Native Jovian]

When you can't play a game, you practice and get better. Can't hit a ball? Do you throw the bat and storm off like a little bitch?

Real life != video games.

Sure, godmode is fun and will always have a place in my heart, but what's the fucking point of buying a game if you're just going to skip through most of it anyway? It's great for kids, but for people that've been playing games for as long as most of this board, it's really just an added feature that doesn't get used.

I think that the contents of this thread show that a significant number of people would use them.