4 Reasons Why Players Cheat in Games: But Does it Harm the Community?

There are lots of reasons why you might want to search out game hacks and cheats. Usually, the main reason would be so that you can gain a competitive edge and give yourself the best chance of coming out on top in the heat of battle.

Not surprisingly, the fact that you can access these useful game hacks and use them to your advantage is always going to be a subject that provokes heated debate. There is little doubt that bending the rules has become endemic and is engrained in gaming culture, but why do so many players feel inclined to cheat when it comes to playing online video games?

Some gamers will feel that cheats are an integral part of the gaming experience and why shouldn’t you gain an inside track to improve your gaming experience and performance?.

Others might take the alternative view that players should not cheat in any way and the practice is not something you should be tempted to get involved in from a moral and ethical perspective.

Quite simply, you are never going to find universal acceptance of either point of view.

Let’s take a look at some of the fundamental reasons why players decide to cheat in games and whether their actions cause harm to the wider gaming community.

A History of Cheating

The first thing to say on the subject of cheating is that it is not a new phenomenon in the world of gaming.

Cheat codes were embedded in the first games released as a way of playtesters being able to analyze the mechanics of a game in greater detail. Cheat codes made that process easier.

A good example of cheating that highlights how it is in the DNA and history of gaming can be found by looking at what happened when a game called Castle Wolfenstein was released way back in 1981.

An advert appeared which promised to give you the cheat codes that could enable you to manipulate virtually every major feature of the game for a modest payment. Cheating has evolved as the industry has grown and a cheat industry has firmly established itself as part of the gaming community, even if some take the view that cheating does not align with their views on what constitutes fairness.

Where we are right now, when it comes to cheating, is that many games in the modern era come with cheat codes removed entirely, with the exception of giving a player the opportunity to unlock secret bonuses as part of the overall game experience.

One aspect of modern gaming where cheating is still viewed with a degree of disdain and general disapproval is in relation to online multiplayer games. This is mainly due to the idea that one player is gaining an unfair advantage. The response to calling someone out for cheating in this situation can often lead to a ban for the player concerned.

Despite this, you can still find plenty of games that offer the incentive of unlocking single-player cheats if certain conditions are fulfilled. The lack of tolerance relating to games that operate with in-game purchasing options is probably understandable from a commercial perspective as these cheats allow players to access content and features that they would usually be required to pay for.

Game developers obviously have a vested financial interest in calling out the cheats because it is potentially denying them in-game revenue. Having said that, it is worth pointing out that it is difficult for these manufacturers to apply legal pressure because it is very much a gray area when you look at current laws.

The bottom line is that the Digital Millenium Copyright Act does not prevent someone who owns the software from modifying it.

The topic of cheating certainly has history and it has become an industry in its own right.

Now that we know that the ability to cheat has been around for as long as the games themselves, it’s time to look at some of the fundamental reasons why people feel the need to use these resources and what motivates them from a psychological perspective.

When a Helping Hand Is Needed

In its purest form, you could argue that the need to find a way to cheat in a game is primarily motivated by the fact that your levels of skills and competence might need a bit of a helping hand to get you through a certain part of the game.

Pure and simple, some gamers get stuck and are unable to complete a task or progress past a certain level in the game. This can be hugely frustrating when you have invested your time into playing a game but can’t figure out how to move past a certain point because your skills or knowledge of the game are not sufficient.

This is a scenario that plays out in many different settings. For example, if you are trying to complete a word puzzle in a book and the answers are right there on the back pages, how many of us can’t resist the temptation to look for the one answer that is eluding us so that we can go back and finish the rest of the puzzle?

We are predisposed to justify these minor infractions in our mind without feeling that too much harm has been done in breaking the rules just a little bit.

If you are struggling with a certain dimension of the game you are playing you might well be tempted to search out a cheat that allows you to resolve the issue and move on to the next level.

Cheating is a common human trait and it is part of everyday life. Some of us are happy to be upfront about it, while others will attempt to deny that they have sought to gain an advantage through devious means, even though they have.

It is understandable that you will want to do well in a game and complete the challenges set. The vast majority of us are predisposed to regard a certain amount of cheating as acceptable and that goes a long way to explaining why it is not universally frowned upon when applied in a gaming setting.

A Chance to Enjoy the Best Version of a Game

Another reason why you might search out cheats for a game is down to the fact that you want to unlock certain levels and features so that you get the best level of excitement and entertainment.

If there is a chance to load up with the best weapons and powers without having to work your way through numerous levels to get them, why wouldn’t you want to do that?

In simple terms, cheating can be justified because it is a way to extend and enhance the play experience to a level that might otherwise not be possible.

If you take a look at popular multi-player games such as Fortnite or Call of Duty you may know that certain items that can enhance your game experience like gun decorations, or special outfits, for instance, are only available when you manage to reach a certain ranking status.

If you can unlock these items, which are often seen as status symbols within the game, this can be a powerful motivation for cheating.

A Lack of Social Norms in a Virtual World

Another viable reason why you might feel it is okay to cheat when playing a video game is the fact that the setting encourages an environment where an implied permission to cheat exists.

The lack of face-to-face contact creates a degree of anonymity that makes it easier to justify bending the rules without feeling that you are doing anything wrong or upsetting anyonein particular.

The fact of the matter is that cheating is in the DNA of gamers. Cheats, as well as tips, and walkthroughs, have always been a cultural aspect of gaming.

Add that dimension to the fact that players are not having to justify cheating on a face-to-face basis and you can see why it is an activity that is widespread.

The Games Themselves Are Predisposed Towards Cheating

Last but not least, it is worth taking a look at the moral codes operated by video game manufacturers as it could be argued that they encourage a culture of cheating.

The reason for saying this is that all gamers are entirely familiar with accepted elements of play that are predisposed towards cheating, all of which have actually been coded into aspects of the game they are playing.

When manufacturers have coded elements into the game such as pokes, cheat codes, and exploits, this implies that the structure of the game is negotiable, to a certain extent.

If aspects of their game can be viewed as variable and negotiable, it is hardly surprising that using cheats doesn’t seem that far removed from the rules of the game in the first place.

It is in our DNA to try and find ways to gain an advantage over our rivals and when there is a chance to navigate a shortcut to that success, it is easy to see why you might find it easy to justify finding a way to gain the upper hand in a game.

It is impossible to construct a conclusive argument that cheating is harmful to the gaming community because the concept of cheating and what it actually means in the context of gameplay is really hard to define.

Some players will view cheating as a legitimate gaming strategy and many consider it a normal activity within the online gaming community.

There are actually many different reasons why players cheat in games. If it really is a morally reprehensible activity that some claim cheating to be, why is it such a popular and established industry within the gaming sector?