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Cheating... Why Not? |
As the walkthrough editor at JA+ and a writer of walkthroughs, I feel I must add some brief comments to the recent editorial on cheating published at Adrenaline Vault on December 19, 2001.
There were many good points brought up in the article about the so-called "morality" of cheating. Whereas I would agree for online games that cheating is wrong because it changes the level playing field that all players should have for fairness, the issue of cheating in single player mode for any game is not, in my opinion, a moral question.
Is it immoral to kill someone in a game? Is it immoral to steal an object? Yes, but for the character performing the action only. It's not immoral for the gamer. Immorality is a violation of a set of codes as dictated by a society. As far as I am aware, no society has rules about computer games. Of course, if a gaming club introduces a rule about cheating, then it could be claimed that a member of that club was immoral if they used cheat codes.
One point that I feel was missing in this article, which is particularly judgmental about walkthroughs, is that the essence of gaming is fun for an individual. In other words, the ultimate goal is to withdraw from the everyday existence into a world that is different to reality, whether it is action, strategy, or adventure not to add frustration to our stressful and, at many times, unfair world, but to entertain ourselves. It is not entertaining for most people to be stuck for days on end, just because one aspect of the game experience is not gelling.
The individual's enjoyment is paramount. If someone enjoys a game but has to cheat (or wants to cheat) why is that a problem? Who has the right to judge another or what they enjoy? Personally, I don't like to resort to cheating, but I am a little action-challenged, and in some action games, I have had to use an invulnerability code to past a difficult sequence. Similarly, I have had to resort to a walkthrough to get past a particularly difficult puzzle.
The beauty of a walkthrough over cheat codes, though, is it provides a method of solution to a puzzle or outlines the procedure that is needed to achieve a desired result. I feel more resistance to resort to cheat codes than walkthrough for this reason. When I have used a walkthrough, I have used it in a way similar to the UHS hint codes. I will read a little of the walkthrough and then return to the game to see if has provided me with enough information for me to conquer the puzzle by myself. This is the way that most people use walkthroughs. An over-reliance on the walkthrough generally leads to a lesser feeling of achievement in gamers.
HOWEVER, who am I to say that this is the only (or best) way to use a walkthrough? If someone wants to cheat the whole way through a game, yet still enjoys the game, isn't that their right? How is using a walkthrough to play through a whole game different to watching a movie? We don't criticize people if they choose to sit, watch, and enjoy a movie without critically analyzing it.
As individuals, we have the right to make our own choices about cheating. Whereas I welcome the suggestion that developers consider introducing more flexibility to the levels of difficulty in games, I would hesitate to recommend that they do away with cheat codes. If extra levels or other Easter eggs are hidden from game buyers who are not quick enough or analytical enough to discover them, who are we harming by allowing all players to see the game in its entire form? If they paid the required amount of money to purchase the game, why shouldn't they be entitled to use it as they see fit?
On the issue of walkthroughs, again I believe that it is the right and choice of the individual to decide whether they want to use them. People who disagree with cheating in any form need not use them. Those who want to can do as they wish. It's not an issue of morality, it's an issue of individual choice.