How to Find Video Game Cheats
Video game cheats are codes or loopholes that allow players to skip the hardest parts of a game and get ahead of it. They can range from giving the player a full health bar to being able to fly around the map at will, or even letting them skip the whole level altogether. Most games have their own designated console into which the cheats are entered, but others don’t and require that you do some scouting online to find them.
Cheat codes were originally developed to help developers and QA testers test their games. There is always a phase of the game testing process where it needs to be played over and over again until every element is working correctly, and that takes time. Cheat codes speed up the testing process and allow a quick turnaround between playthroughs.
Many cheats involve modifying the game software, despite EULAs that forbid modification. This can be as simple as a string of digits that enables a teleportation function, or it may involve hacking into the code itself to modify if statements, switches and function invocations to create an advanced script or call graph. This type of hack can also be used to bypass system or driver modifications and obfuscate, virtualize or hide critical code elements to limit static analysis by attackers.
Once a game developer or hacker has decided on the type of cheat they want to make, either external or internal, it is time to start developing the actual code. This is an arduous task that involves using a memory hacking program to break apart the game’s code and repetitively making small changes in the data stored in the memory until they work. Internal cheats are more complex, with the hacker looking into the code and using a program called ‘hooks’ to add new functionality to the game’s existing functions.
Creating these cheats and hacks is not only a time consuming activity but can be quite dangerous too. Especially for teenagers, participating in gaming cheat websites and forums can be a stepping stone into cybercrime. Some of these teens will progress to creating malware and attacking computers, which is why it is so important for parents to monitor the activities of their children online. A good way to do this is to install a parental control application on their home computer. There are a number of different options available for this, including NetNanny and Parental Alerts. These tools will also notify you if your child has visited a malicious site and will block access to it immediately. In addition, they will send a text message to your mobile phone if your child has attempted to visit any potentially damaging sites. These apps can be downloaded for free from the app store or from some major web browsers. You can also get them for some tablets and smartphones.
