The History of Games Cheats
Games cheats are alterations in game codes that alter the original intention of the game. Cheats can range from simple code changes that help players win, to contentious alterations such as the Fortnite aimbot, which can ruin fair play and game balance. Some gamers make their own cheats, while others find them on the internet or get them from other players. Cheats are found in a variety of ways, including official game forums, YouTube videos, or on dedicated wikis for the game.
The history of games cheats dates back to the early 1980s, when 8-bit computer systems enabled players to manipulate game memory. By entering a string of code on the console keyboard, players could change statistics (e.g., lives, ammo) in the game’s memory. The most common method of changing these values was the POKE command. As a result, the first third-party gaming hardware was born: specialized cartridges such as Datel’s multiface for ZX Spectrum or the infamous Game Genie for NES, Super NES, and Game Boy allowed users to modify the game code before it was executed.
In the 1990s, as video games became increasingly complex and difficult to beat in a single sitting, developers began to include “cheat codes” as a way to add new gameplay options or give players extra life to keep playing. Cheat codes might unlock new characters to play as, a new level, a boss character, or even a teleportation device that would allow players to instantly go to the desired location in the game.
These preprogrammed cheats started to disappear as games became more advanced and online play became possible. However, a new form of cheating grew to replace it: using external software and hardware to manipulate a game’s code. Some of these tools were purposefully designed by the first-party developers, while others were created by players who discovered unintended code exploits.
Some cheats involve modifying a game’s network communication. One method is called lag switching, in which a player creates an application that hogs the network bandwidth and disrupts communication between the game client and game server. This can lead to a lag-free experience for a short time, but it can also cause a connection to fail and the game to shut down.
Other cheats, such as the aforementioned aimbot, use external software to observe rival gamers’ screens in multiplayer online games and expose their strategies, movements, and positions. This can be especially harmful in competitive shooters such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, where a cheat like this can erode fair competition by allowing players to deliver pinpoint accuracy that is unobtainable through normal means. While these types of cheats are not considered ethical by many gaming communities, they continue to be popular among some gamers. As gaming continues to evolve, the occurrence of cheats and hacks will surely increase in both frequency and complexity. Whether they’re designed to enhance the gaming experience or ruin it, we can only hope that developers take steps to address them as quickly and efficiently as possible.