Why Video Games Have Cheats
The word “cheat” carries with it a stigma, suggesting that people who cheat in video games are lazy and not willing to put in the work necessary to succeed. But that’s not always the case. Some people actually use cheats to make the game more fun, and they can often be quite funny in the process.
Some gamers even go as far as to build their own cheat codes, modifying the underlying code of the game in order to give themselves special powers while playing it. This is known as hacking and can be done in a variety of ways, from using special software to create aimbots to simply changing the code to allow players to walk through walls. While most games today do not include built-in cheats, many of them still have codes that can be used to help players overcome particularly difficult obstacles or achieve a certain level of success.
Video games are a huge industry, and some developers decide to incorporate cheats directly into their game for a number of reasons. One is that this can simplify the quality assurance (QA) phase of the development cycle. The QA phase involves having testers play the game and look for any glitches or other problems that might be a hindrance to player enjoyment. If a tester finds that they can easily beat the game by using a cheat, it’s a good indication that the game is ready for public release.
Another reason is that a developer may decide to build the cheat into the game as a sort of Easter Egg. This allows gamers to experience a unique side of the game that isn’t otherwise available. It can be a way to reward loyal fans, or it could just be a little something extra that makes the game more memorable for those who have experienced it.
During the era of the cartridge-based gaming systems, gamers with some computer knowledge were able to use the POKE command on their consoles or PC in order to change the values stored within a game’s memory. This enabled them to cheat by adjusting the statistics — lives, ammo, etc. — of a video game, often giving them features such as unlimited health or infinite ammo.
As gaming grew more complex, however, it became harder and harder to complete games without cheating. Some of these cheats were left in as a means to make the games more accessible to casual gamers who did not have the patience or skill required to play the game without the use of a cheat.
The most common cheats now, in terms of granting the gamer an advantage over other players, are found through third-party software like aimbots and wallhacks that modify a game’s programming to enable the cheater to see where other players are located in the game environment, either by revealing their pixelated heads or by telling the cheater what their opponents are doing. These kinds of cheats can be very dangerous and unfair, and they are generally not tolerated in competitive online multiplayer gaming.
