Cheating in video games involves a player of a video game creating an advantage beyond the bounds of normal gameplay, usually to make the game easier.
Typical cheats include unfair advantages such as invulnerability ("God mode")
or an infinite amount of some resource such as ammunition. Cheats may
also create unusual or interesting effects which do not necessarily
make the game easier to play, such as making enemies tougher, or giving
characters (including enemies) different appearances, such as large
heads. Cheats often take the form of 'secrets' placed by game
developers, usually to reward dedicated players.
Cheats may be activated from within the game itself (a cheat code implemented by the original game developers); or created by third-party software (a game trainer) or hardware (a cheat cartridge).
[edit] History
Cheating in video games has existed for almost their entire history. The first cheat codes were put in place for play testing
purposes. Playtesters had to rigorously test the mechanics of a game
and introduced cheat codes to make this process easier. An early cheat
code can be found in Manic Miner, where typing "6031769" (the phone number of the developer, Matthew Smith)[1] enables the cheat mode.
[edit] Cheating on early home computers
Even on early gaming systems such as the ZX Spectrum, cheating was prevalent, even a necessity (such as in the case of Jet Set Willy).[2] A variety of different methods were used.
In a computer game, all numerical values are stored 'as is' in
memory. Gamers could literally reprogram a small part of the game
before launching it.[3]
In the context of games for many 8-bit computers, it was a usual
practice to load games into memory and, before launching them, modify
specific memory addresses in order to cheat, getting an unlimited
number of lives, immunity, invisibility, etc. Such modifications were
performed through POKE sentences. The Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum also allowed players with the proper cartridges or Multiface
add-on to freeze the running program, enter POKEs, and resume. Some
games tried to detect the Multiface, and refused to load if it was
present. The earliest models had no ability to "hide". Later revisions
either included a switch, hid if you opened and closed the menu before
loading the game, or automatically hid.
For instance, with "POKE 47196,201" in Knight Lore for the ZX Spectrum, immunity is achieved. Magazines such as CRASH regularly featured lists of such POKE instructions for games. In order to find them a hacker had to interpret the machine code
and locate the critical point where the number of lives is decreased,
impacts detected, etc. Sometimes the term POKE was used with this
specific meaning.
Early cheating was largely exploited by technology-orientated
players due to the difficulty of early cheats. However, a cheat
industry quickly emerged as gaming systems evolved, through the
packaging and selling of cheating as a product. Cheat-enablers such as
cheat books, game guides, cheat cartridges helped form a cheat industry
and cemented cheating as part of gaming culture.[4] Cheating was not universally accepted in early gaming however. Gaming magazine Amiga Power
took a very strong opinion on cheating, condemning cheaters. They took
the stance that cheating was not part of their philosophy of fairness.
They also applied this in reverse; games should not be allowed to cheat
the player, either.
[edit] Cheating on modern home computers and consoles
Cheating is very popular in modern videogames, with several
magazines dedicated to listing cheats and walkthroughs for consoles and
computer systems. POKE cheats have disappeared and have been replaced
by trainers and cheat codes. By and large, the majority of cheat codes
on modern day systems are implemented not by gamers, but by game developers. The reasons for this are relatively clear:
- The establishment of a cheating culture has created expectancy from gamers for video games to contain cheats.
- Cheats in single player games increase a game's replay value for the gamer.
- Game developers understand that many people do not have the time to complete a video game on their own,[5] and therefore cheats make a game more accessible and appealing to a casual gamer.
- An example of someone who doesn't have time to complete a video
game on their own is a game reviewer working to a tight deadline. Cheat
codes will enable the reviewer to experience more of the game content
in the limited time available, and therefore (hopefully) produce a
better review. - With the rise in popularity of gaming, cheating using external
software and hardware raises a number of copyright legal issues related
to modifying game code.
[edit] Typical effects of cheats
[edit] Invulnerability
Invulnerability ("God mode") is a state wherein the player character
is invulnerable to damage. A variation of this is "Buddha mode" where
the player character gets damaged or hurt but cannot die (health stops
decreasing when it reaches 1).
[edit] Invisibility
Invisibility in a video game causes enemies to not see the player
character, in order to avoid being attacked by them, such as the
"notarget" code in some first-person shooters.
[edit] No-Clip
No-Clip disables collision detection so the player character can pass through walls or objects, imparting a rather ethereal quality to playing the game.
[edit] Flying
Usually allows the player to levitate or fly. This ability sometimes
includes the No-Clip feature though this does vary in different games.
[edit] Infinite resources
An infinite amount of some resource such as ammunition, lives, or
money. Some cheat codes allow the user to increase the amount of such
resources to the maximum amount the player is permitted to carry, but
without giving them infinite amounts (Quake Engine
can give 999 ammo, for example); however generally the code may be
repeated at any time, in some cases, even while using the resource,
essentially giving unlimited amounts of the resource, e.g. being able
to keep reloading while shooting, giving the close equivalent of
unlimited ammo.
[edit] Addition to weapons or inventory items
There are ways of editing a game save file to add certain useful
items to your inventory or give your player more weapons. Some cheats
give very powerful and the most powerful weapons, items, objects, or
characters. Save files can also be edited to place the player character
in a different area in the game.
[edit] Unlockable items and characters
Some cheats can unlock hidden items or unused content in the game. In Fighting Games it is common for characters to be unlockable.
[edit] Unusual effects
Cheats may create unusual or interesting effects which don't
necessarily make the game easier to play. For example, one cheat in Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis makes dinosaurs appear 'undead'.
In other games, a cheat may make the game harder to play; for instance
one could give the enemy special abilities, add a harder difficulty,
make neutral bystanders attack the player or give the player a
disadvantage such as low health points or cause instant death. In a few
games the player is humorously penalized if they use cheat codes
originally for another game; for example, using cheat codes from Doom in Descent would result in a sarcastic message from the programmers on screen. Similar effects also occurred if codes from Descent were attempted to be used in its sequels. The game Heretic played on Doom's
codes gives the complete opposite of the desired effect (instant death
instead of invulnerability; stripping weapons instead of providing
them, etc)[citation needed].
Other unusual cheats found regularly in games include "big-head mode",
switching weapons for other objects, and codes to change the colors of
characters.
Some games allow the player to enter a code to change what the
character is wearing or to change the character itself, but not enhance
the progress of the game. For example, most of the Grand Theft Auto
games allow the player to enter a code to make the character change
into an NPC.
Another unusual cheat code in the Grand Theft Auto games is the ability
to make the people of the town start rioting, or hold weapons.[6]
Easter eggs are a related feature, although such hidden content has no impact on gameplay.
Oni has some of these unusual codes, namely
- bighead: inflates everyone's head.
- minime: makes the player so small that is essentially impossible to be hit in close combat.
- godzilla: makes the player larger, thus increasing the target profile.
- shapeshifter: if the player presses F8, he/she will transform into other characters from the map.
[edit] Inability to attain high scores/achievements
In games having attainable achievements and/or high score
records, cheats by nature allow the player to attain the achievements
too easily or unrealistic scores which a non-cheating player cannot
obtain. To prevent this, a few PC games like Half-Life 2: Episode 2 and Xbox games do not record the player's achievements whenever cheat mode is activated. Developer commentary
can also have the same effect as activating a node renders the player
invulnerable to damage. Also, when the game is saved with cheats
activated, the game will record that info in the save file, causing
subsequent reloads from that save file to reactivate cheat mode[7]. Some games will even admonish the player for using cheats either during the game or at the end of the level; Portal
will display "CHEATED!" above the panel showing how well the player did
upon completing a chamber in Challenge mode with cheats activated.
[edit] Cheating methods
[edit] Cheat code
Cheat codes are cheats that may be activated from within the game
itself. Most common entry points are in a developer console, a code
entry dialog, at title screens, or in-game. Cheat codes are often
sequences of button presses or textual commands, depending on the input
device. Unlike other cheating methods, cheat codes are implemented by
the game developers themselves, often as a tool to playtest certain
aspects of the game without difficulty. For example, the Konami Code was built in the game Gradius
gave the player a full set of powerups because the developer, Kazuhisa
Hashimoto, thought the game was too hard to play during testing.[8] Another example is in Star Wars Battlefront 2,
on which all systems (e.g.,PC, Xbox, and so on). Its cheats are well
known. Some games allow cheat codes to be unlocked when a player has
enough of some kind of points or money. Examples of this are the
unlockable secrets in Jak 2 and Jak 3 that modify the player character's appearance, etc.
[edit] Modification of game code
Activation may take the approach of modifying existing game code.[9] In the case of Jet Set Willy on the ZX Spectrum computer, a popular cheat involved replacing a Z80 instruction DEC (HL) in the program (which was responsible for decrementing the number of lives by one) with a NOP, effectively granting the player infinite lives.[10]
[edit] Modification of game source code
There are some open source games such as BZFlag that have their source code
freely available. A player could take this code and rewrite it so it
either includes cheats or applies a cheat to the game automatically.
[edit] Trainers
Game trainers are programs made to modify behaviour of a computer game, usually using addresses and values, in order to allow cheating[11]. It can "freeze" a memory address
disallowing the game from lowering or changing the information stored
at that memory address e.g. health meter. It simply manipulates the
data at the memory addresses specified to suit the needs of the person
cheating at the game. These methods of cheating are often less reliable
than cheat codes included into a game by its creators; certain
programming styles or quirks of internal game logic, different release
versions of a game, or even using the same game at different times or
on different hardware, may result in different memory usage and hence
the trainer program might have no effect, or stop the game from running
altogether.
In the 1980s and 1990s, trainers were generally integrated straight into the actual game by cracking groups.
When the game was first started, the trainer loaded first, asking the
player if he/she wished to cheat. Then the code would proceed to the
actual game. In the cracker group release lists and intros, trained
games were marked with one or more plus signs after them, one for each
option in the trainer, for example: "the Mega Krew presents: Ms. Astro Chicken++".
Modern trainers append their titles with a single + and a number, as
many have several functions. The number used represents the number of
modifications the trainer has available[11]. Examples include "Final Fantasy VII - Ultima Edition +50 Trainer" or "Halo +15 Trainer", which would have 50 or 15 different effects respectively.
Modern trainers also come as separately downloadable programs;
instead of modifying the game's programming directly, values stored in
memory are changed.
There are also universal trainers, such as ArtMoney or GameWiz32, that users can use to modify customized values in their games.
[edit] Hardware
A cheat cartridge is attached to an interface port on a home
computer or console. It allows a user to modify the game code either
before or during its execution. An early example is the Multiface for the ZX Spectrum, and almost every format since has had a cheat cartridge created for it; such as Datel's range of Action Replay devices. Another popular example of this is Game Genie for NES, Super Nintendo, Game Boy, and Game Gear game consoles. Modern disc-based cheat hardware include GameShark and Code Breaker which modify game code from a large database of cheats.
[edit] Emulation
Some emulators such as VisualBoyAdvance, Nestopia, Snes9x, NO$GBA, and Project64
allow players to modify game code as the game is running to cheat. Some
even emulate cheating hardware such as Game Genie. Emulators such as MAME
take this a step further, by introducing menus specifically for
cheating on a particular game. One huge advantage of emulators over
unaugmented authentic hardware is that they are often able to save the
state of the entire emulated machine at any point, effectively allowing
saving at any point in a game even where no facility for saving and
restoring progress is provided by the game itself; additional hardware
"instant replay" devices for some consoles also allow such behaviour.
[edit] Saved game editors
Programs exist that offer the facility to change attributes held
within a game's save profile. It can allow someone to uncover secrets,
discover things cut from games and modify characters.[12] For example, on the game Elite, utilities exist that allow the number of in-game credits to be modified, or additional equipment to be acquired. Hex editors
were formerly quite a popular means of editing saved game files (e.g.
to give the player a large sum of money in strategy games such as Dune II).
However, with the rise of dedicated game-editing utilities, hex editing
as a means of cheating in games has become comparatively unpopular.
There is also a similar method for cheating in online games, which
involves editing packets leaving, changing the state of the game.
[edit] Strategy guides
Strategy guides are instruction books that contain hints or complete
solutions to specific video games. The exact meaning of a "strategy
guide" these days is very vague, as most could be easily ranked as
"walkthroughs" or "hint collections". Some people consider using a strategy guide
a form of cheating. This usually applies to adventure or role-playing
games where a puzzle may need to be solved. Strategy guides reveal the
answers to puzzles and give hints on how to pass certain scenes in a
game. Some guides even include a list of cheat codes for the game.
[edit] Cheating in online games
Cheating exists in many multiplayer online computer games.
While there have always been cheat codes and other ways to make single
player games easier, developers often attempt to prevent it in
multiplayer games. With the release of the first popular internet
multiplayer games cheating took on new dimensions. Previously it was
rather easy to see if the other players cheated, as most games were
played on local networks or consoles. The Internet
changed that by increasing the popularity of multiplayer games, giving
the players anonymity, and giving people an avenue to communicate
cheats.
[edit] Aimbots
An aimbot, sometimes called "auto-aim", is software used in online multiplayer first-person shooter
games that assists the player in aiming at the target. Since it gives
the user an advantage over unaided players, it is considered a cheat.
[edit] Twinking
Twinking
is the practice of passing on valuable items not normally available at
player's character's level. Such activity is often employed by "power
levellers" in games such as EverQuest in order to quickly increase the rate at which experience points
can be accumulated and therefore the corresponding progression within
the game. However, in some cases, this may not necessarily be a cheat
as it can be done without breaking any game rules, as in World of Warcraft, where high level players can easily mail money and equipment to their lower level characters. In Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
this is possible; if a lower-leveled player takes another high-level
player's gun after killing him/her it stays in the player's inventory,
with the ability of using it the next match.
[edit] Macroing
Macroing is when a player uses a script called a macro, which automates player actions, to automatically find items or defeat enemies for the player's advantage. This is common in online multiplayer games such as RuneScape, Guild Wars, RF Online, or World of Warcraft,
despite being against the rules of the video game. Many games have
their own macro system, though they're limited in some way; for
example, Guild Wars limits the commands to less than 300 letters, and City of Heroes allows only one in-game action to be executed per macro button. Often, external utilities such as MacroMaker are used in conjunction with in-game macros to perform complex or repetitive tasks.
[edit] Sale of online currency
The prevalence of massively multiplayer online games (MMORPGs) such as World of Warcraft, EverQuest, Guild Wars, and RuneScape has resulted in the trading of in-game currency for real world currency.[13] This can lead to virtual economies.
The rise of virtual economies has led to cheating where a gamer will
cheat to gain large amounts of ingame money which the player will then
trade for real cash. One common method of doing so is through macroing, where a player will write a script to automate an action which generates cash.[14]
The Terms of Service of most modern online games now specifically
prohibit the transfer of accounts and/or sale of in-game items for
'real-world' money.
[edit] Prevention of cheating
Prevention of cheating in singleplayer games is practically
non-existent, shown by the fact that most cheat codes are implemented
by game developers themselves. However cheating on online games is
common on public game servers and to this extent some online games, such as Battlefield 1942, include specific features to counter cheating exploits, by incorporating tools such as PunkBuster, nProtect GameGuard, or VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat).
However, much like anti-virus companies; anti-cheat tools are
constantly and consistently bypassed until further updates force cheat
creators to find new methods to bypass the protection. The Prevention
of cheating is an important feature on most modern online games. It is
especially important during online gaming tournaments, where a cash
prize will often be at stake. In these cases battle recorders are often
used to allow human spectators to spot tell tale signs players are
cheating such as spinning / looking through walls.
[edit] Cheating on consoles
Since modifying a game's code is much harder on a console game than
on a computer game, cheating on a console mainly appears in the form of
cheat codes and cheat cartridges.
Cheat codes in console games are usually activated in a slightly
different manner than computer games, owing to the different forms of
input (game controller vs. keyboard and mouse). Therefore, console
cheat codes are usually activated by a certain combination of button
presses on the game controller. Cheat cartridges are also popular on
consoles. For example cheat cartridges (or CDs) were and are available
for all the major sixth generation consoles.
[edit] Legality of cheating
Cheating in a game usually involves cheat codes, where the
manufacturer has implemented a certain code that grants the player some
advantage like beating the game by adding a cheat codes to expand the
entertainment of the game when players have manged to finish it.
However, some cheats involve the use of an external program, most
commonly a trainer, and this raises a number of copyright related legal
issues. These issues were brought up in the case Lewis Galoob Toys, Inc. v. Nintendo of America, Inc., where Nintendo unsuccessfully sued Lewis Galoob Toys stating that its cheating device, the Game Genie, created derivative works of games and violated copyright law.
[edit] Prevalence of cheating in video games
Cheating has taken place on almost every video game that has ever
been created. A casual gamer, if stuck at a place in a video game, will
often use a cheat code to get past it. The widespread nature of
cheating is shown by the popularity of game guides, sites such as GameFAQs, cheat sections in almost all video game magazines, and published game guides such as the ones from Nintendo Power.
Cheating as a fact of video games has been helped to gain acceptance by the open-ended nature of modern video games, such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,
where cheating can often increase the user experience and increase how
long a game is played. Conversely, cheating can also shorten the
playtime of some games; a 'walk through walls' code effectively removes
whatever barrier (such as a locked door or a long and difficult path)
the game world contains, making bypassing the 'block' an almost trivial
task.
- See also: anti-cheat
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Hacking Away & Rumbles". Your Spectrum. Retrieved on 2007-01-02.
- ^ "Jet Set Willy". Your Spectrum. Retrieved on 2007-01-02.
- ^ "Hardcore retro-speccy cheating code". gnome. Retrieved on 2007-01-02.
- ^ Mia Consalvo. "Cheating:Gaining Advantage in Videogames". MIT. Retrieved on 2007-01-03.
- ^ Jason Rybka. "Why Use Cheats and Codes for Console and PC Games?". The New York Times Company. Retrieved on 2007-01-03.
- ^ "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Cheat Codes". Gamespot UK. Retrieved on 2007-08-12.
- ^ FAQs Mailbag - September 1, 2006
- ^ "Cracking the Code: The Konami Code".
- ^ "Hacking Away: "Jump To It"". Your Spectrum. Future. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ "So You Want To Be A Hacker". NoNowt eZine X Magazine. NoNowt. Retrieved on 2007-01-02.
- ^ a b "Trainers" at About.com's Video Game Strategies
- ^ "Saved Game Editors". VGWS. Retrieved on 2007-01-07.
- ^ "Game exchange dispute goes to court". CNET. Retrieved on 2007-01-02.
- ^ "Eternal Lands' MMORPG Postmortem: Mistakes and Lessons, Part II". DevMaster. Retrieved on 2007-01-02.
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