Combating Cheating in Video Games Verses Business as Usual

I recently saw that DICE, the makers of Battlefield 3 is trying to stop cheating in their game It made me think of my days fighting cheaters. I did a fine job spotting, catching, and banning cheaters from Clan Ladder. I know I would be a great candidate for that position. This article discusses my experiences with cheaters in PC games.

Cheating in video games dates back to the first games of the internet before my time. I found my first experience with cheaters in 1998 while playing Jedi Knight Dark Forces 2. I had my last experience, that I know of, with Rainbow Six Raven shield because I discovered the world of MMO games. Being a cheater in games comes with 3 schools of thought. Your not good enough to compete with others so you want to win now, you simply don’t care, and you do care and always denounce it to hide the fact your cheating. Most people are the first and the third categories. The first one is the new or average gamer who searches the internet for a simple download cheat to blend in as good instantly. The third type is your great e-sports tournament type competitive personality, who knows how to play, but cheats when they have too.

I was THE leading internet gaming site for Jedi Knight, Rainbow Six, Rogue Spear, Ghost Recon, Half Life, and more. I was dealing with cheaters on a daily basis. I seen all the tricks and methods. I also seen some terrible cheaters that would make you laugh. I created or found away to get a Anti Cheat patches for Jedi Knight, a $1000 Anti Cheat Patch Contest for all Rainbow Six Games and Ghost Recon for my clan community. The patch worked miracles for my clan gaming tournament network. I had to take it upon myself to commission such a patch due to the lack of care for the online community from the publisher.

In another school of thought, some publishers seem to think if the game is able to allow cheats the more people will purchase and play it. Therefore, causing an increase in sales for the product. If the game was a huge hit they could try to fix it via a patch later if the game life cycle warranted. The developers are already on the next project by the time a game ships. Any small release patches usually fix bugs for compatibility and not cheats. The company response to the gaping flaws in the product that tells the big tale what the company really thinks of its online community. Remember, actions are always louder then words. I have dealt with developers and publishers that are around today that continue to allow cheats for profit.

Cheating in video games isn’t anything new and will always be an uphill battle. It takes a trained person who knows the games inside an out. Behavior is another big factor is finding a cheater. Cheaters coming in all ages and sexes. Cheating does not discriminate. People are always looking for an edge. Stay vigilant and keep fighting it. The types of cheats haven’t changed from the beginning the methods of detecting them may have. I applied for the position of Anti cheat administrator for DICE. DICE took the first step in acknowledging the problem with Battlefield 3 and is taking steps to correct it. I just hope they consider my application for the position given my knowledge in battling this epidemic.

What is your experience with cheating in games? Can you spot a cheater?

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