My Thoughts on Cheating |
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I've seen a lot of discussion and arguing on various message boards about cheating. Most arguments are very one sided or flat out incorrect like the one at Bisqwit's site. I have yet to see a single comprehensive explanation that is satisfactory so I decided to put my thoughts down. I will be revising this based on further discussion and input.
Within the context of games, sports, and competitions, cheating is about violating rules. Stated more formally, Cheating is violating the rules of a voluntary activity in order to obtain the built-in goal or benefit of participating in that activity. Ethically, it boils down to fairness. It is unfair to break established rules that others follow in good faith. Cheating most often involves using an unfair tactic or means to gain an advantage.
For example, athletes that use steroids are cheating because they use banned substances to gain an unfair advantage. It is easier to get good results by cheating than it is by playing fairly which explains why so many people are tempted to cheat. People cheat for many reasons, but always for the purpose of obtaining something to which they are not entitled.
Cheating and Deception are not the same although cheating is often accomplished by deception. If a person cheats in a card game, he will be caught and punished by the other players (or shot dead in the Old West). The cheater deceives because that's the only way he can use his unfair tactics effectively. If he doesn't hide his actions, he will be punished. In order to be an effective cheater, deceiving is often (but not always) necessary.
In an activity where there is no means for monitoring or punishing cheaters, deception is no longer necessary. Take law enforcement as a comparison. Under normal conditions, it is necessary for a thief to hide his actions in order to succeed. If there were no police, armed robbers would be able to steal in broad daylight without any fear of being caught or punished. Deception or not, they are still stealing! The same goes for cheating. If cheaters who break rules can't be punished or stopped, they no longer need to deceive. Cheating does not require or imply deception! Cheating and deception are completely distinct and separate concepts.
Solitaire and Poker are two good examples that demonstrate my point. It is possible to cheat at Solitaire or any other one player game for that matter. There is no deception because you play the game alone and are aware of any rules you break. Poker, oddly enough, actually encourages deception! That is the basis of the game. Cheating in Poker involves using an unfair advantage such as marking cards or having the dealer "flash" cards. Intentionally marking cards in Poker is breaking the rules and provides the player with an unfair advantage; hence, it is cheating.
Nearly every game or activity has rules. Some rules are inherent or "built into" the game. Others are imposed by the players to ensure fairness. The rules for competition at a place like Twin Galaxies are imposed by referees and players to ensure fair competition. If you expect your scores to be recognized by them then you have to play by their rules. This is fair. If you don't care about your scores being recognized then you can ignore these "imposed" rules. Using a "banned" glitch or "leeching" tactic that is part of the game is only cheating if you've agreed to abide by a ruleset that doesn't allow it.
The other kinds of "rules" are built into the game. By "game" I mean the combination of software and hardware which combine to form the construct we know as a game. The game is a self contained universe based on a set of rules laid out by the designers of the game and the system it is played on. Introducing new elements (like save states) or modifying existing elements within the game is breaking these rules.
For example, many games have intentional limitations like jumping height, energy, save points, and # of lives. Using a device like a Game Genie to give yourself infinite lives is breaking the rules of the game. Also, the game runs at a mostly constant frame rate by design. Using any outside means to modify the frame rate is cheating because you're breaking a rule that is inherent to the design of the game. I say "outside means" because there are ways to affect the frame rate using methods that are a natural part of the game like "lookdown" in GoldenEye or minimizing onscreen enemies. This is not cheating. Introducing new elements like saving/loading whenever you want is also clearly a violation of the game rules which is cheating.
Some have argued that they can set their own rules which allow save states and frame rate manipulation via emulators. These are imposed rules which should be obeyed only by those who have agreed to abide by them. You're still breaking the rules of the game itself. These rules are the foundation of the game and are non-negotiable. Breaking them is cheating at the game no matter how you cut it. People who use emulators to modify the frame rate and utilize save states are cheating at the game. Period.
This is where the gray area exists. As I stated earlier, the ethical problem with cheating is unfairness. In cases where breaking rules isn't unfair to other participants of your chosen activity, it can be helpful and even beneficial.
For matters of research, I doubt many people would object to cheating. Researching in general has lax ethical standards which is why we as a society tolerate things such as usage of human bodies (cadavers) for medical research. Under normal circumstances, mutilating a dead human body is not acceptable behavior, but for the purpose of training medical students, we allow this. Similarly, cheating at games for the purpose of research is usually accepted by gamers. I recall using save states to find out if it was possible to kill the demon's head in Ninja Gaiden with just a sword. Trying to find this out on a console would have been masochistic!
For matters of private self enjoyment of a game, I would also let cheaters slide. This kind of thinking also has precedents outside of gaming. Acceptable behavior in your own private space, where nobody else is affected, is very different from what is acceptable in public. If you want to talk loudly or make noise while watching a movie in the privacy of your own home, nobody will care. Doing the same thing in a public theater is very inconsiderate and is unfair to other people. Similarly, cheating at games in a private environment is something I would tolerate. If people want to see the ending of a game that is too difficult for them, they have my blessing to cheat. They are cheating themselves of the proper gameplay experience, but it's their game, and they can play it how they want to since they're not harming anyone else. Cheating at games can be fun as long as you are careful not to encroach upon the domain of people who play fairly.
This brings me to the matter of speed runs and other gaming activities based on skill and mastery. Speed runs exist mostly because gamers wanted to test both the limits of their abilities and the limits of the games they play. Speed runs happen to be the most popular form of gaming competition, and players use them as a way to demonstrate skill and mastery, which in turn is entertaining to watch. We find pro sports entertaining because of the skill displayed. It's fun to watch a talented person in action whether it is a basketball player or a NES player. Cheating at a game in order to make a more "entertaining" speed run due to a false impression of skill is contemptible and undermines honest players everywhere. By doing speed runs specifically, cheaters are competing with honest players which is unfair.
There is no disputing that tool assisted players are cheating at games to make their videos. This is a fact, and trying to argue against this point is futile and only demonstrates stubbornness and self delusion. As stated above, the only place where there's room for argument is in whether it is wrong or not to cheat at games. Most people will form their own opinion here, but I am certainly against cheating for the purpose of making videos which by nature create an artificial impression of skill. Cheating at video games for the purpose of creating more "perfect" speed runs is unfair, unethical, and should be condemned by honest gamers.
I have disliked cheated speed runs from the start, and I will always dislike them. In the context of gaming, I can't think of anything more harmful than rampant cheating being accepted by the community. It may seem fun or entertaining now, but it ruins the enjoyment of games for everyone in the long run.
Intelligent and civilized discussion is welcome at The Forums.- sdkess