Explain Like I'm Five

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ELI5: Why is cheating in online games seemingly so prevelant? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

62 comments fedilink hide all child comments

What do these people think they gain?

Whats the point?

Do they really just want to ruin stuff for everyone?

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I used to love in-game cheats as a kid. The 'motherlode' cheat on the Sims & the button combinations in GTA were great. Being able to summon a tank and roll over everything on-demand was awesome. I liked how those games embraced it and made things a whole lot more fun.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 months ago (1 children)

In a single player game no one should give a shit. Give yourself a million dollars. Mod in a gun that does 50,000 damage. A car that does 350mph.

It's pvp where people notice/care you're cheating

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, I'm reminiscing because I was reminded of that particularly fun period in my life. Nothing to do with the main topic.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Have you tried gtao with mods/cheats? Its the only game that I happily "cheat in" because when I play, I just want to have fun with the new things. Also keeps you safe from other modders, and I've made quite a few friends just being able to enjoy the game and not grind.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

I haven't played GTAO, but maybe I'll check it out. Thanks for the tip.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

I'm also nostalgic for the era where cheats were easter eggs that enhanced the single-player experience.

Like, as a kid I was interested in Warcraft/Starcraft, but I'm horrible at RTS gameplay. Cheats gave me an out so that I could enjoy the story.

Historically, cheats were essentially debug tools that the developer could use to, say, thoroughly play through a level with unlimited lives. But around the 90s/00s you started to see this shift away from using a complicated code of buttons to activate (Konami Code, IDDQD) to a simple to remember phrase ("PowerOverwhelming,""GiveUsATank," "GunsGunsGuns").

That shift makes me think that the cheats were for the players to enjoy. Otherwise they wouldn't have fun names to activate them.