Lives: 999
....Needless to say, the topic intrigued me, as I've been playing a game lately that quite a few people out there tend to play not so nicely in.
I think it goes without saying that us, as gamers, want to win. We desire all of that ridiculously overpowered equipment. We grind for hours just to get a few levels up. And most importantly, we pick Meta Knight in Smash Bros Brawl.
You fuckers...
What I'm getting at here is that by fair means or foul, we want to CRUSH our opponents.
But as we've seen constantly over the years, maybe we've taken that motivation to win, and clung onto it too much. This is where the theory of "too much of a good thing" comes into play.
But before we get too crazy, let's try and grasp upon the very concept and fundamentals of what it means to cheat in a video game.
In Wikipedia's words, "Cheating (and/or hacking) in video games involves a player using non-standard methods to create an advantage (or disadvantage) beyond normal gameplay in order to make the game easier (or harder)."
And it's understandable to see why your average asshole Joe Schmoe would want to have the Master Sword before he even goes into the first dungeon, but by getting what we want before we can even legitimately gain it, are we ruining our experience of the game we're trying to have more fun in?
Is it possible that by having the ability to transform into Super Sonic at the click of an A button only moments after hitting the start button, we're deteriorating the game's intended design? This is, once again, where the concept of having too much of a good thing comes into play.
I recently made a link, and here are a few of the replies that I got. Try to notice the pattern here.
"Because the challenge is gone. If LeBron played basketball against a bunch of 9 year olds it wouldn't be fun for him either. -ThatsBushLeague
"There's no challenge. The effort vs reward aspect of our brains is essentially removed from the game when we cheat, because we have nothing to strive for. As human beings, we only really appreciate the things we have to work for." -TheDragonBallGuy75
"There is no challenge. If you want to be happy from achieving something you need to work hard for it. Life lesson." -Kovandy5
See the link here? By being able to buy literally everything just by inserting a secret code or by installing some hacking software, you're essentially just going to effortlessly wipe out enemies for a half hour until you get bored.
I'd like you, just for a moment, to think of your favorite video game. (Mine's Paper Mario 64, for the record.) Think of how wonderful that game was designed, and how much effort was put into it. The scenery, the controls, the Easter eggs, the voice acting, oh!
Now I'd like you to imagine that video game, but with everything already unlocked. You have infinity lives, coins, crystals, can't be hurt, all the badges, all the weapons, all the achievements at arms reach, your armor transcending what any level of defense should be able to take, and your up air deals 999% damage.
I can literally guarantee you that your thought process is going to go something like this.
1: "WHOO! Look at me, crushing everything like it AIN'T SHIT! HAHA, TAKE THIS, AND THAT! HOW YOU LIKIN' THIS, SHAO KAHN!?"
2: "Holy SHIT I move fast! Get a load of this, enemy scum! Man, this is great. A little too great, but great nonetheless."
3: "Umm...I just killed the boss in one shot. Anybody wanna like, put up a fight, or...?"
4: "Fuck this, let's play something else."
Like the Redditors stated, by instantly being able to obliterate anything that can possibly cause harm to the player, you remove any and all rewarding elements of a video game. Dopamine releases from your brain become non-existent, because the factor of difficulty is completely gone.
It's kinda like eating candy. GREAT for the first five minutes, but after gorging yourself on Skittles for a little while, you start to realize just what in the fuck you've done to your body. The same applies to a video game.
So the TL;DR of it is that by hacking away at a game until there's nothing left, you're rusting away the intended experience of the game in question. This is probably why cheat codes aren't really around anymore. At first, they were fun bonuses that were hard to find. But with the power of the internet and a severe rise in the desire to win, developers have really halted the usage of codes in games these days. They're easy to find because of the internet, and causes a sense of loss in the gamers who do go down that road.
But is there another factor to this, or is it really JUST the loss in challenge that causes games to lose their appeal after 20 minutes of what must be quite the sugar rush? Well, there is a second theory, in my opinion. Also, this is assuming you've never played the game before, or don't really know the game that well.
But like a movie spoiler, by getting in the faulty mood before you really know a game, you create a false sense of what the game is in your mind, similar to what I just mentioned two paragraphs ago. It forms a feeling of loss, since you're clearly not playing the game by its intended experience.
After all, by gunning your way through monsters effortlessly, you seldom feel how much effort was put into the music, level design, EXP system, or sense of real progress.
Unlike a movie spoiler, you can play the game fresh by simply choosing to not be a Benedict Arnold son of a bitch the next time you play, but like a movie spoiler, your very perception of what the game is REALLY changes.
You start to notice how small and difficult the platforms are to land on. This one enemy's sword has SO much range to it. Dear god, I can't make it out of here without drowning!
....But wow, this music is incredible. Leveling up in this game actually feels gradual and rewarding. Look at these cut-scenes! AND HOLY RAVIOLI, IS THAT JASON VOORHEES IN MY MORTAL KOMBAT GAME!?
The perspectives are bound to be night and fucking day.
So in conclusion, should we cheat in video games? Well, contrary to this entire article, hacking and/or the usage of cheat codes isn't always a bad thing.
Like having rage sex with your ex boy/girlfriend, it can feel great to play unfair in a video game that you really loathe. Or, if you just know a (good) game very well and want to see it from a different angle, try playing it again. Try watching Star Wars, but KNOWING that Darth Vader is Luke's father. Again, the perspectives are night and day.
But in the end, it all comes down to how fresh and innocent you want your experience to be. If you've played the game plenty and want a new perspective, or want to fuck your most hated game in its theoretical ass, then go right ahead, it can be fun. Go on link and RAPE THAT SHIT!
But if you're looking for a new experience and want to legitimately play the game in your own fair mindset, then I'd suggest to avoid that Konami Code.
A special thanks to all zero of you that actually read this entire article, pat yourselves on the back! This is Deathding signing out, telling ya'll to have a good one!
The brazen bull an execution device
