ashecitism
Member
http://www.pcgamer.com/2014/04/30/h...llion-dollar-business-of-video-game-cheating/
Great read. More at the link.
Great read. More at the link.
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PC Gamer article about the cheating business and the millions it makes
- Thread starter ashecitism
- Start date
jshackles
Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
Great article - I was honestly surprised to see that people pay so much for cheats. What I took from it was the end of the article, which argued that better matchmaking processes caused people to feel like cheating wasn't needed to enjoy the game.
I hope we see more articles like this one soon.
I hope we see more articles like this one soon.
phantomspiker
Member
Just. Wow.
Damn you shackles was just going to post that quote! 
Oh well here's another that caught my eye
Certainly doesn't make cheating any less morally questionable but it does say an awful lot about the current state of game design within the multiplayer space. That and the matchmaking issue noted show that some change is long overdue in how to make a fun but fair yet competitive or socially engaging multiplayer game for varying skill levels.
Oh well here's another that caught my eye
Certainly doesn't make cheating any less morally questionable but it does say an awful lot about the current state of game design within the multiplayer space. That and the matchmaking issue noted show that some change is long overdue in how to make a fun but fair yet competitive or socially engaging multiplayer game for varying skill levels.
LiegeWaffle
Member
Now this is some real game journalism: real investigative work done, professional and neutral tone, interesting things said by people with perspective so different from ours. I wish we had more articles like that.
ashecitism
Member
I was totally oblivious to this. The first eye opener was when Gabe posted that statement on reddit which was mentioned in the article.
And yeah that 'rape and kill' part was...um...something...
And yeah that 'rape and kill' part was...um...something...
SwiftDeath
Member
I wouldn't have thought cheating could earn those kind of revenue numbers
chickdigger802
Banned
yeah, that is one way to put it.
never really cheated online, once i realize i am on the edge to do it, i realize i'm probably done with this game and should try something else in my backlog.
cheating in single player games is fine for me though.
Don't really have that much free time so cheatengine is a good friend for skipping mining shit in Mass Effect games, or to create the perfect dude in my player for nba 2k.
Rickenslacker
Banned
Great piece, but kind of disheartening. I don't know why people feel enough of a desire to cheat to pay for it, even the 50 year old who does it to keep up with his kids was a flimsy excuse.
Interesting to see things from that side though.
Interesting to see things from that side though.
Yeah, he seems pretty delusional.
Eh, I only sort of agree with that matchmaking comment. Even if the matchmaking was perfect there would still be lots of sore losers. Bad matchmaking is no excuse for cheating anyway.
Cheating in singleplayer is fine and something completely different though. In something like CS:GO you're actively ruining other people's experience every time you cheat.
I'm chalking this one up as another reason to own a PS4 or Xbox One.
That's amazing... guy is not of this world.
*edit, misread quote
That's amazing... guy is not of this world.
*edit, misread quote
D
Deleted member 102362
Unconfirmed Member
Fascinating, insightful read. I felt like I was reading about an article about organized crime (which is what this cheating nonsense feels like).
I agree with the comments about how matchmaking in online gaming could be improved. CS:GO is a great example of how much fun an evenly-matched game can be, and how abysmal a one-sided match is. Not that improving it would kill cheating or anything, but it would be a step in the right direction.
I agree with the comments about how matchmaking in online gaming could be improved. CS:GO is a great example of how much fun an evenly-matched game can be, and how abysmal a one-sided match is. Not that improving it would kill cheating or anything, but it would be a step in the right direction.
Assuming this isn't sarcasm, I'm pretty sure there's cheating in console games, too.
Netherscourge
Banned
Comparing video game cheating to rape and murder...
It's not sarcasm, would you like to point out all the aim bots, wall hacks, speed hacks and the like for Xbox One or PS4?
The ones that buy multiple copies of a game to cheat in, because their previous accounts got VAC-banned, are on a whole other pathological level. I guess at that point, that "rush" that comes from dominating other human players become the draw, and the $3 or whatever price of a game on sale is basically an admissions ticket to a 2 hour or so high, before they get VAC-banned again.
Also, I wonder whether, when people claim that VAC doesn't work, it's because it's based on heuristics, and it takes a while to update those heuristics to catch new hacks, so you don't see "hackers" (script kiddies really) get banned immediately.
Also, I wonder whether, when people claim that VAC doesn't work, it's because it's based on heuristics, and it takes a while to update those heuristics to catch new hacks, so you don't see "hackers" (script kiddies really) get banned immediately.
Falcs
Banned
Just a matter of time, son. Like their predecessors.
geordiemp
Member
One of the main reasons why, in every thread about why not switch from console to PC, I answered cheats / FOV changes / Macros / Keyboard and mouse vs controller.
People can hack in console games but being a closed system is much more difficult, and normally stupif stuff like stats in save files...
But I have never been cheated in an online console game (crossed fingers_)
evil solrac v3.0
Member
there aren't enough reaction .GIFs in the world....
Indeed, but for now they're definitely the best place for clean, competitive multiplayer.
As I said before, certainly a good reason to own either or both.
The more disturbing part is that he's making a comparison between something he profits from and rape/murder in an effort to justify what he does.
I'm not so bad! I'm just like those murderers, and everybody loves them right?
Rickenslacker
Banned
PS3 and 360 both had their own lot of cheaters and you're kidding yourself if you think the same won't happen going forward.
geordiemp
Member
Do what the article says, type in the google search term and look at the hacks available.
Nearly all of them where online games through steam / PC.
Seen a few of the crazy COD ones (zero gravity and people flying around) and always shrugged assuming it was PC.. Guess I was right.
I think the last game I cheated in was Hitman Absolution, and that was to use a trainer to alter the AI and their disguise-seeing abilities to a threshold similar to previous games. And that really didn't have multiplayer.
Never in a million fucking years would I ever pay money for cheats. What in the fuck is the point of that?
Never in a million fucking years would I ever pay money for cheats. What in the fuck is the point of that?
Netherscourge
Banned
It's interesting that he believes what he does amounts to a felony...and has NO PROBLEM with that.
Where did I mention either of those consoles? I specifically stated PS4 and Xbox One.
At some point it will happen, but probably not for years and definitely not in the near future.
geordiemp
Member
Yep if you have a modded / hacked / chipped console and altered games and played on copied disks...
Ps4 and XB1 with 50 GB Blu ray and more complex security should be harder...Not seen anything thus far,
In comparison PC cheating seems easy.
Rickenslacker
Banned
The point is it's a stopgap as anything else is, so it's not a very good reason in the end.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
Damn you shackles was just going to post that quote!
Oh well here's another that caught my eye
Certainly doesn't make cheating any less morally questionable but it does say an awful lot about the current state of game design within the multiplayer space. That and the matchmaking issue noted show that some change is long overdue in how to make a fun but fair yet competitive or socially engaging multiplayer game for varying skill levels.
Pretty much. They put their satisfaction from victory above everyone's else they come in contact with (not to mention this can domino into more cheaters from feeling one needs to cheat)
Why should I do that? I do not have to prove a negative.
The amount of stawmanning in this thread is pretty humorous.
Sho_Nuff82
Member
That might be the worst "justification" for griefing I've ever read.
Great stuff really.
I was always curious about how those cheats work, and everytime there is a vote to kick an alleged cheater it always feel like I'm surrounded by violent criminals or something.
So, even just for pictures of wallhacking, it was worth. Even worthier because holy crap I couldn't possibly imagine it was a money business, but I always assumed it was freeware stuff. :O
I was always curious about how those cheats work, and everytime there is a vote to kick an alleged cheater it always feel like I'm surrounded by violent criminals or something.
So, even just for pictures of wallhacking, it was worth. Even worthier because holy crap I couldn't possibly imagine it was a money business, but I always assumed it was freeware stuff. :O
Great article.
Gabe Newell talked about subscriptions and DRM in place for aquiring cheats, and this system was used in identification and banning via VAC. Kind of crazy how many people would actually pay for that ability. Thankfully VAC is pretty brillaint to date, so I never have problems.
Although, I loved seeing the Dark Souls 2 threads from previously banned people through VAC not being able to play the game. While VAC isn't meant to block other games like that, part of me thinks it is a brilliant penalty to really make cheating go away.
And after all if you wanna have retarded fun, go to unsecured servers of play around in stuff like gary's mod etc
Gabe Newell talked about subscriptions and DRM in place for aquiring cheats, and this system was used in identification and banning via VAC. Kind of crazy how many people would actually pay for that ability. Thankfully VAC is pretty brillaint to date, so I never have problems.
Although, I loved seeing the Dark Souls 2 threads from previously banned people through VAC not being able to play the game. While VAC isn't meant to block other games like that, part of me thinks it is a brilliant penalty to really make cheating go away.
And after all if you wanna have retarded fun, go to unsecured servers of play around in stuff like gary's mod etc
OldKingDoran
Banned
What does Blu ray have to do with anything?
Aesius
Member
Cheating in multiplayer is a very unsatisfying experience.
Back in the day (I was about 13 at the time), I managed to get my hands on an actual working trainer for Age of Empires 2 multiplayer. 99% of them were fake or would crash the game, and the ones that actually worked were closely guarded secrets.
So obviously, obtaining one at a time when I desperately wanted to win a lot of multiplayer games was a godsend.
The only major thing it did reliably was remove the fog of war from the map, so I could see everything that my opponent was doing at all times.
It did give me a huge advantage for the week or so that I used it, but each win seemed less satisfying and each loss felt even worse.
Soon enough, they released a patch and it stopped working, but I had stopped using it by that point (it also wasn't 100% reliable and would still occasionally crash the game).
I have no doubt that there were others in existence, though. I believe there was one that slowly trickled extra resources into your economy so as to make it mostly untraceable.
Back in the day (I was about 13 at the time), I managed to get my hands on an actual working trainer for Age of Empires 2 multiplayer. 99% of them were fake or would crash the game, and the ones that actually worked were closely guarded secrets.
So obviously, obtaining one at a time when I desperately wanted to win a lot of multiplayer games was a godsend.
The only major thing it did reliably was remove the fog of war from the map, so I could see everything that my opponent was doing at all times.
It did give me a huge advantage for the week or so that I used it, but each win seemed less satisfying and each loss felt even worse.
Soon enough, they released a patch and it stopped working, but I had stopped using it by that point (it also wasn't 100% reliable and would still occasionally crash the game).
I have no doubt that there were others in existence, though. I believe there was one that slowly trickled extra resources into your economy so as to make it mostly untraceable.
Roland1979
Junior Member
A part of me wish cheating in-game could be prosecuted by law, divided into serious offences and minor. For instances, glitching and boosting for a short while is not a hardcore cheat and influence other players far less (well some glitches do) and less direct (and should be a official warning first). Using aim-bots and wall-hacks for weeks, months on end does seriously ruin it for other players. Not saying people should go to jail for this but letting a aim-botter pay a hefty fine might encourage most of them. Not saying all of this is realistic, just the way i like to see it be handled.
Whoa careful. Glitches are entirely the devs fault and boosters can be easily reported. Your ideas sound too reactionary, imo.
BruiserBear
Banned
I have never been able to understand the psychology of cheating and it's appeal.
That really seems like that's it. They get off on breaking rules, even if they're trivial in nature. I wonder if it's the same reason some famous wealthy people are caught shoplifting.
That really seems like that's it. They get off on breaking rules, even if they're trivial in nature. I wonder if it's the same reason some famous wealthy people are caught shoplifting.
The only game I ever encountered cheaters on, like using tools to specifically cheat vs. exploiting game code (COD infinite care packages) was Delta Force 2.
That game was amazing online, and while I didn't play many others during that time, felt really revolutionary. At the same time, having 3-5 players that literally could jump 2000 feet in the air and spam automatic grenade launchers down on the map was a bit annoying, but not game breaking. The teleport knifers though were the true sin of that game.
Otherwise, I've never been wall hacked, aimbotted, or anything like that. I also don't see the appeal. How is that fun?
That game was amazing online, and while I didn't play many others during that time, felt really revolutionary. At the same time, having 3-5 players that literally could jump 2000 feet in the air and spam automatic grenade launchers down on the map was a bit annoying, but not game breaking. The teleport knifers though were the true sin of that game.
Otherwise, I've never been wall hacked, aimbotted, or anything like that. I also don't see the appeal. How is that fun?
Metal Gear?!
Member
Hahahahahahahahahaha
They wouldn't be paying if they weren't banning accounts from the game for cheating
Mithos
Member
If I payed for the game, I should be able to play as I wish. If I only want to shoot at Taker34 in any multiplayer match s/he and I am in together that's something I should be able to do without being punished.
If I setup a multiplayer match between friends to "boost" my character, that should be allowed to since I payed for the game.
Hell I think I actually just did "boost" myself in 2 games on Wii U, sat up multiplayer match with invite only and soloed until wanted result was achieved.
Roland1979
Junior Member
You misunderstand. Glitches are their fault The act of glitching not. Maybe look up what glitching is first. It warms my heart to see the defense force jump in. Of course people are entitled to their own opinion, but if you boost (which is cheating and can result in bans, including your whole Steam account) or abuse glitches to gain a advantage don't complain someone is wall hacking you.
