Articles

As the walkthrough editor
at JA+ and a writer of walkthroughs, I feel I must add some brief
comments to the recent editorial
on cheating published at Adrenaline Vault on December 19, 2001.

There were many good points
brought up in the article about the so-called “morality”
of cheating. Whereas I would agree for online games that cheating
is wrong because it changes the level playing field that all players
should have for fairness, the issue of cheating in single player mode
for any game is not, in my opinion, a moral question.

Is it immoral to kill someone
in a game? Is it immoral to steal an object? Yes, but for the character
performing the action only. It’s not immoral for the gamer. Immorality
is a violation of a set of codes as dictated by a society. As far
as I am aware, no society has rules about computer games. Of course,
if a gaming club introduces a rule about cheating, then it could be
claimed that a member of that club was immoral if they used cheat
codes.

One point that I feel was
missing in this article, which is particularly judgmental about walkthroughs,
is that the essence of gaming is fun for an individual. In
other words, the ultimate goal is to withdraw from the everyday existence
into a world that is different to reality, whether it is action, strategy,
or adventure not to add frustration to our stressful and, at many
times, unfair world, but to entertain ourselves. It is not entertaining
for most people to be stuck for days on end, just because one aspect
of the game experience is not gelling.

The individual’s enjoyment
is paramount. If someone enjoys a game but has to cheat (or wants
to cheat) why is that a problem? Who has the right to judge another
or what they enjoy? Personally, I don’t like to resort to cheating,
but I am a little action-challenged, and in some action games, I have
had to use an invulnerability code to past a difficult sequence. Similarly,
I have had to resort to a walkthrough to get past a particularly difficult
puzzle.

The beauty of a walkthrough
over cheat codes, though, is it provides a method of solution to a
puzzle or outlines the procedure that is needed to achieve a desired
result. I feel more resistance to resort to cheat codes than walkthrough
for this reason. When I have used a walkthrough, I have used it in
a way similar to the UHS hint codes. I will read a little of the walkthrough
and then return to the game to see if has provided me with enough
information for me to conquer the puzzle by myself. This is the way
that most people use walkthroughs. An over-reliance on the walkthrough
generally leads to a lesser feeling of achievement in gamers.

HOWEVER, who am I to say
that this is the only (or best) way to use a walkthrough? If someone
wants to cheat the whole way through a game, yet still enjoys the
game, isn’t that their right? How is using a walkthrough to play through
a whole game different to watching a movie? We don’t criticize people
if they choose to sit, watch, and enjoy a movie without critically
analyzing it.

As individuals, we have
the right to make our own choices about cheating. Whereas I welcome
the suggestion that developers consider introducing more flexibility
to the levels of difficulty in games, I would hesitate to recommend
that they do away with cheat codes. If extra levels or other Easter
eggs are hidden from game buyers who are not quick enough or analytical
enough to discover them, who are we harming by allowing all players
to see the game in its entire form? If they paid the required amount
of money to purchase the game, why shouldn’t they be entitled to use
it as they see fit?

On the issue of walkthroughs,
again I believe that it is the right and choice of the individual
to decide whether they want to use them. People who disagree with
cheating in any form need not use them. Those who want to can do as
they wish. It’s not an issue of morality, it’s an issue of individual
choice.