Cheating in your games -- is it ok?

[2dgamers]

Let's start a discussion on this topic.

[Blackthorne519]

Heh. I dunno about cheating, but I dig that .gif!!

Bt

[Lady Pyro]

I think cheating is fine. I don't do it myself unless I've already beat the game, but that's just my preference. From what I've seen, the only people who think cheating is wrong are the gaming elitists. I understand that playing the game how it's intended might seem nobler then cheating, but if people need codes to have fun, well isn't that more important? After all, games are supposed to be about having fun.

Also, I agree with BT on the gif. I keep scrolling up to watch it just one more time.

[Dr. Spengler]

I think video game cheating shouldn't be an issue, by any means. I mean, most of us are in America, which means it's a free country. I say, if it's your video game, then it's your right.

[Erpy]

In multiplayer, cheating is rightfully condemned because it ruins the game for others. In singleplayer games, the actions of others don't bother me. In singleplayer games that I helped create, I'm okay with it, as long as someone at least plays through the game the way I created it at least once, so I feel my own efforts were done justice.

[Lady Pyro]

Oh I didn't even consider multiplayer (probably because I don't play many). I have to agree with you there, that's pretty underhanded.

[Brainiac]

What's the definition of cheating, though? Official hintbooks? GameFAQs? Hex editors? There are different levels of cheating, after all. Plus, as others have noted, cheating in a single player game is a wholly different matter than cheating in an MMO.

[MusicallyInspired]

It's fine if the game is too hard or too scare (Doom 3 scared me, I don't care about the rest of you). Otherwise you must play through it to the end first before beginning the cheating fun. That's my personal rule.

[Quest For Glory Fan]

I always play through a game before looking at cheats as well. I don't really find they enhance the gaming experience much when I do though. As far as Faqs go I used to use them for adventure games when I got really stuck but now I usually post here and hope for a hint. Like the dispel potion posts I made not to long ago.

[Lady Pyro]

I find cheats great for enhancing games that I've played to death! Playing Ocarina of Time with the ability to fly may have made the temples easier, but it also made screwing around in the towns a lot more amusing. With Pokemon I cheated when I got Pokemon Stadium so that I could have certain types at the beginning of the game by catching them on the gameboy and storing them on the 64. I'd already beaten the game about a bajillion times, but it was awesome to have my full stable and be able to use the same ones throughout the game.
That's the way I cheat. Fairly harmless stuff.

[Brainiac]

I tend to have a strategy guide on hand when I play heavily involved games like certain RPGs simply because I'm a perfectionist; I like to do everything. Trying to do that on your own with "thick" games is a nightmare (and I have no patience for randomness or chance attempts unless I know the odds). As far as games more designed to puzzling my brain, like adventure games, I avoid getting help unless I'm hopelessly stuck (which does not happen often). As far as editing a game, I tend to do that to unlock elements that were dummied out or lost that can be interesting (like, for example, items unavailable in the US for certain games, dummied abilities that merely lack a unique animation, or class-restricted effects - that way lies my infamous Paladin of Irony for QfG).

My opinion has always been "cheating" is a misnomer in personal gaming. The act itself isn't a cheat; learning elements in advance or removing the difficulty merely cheats you out of the gaming experience if you're not careful. In the end, though, it's all personal and relative (in non-MMOGs, of course).

[gamecreator]

I cheat on a level when I've tried something a few times and I can't beat it, or if I've already beat the entire game. I did that once on a Warcraft III level where you had 30 minutes or so to defend something and then you got swarmed. But now that I think about it, I would like to give that level another chance or two without cheating and I think I still would enjoy it and not regret cheating.

[Brainiac]

...I think I still would enjoy it and not regret cheating.

Considering your avatar, of course you wouldn't regret cheating.

[seraphimdreamer777]

I say it is OK if the cheats are built into the game. But I usually don't use enhancers because they can screw you over sometimes. Such as Final Fantasy 8 I played half way though with a game shark and when I got to a certain part I couldn't enter a place that you were required to go in the game. Ever since I don't use enhancers unless it is to unlock secret characters in fighting and racing games and that's only if they are too hard to unlock.

[Lady Pyro]

I tend to have a strategy guide on hand when I play heavily involved games like certain RPGs ...

I should probably do that, but I'm a ridiculous gamer. I put a terrible amount of hours into games and always assume I can get 100% on my own (which has worked in the past, but not often). Oh boy, have I learned my lesson with that damned Zodiac Spear though. I wish I'd known about that before going in!

[Angelus3K]

Interesting points... what do you all think about Nintendo's new Demo Play feature for Wii and DS where if part of a game is too hard for you, hit demo play and the game will play itself until you get past the point you were stuck on!

Oh and MI, Doom 3 scared me too!!

[gamecreator]

Regarding the demo play feature, I think most people (including me) will be tempted to use it more often than they would cheat without it. Just like if you have the hintbook, or a walkthrough printout with you as you're playing, you're less likely to take the time to think things out instead of simply taking a look at the answers.

On the other hand, if the demo mode was replaced with merely a hint mode...

Which makes me think that I didn't appreciate hints enough when I was younger. Often, when being stuck on a puzzle, I simply was looking at it from the wrong perspective (or just missing the obvious - OH! The key goes in the lock, not the chicken! ) Hints tend to turn you toward the right direction without necessarily giving anything away.

Edit: One more thought: the demo play would benefit adventure games, as they're thought of as more of a thinking game. For those who are too lazy, dumb or young, the demo play will still let them play through puzzles they can't grasp and perhaps wouldn't otherwise look up.