Reputation Doesn’t Always Indicate Reality
Cheating has a bad reputation, but that’s in the real world. In the digital world, “hacking” is cheating; and hackers have been considered “cool” for decades. In fact, you can be an “ethical” hacker if you like.
Certainly, traditional hacking and cheats for video games aren’t precisely the same, but if you drew a “Venn Diagram”, there would be some overlap. The thing is, a lot of people form their opinions about game cheats without actually understanding how they work, or why.
Accordingly, a lot of myths get bandied about that have nothing to do with reality. Here we’ll dispel several myths to help inform and expand your understanding of gaming cheats. You might be surprised at what you read here.
Myth: Cheating Is Always Wrong
Games are made by development operations (dev-ops) teams, and those are human beings working for a wage at the behest of whatever company funds them. Accordingly, backdoor cheats have to be programmed into a game so designers can assure it works properly. However, since this is a production like a film, “easter eggs” will always exist in games.
Sometimes it’s impossible to fully enjoy what a game can do without using some sort of cheat. Also, there are games that are released without being fully finished. Ultimately, this means there are sometimes game stages that can’t be played, or overcome unless there’s some sort of hack or cheat code entered in. Cheap, third-party games tend to be this way.
Independent games will likely have cheat-accessed easter eggs more than errors of this type because they tend to be laborers of love—like Myst, Riven, and Myst III. Those games started out with two guys doing the “grunt” work and creating a compelling product.
Easter eggs and the like can be found in such games. But since they weren’t some corporate third-party game, there aren’t incomplete levels or poorly designed stages. Meanwhile, a game like Superman 64 is so funky, glitchy, and bad, sometimes the only entertainment value you can really get is through cheats.
Myth: Topless Lara Croft In The Original Tomb Raider
A lot of gamers have swallowed whole the idea that certain gaming cheats may make it possible for you to play as topless Lara Croft in the original Playstation games. This is a myth. However, in modernity, a lot of gaming “mods” and “emulators” exist which could allow you to specifically program in varying polygons toward this outcome. Still, that’s not the same, is it?
Myth: Hacking Is Too Difficult For Novices
With engine repair, exercise, or musical instruments, most people will be able to acquire some level of associated skill through the simple will to learn. With a lot of engine issues, replacing components is as simple as unwinding bolts, pulling out the bad part, and installing the new. The difficulty comes in the form of other components that are in the way.
It’s the same with exercise: you just need to keep at it. Music requires a similar amount of dedication. Well, when it comes to hacking, or coding, or programming of any stripe, the difficulty in learning can be overcome by the will to succeed. Also, there are resources out there that can help you get the job done right.
If you’re interested and don’t know quite how to get started, you can go directly to Guided Hacking. The myth here is: hacking is beyond the grasp of individuals who haven’t done it before. This simply isn’t true. However, there is an uphill climb involved, and like exercise, mechanical work, or musical acumen, willful dedication will be necessary.
Expanding Your Gaming Ability Through Cheats
Cheats can help you overcome hard or poorly designed stages in games, and that even if you’re new to hacking. As it turns out, things like hacking simply require the will and dedication to improve. If you’ve got that, you can be a legitimate hacker.
Also, there are situations where cheats are actually the best way to enjoy a game, and you’re not going to find topless Lara Croft in the original Tomb Raider games. However, there are mods, emulators, and other means to accomplish such an outcome for the individual who is driven enough to do so—even though it’s kind of pointless and perhaps a bit undesirable.
Whether you want to use this knowledge for good or bad is up to you, the point of this writing is to show some of the myths surrounding certain games, hacking difficulties, and that moral gray areas abound in this area. Understanding the truth of the matter helps you get a better idea of what you can do, what you can’t do, and what you should probably avoid.
