Oh jeez well fine then off with the gloves...
First things first, EARTHWORM, I have two words for you "DOUBLE SARCASM" HA!
QUARTO I actually agree with you about cheating being wrong, but the sad fact is, if you look around the world today there are plenty of people doing things that are "wrong" all the time. Does this make it O.K. from a personal stand point? NO. But it is a video game. Meaning it's made for the player to enjoy to the fullest. The only time I question cheating is when I read an article where the developers of the game are talking about difficuly levels and such, and are going over which are which. And they say that "such and such mode is the way the game was meant to be played." It makes me realize of course I would have a more enjoyable time if I played on this level mode and of course didn't cheat. A good example for me is BALDER'S GATE, it's pretty much the ulimate RPG you spend so much time just creating your characters it's crazy and leveling up takes even more time. Once you get to your belief breaking point, and decide to cheat your characters are pretty much invincible and have all the spells and you spend the next half hour trying out all the spells in the game to see what they look like and beating the spit out of a few bosses and then get really sick of it because after all what is the point of playing after you have done all the coolest things to do. RPG's I believe are a good example type of game to use when arguing "cheating" because more than any other game RPG's have a specific formula: you work hard in the begining and then towards the end things start to pay off. And that is where your 100's of hours of gameplay comes from. Not really the "pay off" but the "working hard". Therefore once you cheat and go directly to the pay off there is no longer any point in playing the game. Which is my personal motivation when I cheat. Does "working hard" contribute to the game play? Of course! You are much more inclined to keep on playing all the way through if you have characters that you have sweat blood over making stronger. Where as if you just cheat your really cheating yourself because your relationship with the characters has not developed.
So in conclusion,
DO I think cheating takes away from the fun factor in the gameplay?
YES!
Do I think cheating speeds up the time for the player to be content with having gotten out of the game, not all it's worth but at least, all he will be able to after cheating?
YES!
Is this a bad thing?
Depends on your perspective.
1. If you think that video games and their creators should be honored and there fore the gameplay not messed with so as to honor the game and to do so would be to heap dishonor upon yourself and the game, then I suppose yes it's a bad thing.
2. If you believe that video games are soley for the enjoyment of the player and if the player(since he is now owner of his own personal copy of the game and can do pretty much whatever he wants to his own personal copy, within reason of course we all know he can't copy it or sell it)thinks he or she will get more enjoyment out of it by cheating than it's their right to do so.
Therefore as, I believe, with all things good and evil, it's not about right and wrong, it's about making a choice. You choose and after that you deal with the effects of your choice.
Such is life and video games.
"THE GUILTY WILL ALWAYS BE PUNISHED!"
THE PUNISHER!
