There is some controversy in the gaming world over hacks and mods. Some mods and hacks can improve the performance of games or even the overall gaming experience for all players. For example, the desert combat mod for Battlefield 1942 was used as the basis for Battlefield 2. (Read more here) Other “hacks” can fix or bypass annoying issues (Check out the Sim City Online Hack). On the other hand, other hacks can give one player an edge over another. Today we will explore the topic of video game hacking and how it affects both the players and the video game industry as a whole.
One of the first “game hack” devices available on the market
A look back in time, it is the early 90’s your sitting down playing Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo when your character is killed by that stupid hammer throwing turtle. Then later you keep dying because you get hit by crazy bullet bill. Then your friend brings over his Game Genie; one of the first cheat systems designed for the NES by Codemasters. Suddenly Mario can skip levels, jump higher, and has infinite lives. Does this make the game more fun for you? I mean if you can simply use a cheat to get past an annoying level that is taking you hours to beat would you do it? Depends on who you ask…
Game Genie was popular with gamers and overall was a success selling over five million units. What did Nintendo think of it? They were hugely opposed to it. They sued the creators of game genie causing sales of the device to be temporarily halted. Eventually courts determined that the Game Genie did not violate any copyright laws. Nintendo then turned to other methods such as using ROM checksums in later titles intended to detect cheat modifications; however, this did not prove to be very effective as many were simply bypassed with additional codes and later versions of game genie were produced to include modifications to bypass them. Game genie did the same thing with Sega, however, Sega did not take any action against the company. Though many of you may not have been aware of the game genie, this was one of the first instances of video game hacking and set the basis to how the video game industry reacted to it.
Now jump back to present day. Your playing your favorite First Person Shooter and suddenly you are killed by an amazingly accurate head-shot. You think…wow that guy’s aim is amazing he must be really good, then you try to sneak up on the same player and then suddenly you are taken down again. It is almost as if he saw you coming…well maybe he did.
As most gamers know aimbots and other hacks do exist, especially in online multiplayer games. There are several sites dedicated to game hacks, however, only a few are legit. Even if you don’t plan on ever using them at the very least you should be aware of them.
The Most Common Types of Hacks and Mods:
1. Aimbot
An aimbot is a tool that helps you aim. Whether this is visually by helping you see a target, or actually moving your cursor to the player, it all depends on the complexity of the aim bot. This gives you a huge advantage over other players.
Here is an example of some Call of Duty Ghosts Hacks
2. God Mode
The ultimate hack, your strong, super fast, nothing can kill you….you are….INVINCIBLE!
Bottom line…these don’t exist, they are fables nothing more. Anyone who tells you they have a God Mode hack for a multiplayer game is more than likely lying since most, if not all multiplayer games, keep track of players health on the server not your computer, so unless your hack can somehow change the health of a player on the server, you’re probably not going to find any hack like this around. If you happen to find a so-called “God Hack” available to download on the web it is more than likely nothing more than malware. If you really want a “God Mode” simply be an admin of a server, it is essentially the same thing…
3. ESP Hacks
Extrasensory perception…sounds like a science fiction power huh? Well this type of hack allows you to see all players on the map and may include some information such as the player’s name tag, class, and health. It may even let you interact with the environment in ways you normally couldn’t. They normally are included with Aimbots, but not always. This was pretty bad in DayZ when it first launched, people’s guns and gear would literally fly out of their hands.
Here is one example of a DayZ ESP hack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_0c5WstWL4
4. Bugs and Glitches
Do you consider these cheats? Shooting through a wall that is supposed to provide cover ends up killing the player on the otherside, being able to duplicate items, being flung halfway across the map and surviving, getting loads of xp by doing something repetitive…
Obviously there are glitches in online games and yes some players will use these glitches to their advantage. Ask any early DayZ player, looking over and through walls was a commonly used tactic.
Click here to read the Top 10 15 funniest and most unfair exploits in video games
