Venting "It's just a game!"

[TAW122]

"It's just a game!" is something that I'm sure many of us have heard when it either comes to card games, board games, video games (console and online multiplayer games), and any entertainment medium. As a kid born in the 90's, I grew up with video games, about a decade before it started to become popular and mainstream, I oftenly experience people dismissing the fact that a game is a game and doesn't matter. Little do people understand that sometimes the amount of time, effort, and energy invested into a game is still valuable (especially to the gamer), and that video games is a valid hobby. Some people (trolls, griefers (basically assholes who ruin the game for others), and just plain assholes in general) oftenly use that line of defense to justify or excuse their actions and think it's a way to dismiss their bad behavior and actions that negatively impact others' gameplay. For one, I don't approve nor condone that type of behavior (griefing or sabotaging) as it negatively impacts another player's experience of said game.

The second point I'd like to address is that usually the same people who espouse the "It's just a game!" retort, remark, statetment, etc., are oftenly the same people who would get pissed and lose their cool when it comes to "cheating". I don't fully condone cheating, but I see there are times where it could be appropriate (for as long as it doesn't directly negatively impact others' gameplay - e.g. cheating in a competition by sabotaging others' efforts to win/ruin their game), but that's another tangential point which I won't get too far in. The problem with people who have a problem with cheating is that they almost ironic and slightly hypocritical to claim that they don't care it's a game (based on their indifferent and dismissive statement towards gamers who care A LOT about their game), yet on the same breath, same token, they are very bothered by people who cheat and gain an unfair advantage (e.g. botting in an online game or console game, using cheat codes to cheese or play parts of the game, bug abuse to gain some achievement or goal, etc.). Sure I get their reasoning of wanting to "keep the integrity of whatever game they are playing" but let's not claim that it's just a video game and it's not a big deal but then make a big deal when someone decides to gain an unfair advantage or cheapen the game for themselves.

In my opinion as stated in the previous paragraph is that I don't necessarily condone cheating in a video game, but ultimately, if it doesn't negatively impact others' gameplay such as causing them virtual losses, sabotage, and/or other DIRECT negative consequence (ego and feelings don't count, has to be tangible loss, like virtual currency, virtual items, virtual progress, experience, levels, unlocks, etc.) then the only person that cheating is affecting is the cheater him/herself. In fact, it's that person's own experience and if he/she wishes to cheapen it for him/herself it's fine with me since it doesn't affect me.

What are your thoughts on this?

 

[TAW122]

Bumping this topic since it seems to be lost in a sea of topics.

 

[You]

Better than Ninja.

 

[CynicalHopelessness]

I have a history of cheating, but I realized that it was reducing my ability to enjoy games, so I've been doing it less and less.
Been playing Sega Genesis games with my online friend the other day, and we both died, and then I suggested "ok, guess I'll just cheat unlimited continues in". Her response: "You can do that?! Why didn't you do it earlier?".

I don't condone cheating if it causes losses to others. It's about developer attitude *cough* Fallout 76 *cough* and community. I.e. if you have an option of playing on a server where you know you won't be attacked while you're offline, kudos to developer and server maintainers. Some people won't want that, and they should have their ruleset implemented somewhere else. I used to really like the pirated "FUN"-type WoW servers, where you get max level and top equipment from the start for free, and it all boils down to skill and ability to work in the team in PvP challenges and top-tier dungeon raids.

However, these days cheating is getting monetized - pay to win games, premium accounts, insane grindiness, etc. And I'm fully on the side of hackers on this one - if developer can't provide protection for his wallet, it's his fault. And if players want to be the silver line on the pocket of said developer, it's their choice, even if it makes them angry.

 

[Deleted member 1465]

I used to play Guild wars back in the day. I enjoyed the game but the best thing was the social aspect of it. I was a SEAK: Social Explorer Achiever Killer, in that order. I was in many guilds and settled in an excellent guild of mature and experienced players; we didn't even really have a guild leader, we didn't need one.

It was more than just a game to me, it was a community. We were friends and had a laugh, we'd beaten everything the game had to offer multiple times and used to gimp our builds or take on hard mode stuff in teams of two (instead of 8) to get more of a challenge. We enjoyed the social aspect of it and didn't care about winning or losing, just having fun.
We called out griefing whenever we saw it and frequently joined pick up groups out of guild to recruit good (and entertaining players) and also to help on the more difficult areas. It was really rewarding to be part of a supportive community; it wasn't just a game because there were.others involved who invested time and money.
It collapsed, as all things eventually do. I left the game, but still remember it fondly.
I play Guild Wars 2 now to try and relax and get my anxiety down. I can't compete/take part at the level I'd want to as my health limits how much I can commit to the game or to a guild.

 

[Majin K.]

As a gamer myself, I like to use the phrase it's just a game. Whenever I use the term it's against the people who're taking it way too seriously and end up either ruining their own fun or other's fun because of it. So what if you lost that game of Yu-Gi-Oh!? That's no reason to flip out mate, it's just a game after all. Or sometimes I ask myself why I care about video game characters in the first place, when I know that they're just a bunch of pixels.

 

[TAW122]

I have a history of cheating, but I realized that it was reducing my ability to enjoy games, so I've been doing it less and less.
Been playing Sega Genesis games with my online friend the other day, and we both died, and then I suggested "ok, guess I'll just cheat unlimited continues in". Her response: "You can do that?! Why didn't you do it earlier?".

I don't condone cheating if it causes losses to others. It's about developer attitude *cough* Fallout 76 *cough* and community. I.e. if you have an option of playing on a server where you know you won't be attacked while you're offline, kudos to developer and server maintainers. Some people won't want that, and they should have their ruleset implemented somewhere else. I used to really like the pirated "FUN"-type WoW servers, where you get max level and top equipment from the start for free, and it all boils down to skill and ability to work in the team in PvP challenges and top-tier dungeon raids.

However, these days cheating is getting monetized - pay to win games, premium accounts, insane grindiness, etc. And I'm fully on the side of hackers on this one - if developer can't provide protection for his wallet, it's his fault. And if players want to be the silver line on the pocket of said developer, it's their choice, even if it makes them angry.

I play a game called RuneScape and while I used to be very anti-botting, nowadays I don't really care if people bot, as long as it doesn't negatively impact another player's experience (other than the botter him/herself). By this, I mean taking resources from others, taking up training spots that would otherwise be used by other players (non-botters). I feel that the people who care about that mostly care about their egos rather than the fact if it affects their gameplay. Btw, I am not a botter because I am not going to risk 15+ years of gameplay to go to waste and get banned. I'm simply just giving my two cents.

As a gamer myself, I like to use the phrase it's just a game. Whenever I use the term it's against the people who're taking it way too seriously and end up either ruining their own fun or other's fun because of it. So what if you lost that game of Yu-Gi-Oh!? That's no reason to flip out mate, it's just a game after all. Or sometimes I ask myself why I care about video game characters in the first place, when I know that they're just a bunch of pixels.

I see, and I assume then you wouldn't mind if people cheat perhaps? As far as card games (assuming no wager, stake, bet, gamble, etc. was placed), then it would be risk free whether the person wins or loses.

 

[Deleted member 1465]

I guess I never understood cheating. Why play the game if you don't want to be challenged? The bits I enjoyed most were exploring at low level.

 

[262653]

Now when you put it that way, I don't think I'd ever put this phrase into practice. And in general, the more I think about stuff I want to say, the more likely I'll remain silent... like right now. "It's just a game, why so serious?" They have their own reasons, beliefs, attitudes, experiences, impressions... Their shitty mood might even be caused by stuff unrelated to the game, so why should I even bother.

I used to cheat in CS 1.6 during my younger years. I liked to check my impressive K:D ratio, along with other stats, and compare it with others. I find it strange. I still care about how my performance looks. I like to optimize my controls, gaming environment, habits and other stuff, for better game performance, but I don't want to use cheats (advantage considered unlawful by local authorities (whomever makes rules and makes sure they're followed)), but it's probably because I'm afraid to get banned. Remove the fear and I don't see any obstacles. So what if I have an advantage? We are not all equals, some players have superior skills and talents, and other contributors for better playing. Alright, I'll stop here.

 

[BabyYoda]

I used to think that walkthroughs were considered "cheating" and that they would defeat the purpose of me playing the game, especially when it comes to games involving riddles/puzzles. It's like taking an exam while having the answer key in your hand at the same time. But there were times where I was stuck and I was too lazy to think at that time, so I had no choice but to read walkthroughs. There are situations where a game is just to difficult to figure out on your own.

 

[TAW122]

I guess I never understood cheating. Why play the game if you don't want to be challenged? The bits I enjoyed most were exploring at low level.

Some people like just certain parts of a game so they want to take shortcuts to get there. After all, I guess it's their own enjoyment and experiences so whatever they do (as long as it doesn't negatively impact me), that's fine if they wish to cheapen their own experiences of a 'game'.

Now when you put it that way, I don't think I'd ever put this phrase into practice. And in general, the more I think about stuff I want to say, the more likely I'll remain silent... like right now. "It's just a game, why so serious?" They have their own reasons, beliefs, attitudes, experiences, impressions... Their shitty mood might even be caused by stuff unrelated to the game, so why should I even bother.

I used to cheat in CS 1.6 during my younger years. I liked to check my impressive K:D ratio, along with other stats, and compare it with others. I find it strange. I still care about how my performance looks. I like to optimize my controls, gaming environment, habits and other stuff, for better game performance, but I don't want to use cheats (advantage considered unlawful by local authorities (whomever makes rules and makes sure they're followed)), but it's probably because I'm afraid to get banned. Remove the fear and I don't see any obstacles. So what if I have an advantage? We are not all equals, some players have superior skills and talents, and other contributors for better playing. Alright, I'll stop here.

Yeah the fear of consequences is certainly a deterrence and disincentive for many people alone. As for others, they feel like they want to be able to gain a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment if they do things the legitimate way (without cheating). To them, it's more satisfying and rewarding doing so, thinking to themselves "Look at how good I am at xyz game!" rather than feeling like they took the easy way out.

I used to think that walkthroughs were considered "cheating" and that they would defeat the purpose of me playing the game, especially when it comes to games involving riddles/puzzles. It's like taking an exam while having the answer key in your hand at the same time. But there were times where I was stuck and I was too lazy to think at that time, so I had no choice but to read walkthroughs. There are situations where a game is just to difficult to figure out on your own.

Interesting. I suppose it's a grey area more than anything, it "can" be considered cheating depending on your definition of it. I would at the minimum consider it a spoiler, meaning that it spoils the surprise and challenge as well as discovery in the game for that particular player. I'm very laid back on whatever people do though (as long as it doesn't negatively impact another's gameplay, I could care less if they decide to get some help or hints to get through a game (or even a part of a game).). Personally, I sometimes use guides and walkthroughs if I'm stuck in a particular part of the game and/or I want to make sure I don't make a bad decision to end up paying for it much later in the game (after many more gameplay hours).

 

[Deleted member 1465]

Many MMOS you have to use walk throughs or overlays to get all the achievements. That's how they are now.