Written by Klownz
Graphics by Nick Lupo

“Once a cheater, always a cheater” Is this statement fact or fiction? In this article I will attempt to give my perspective on the issue and those associated with it. I will be expressing my opinion only and none of the views shared here are necessarily the views of the Chicago Chimera.

From Fame To Shame

We have all seen cheaters in action. Whether it was in a public server or during a match at one point or another cheaters have killed, insulted, and attempted to degrade every single gamer that wasn’t on the top of the scoreboard that round. With the coders hard at work after every patch and update hacks seem to be an inevitable evil that looms over the gaming community. Although, hacks are not as easy to obtain as they used to be – a large majority still has access to these tools.

Should ex-cheaters be trusted? Is it possible for a hacker to go legit? I believe they can be and it is possible. Rather than slamming the book down on someone I think EVERYONE deserves a second chance, but not a third. It is human nature to want to be the best. Some people just choose the easier of the two choices. Rather than spending countless hours practicing and refining their skills, they choose to load up hacks to make themselves better.

Ex-hackers aren’t robots. They are people just like you and I. They just happened to be a little different. For example, we appreciate hard work and dedication when we are trying to achieve something. On the contrary, the hackers use manipulation and deception to gain prestige and fame. We all, to an extent, know who the cheaters are in our respective communities and how to weed them out. It is the job of the community to decide the fate of the cheater who has been caught and it is their responsibility to show that they will not tolerate that type of behavior.

Fact or Fiction?

I believe that everyone should have a second chance, in everything. Whether it’s a second interview or a second tryout; everyone messes up sometimes. It is a universal flaw to do something to fit in or to try to make yourself look like something you are not. This is why I believe that a cheater should be given a second chance within a community. Let me say though, that this shouldn't be a slap on the wrist only. The cheater should be severely punished with a ban from all leagues and tournaments for a significant amount of time to let them reflect on the choices they have made. I do think that everyone, after a certain amount of time, can mature and change and accept the mistakes they have made and amend the community’s opinion of them by showing their “new” self publicly.

Although sometimes cheaters do not reverse their actions when caught due to pride and denial, most do. It is inevitable to have cheaters in any competitive game. Whether it’s basketball or CS:S, people will do anything and everything in their control to win. The future of gaming depends on the legitimacy of the industry as a whole and we, as a group, must be able to eliminate all the threats that could affect us negatively. Beyond this, we have to show the cheaters that it does not pay at all to cheat. Serious consequences, as mentioned before, should be implemented for first time offenses with lifetime bans to follow for second offenses. The second chance should be executed only if the person has received and successfully completed their “time” and has a willingness to undergo scrutiny when returning back into the society.

Retribution

It is necessary to understand that people make mistakes. Once you can live with that then you will be able to forgive and forget. Gaming is just another outlet for us to occupy ourselves with rather than something else. Cheaters are forever going to be a part of our society. It is our job to make it harder for them to succeed and to bring more newcomers into their underground culture. I hope that any cheaters reading this will take into consideration the harm they are causing the sport by simply loading up their hacks. It is in my humble opinion that we can eliminate all cheating by just making the community a more reasonable place to be in and compete in. Until next time – Live Free, Game Hard!