Gaming - News
Study Reveals There Are More Cheaters Than We Ever Realized
By MARY OSBORNE
A new study by Plitch, detailed in TheGamer, revealed that over half of gamers have cheated when playing, which means that many have tried out cheating to see how it feels. As PC software designed to modify games in order to help train players to be better, or just have more fun, Plitch has a vested interest in cheating, although it can only be used in single-player games.
The larger point of Plitch's study is to show that cheating isn't always a bad thing, as gamers sometimes want to relax in a digital world or make a game more enjoyable for themselves. The study showed that 57% of gamers polled said that they had used cheats before, and 37% of respondents said that they exclusively used cheats in single-player games to enhance their experience.
Although a majority of gamers will use exploits if given a choice, most of those players don't want to harm others, and are instead content to use cheats privately. Some in the study expressed hesitation to share their views because they wanted to be seen as good, fair players, while others were aware that cheats are generally frowned upon in the larger gaming community.
Plitch conducted a similar study with players of “Anno 1800” and found, when given the opportunity to use its software, players could get rid of the game’s boring parts, creating a better experience for themselves. With the use of EEG machines to track brain activity in its participants, Plitch discovered that gamers who used its software showed more positive emotions.
While Plitch isn't advocating for gamers to cheat while playing with others online (in fact, part of its core policy is that it's “fair”), there's some perception that cheating is almost always a negative thing. However, the studies show that being a bit more open-minded as to why people cheat might not be a bad thing.
