CMV:Exploiting a bug/glitch in a video game is not cheating.

Basically your argument is that if a game allows you to do something then it is not cheating.

This kind of makes sense. Video games don't usually give explicit rules and most types of behavior are considered fair game. Exploiting a glitch to jump out the map and shoot people is just an extension of hiding in a corner of a room where it's really difficult to shoot you. After-all, your opponent could also exploit that glitch.

The problem is that this creates a sorites paradox. You say it's not cheating if they don't get external help. They're only using mechanics available in the game. But where does that end? Why can't I alter the code to give me perfect aim?

In the end you're just arbitrarily saying that cheating begins 'here' because after a certain point you've become too sophisticated in your exploits and that's just not fair to players who don't want to spend time or money doing the same.

I think the answer is that there are rules in the game even if they are implicit. One of them is that the battle has to take place within the arena as intended by the designer.

If you were playing a boxing game it would be very clear that using an exploit to stay outside the ring and punch your opponent was against the rules. Equally, you know full well that jumping into a black space outside of the map is going beyond the boundaries of the arena that you all implicitly accepted when you started playing.

Now there is still some confusion here about whether or not a player is cheating when they start using emergent behavior to give themselves a huge advantage in the game. But the clue is in the title to your CMV - you know when things are bugs and glitches that need to be fixed.

That's not the same as nerfing where basically the rules of the game change.

TL;DR - if you break the rules of a game (either implicit or explicit ones) you are cheating.

/r/changemyview Thread