The Death of Cheats

Goodbye, xyzzy. Goodbye, IDDQD. Goodbye, up up down down left right left right B A Start. You all served us well, but it appears in the brave new world of modern gaming, your services are just no longer required, and it seems we're going to have to take you out behind the barn and put you down for good.

What happened to the cheat code? Ten years ago, it seemed like every game had them, even if it was something as basic as an 'unlock all' code. Game shops were packed with cheat code books, and break time at school was (for me at least) cheat trading time. However, when our backs were turned, when the sixth generation bled into the seventh, something happened. We were all cooing at PS3 and 360 graphics, marvelling at online play, and gawking at the ease of digital distribution. When our eyes were off of them, the cheat code (mostly) vanished without a trace.

Whether I used cheat codes to (finally) beat Contra, gad about Springfield in a rocket car, or to get into the Spring Yard Zone, they were an important part of my formative gaming years, as they always promised laughs – for instance, my friends and I all consistently had fun with all three versions of NBA Jam (Midway, Acclaim, EA) due to that fact. Even though they were all of extreme varying quality, tinkering around with codes made for a much more satisfying experience. As such, it saddens me to see them much less frequently. I loved them as they represented an access to more: more content, more options, more fun. Even mediocre, forgettable titles had new life breathed into them with cheats – for instance, the 2002 Spider-Man game is in no way a great game ('good' might be a stretch), but with a little cheat code magic, one can play as the Green Goblin, which I'm sure most people would agree makes the game at least 60% more appealing.

So why are they missing? Cheat codes let you get right to the action, and in our instant gratification society, how on earth could that be a bad thing? Our love of 'now' hasn't changed, but the games industry has. For one thing, downloadable content is omnipresent these days, and while it may be 'fun' and 'cute' to put extra content like new costumes behind a code, it just makes much more business sense to make consumers pay for it. Even the old 'unlock everything' has been co-opted by DLC for a cost of around £2, usually euphemistically called a “timesaver pack”– it's a shame, but of course publishers are going to take any means necessary to make a little extra money.

There's another probable reason for cheat codes being jettisoned, but this one isn't about greed, just practicality. Today, games are more and more like film, and with the deep and emotional stories that some developers are trying to tell, the use of cheats would be far out of place there. Imagine using Big Head Mode in Heavy Rain, or infinite ammo in Condemned – the game may become easy or hilarious, but the effect of it is like a needle in a soufflé; all the tension of those games completely dissipates. Really, it's just not completely feasible to implement any cheats without counteracting the difficult storytelling process.

Don't get me wrong here either – I love that games are slowly evolving into art, but I cannot help but feel sad, like gaming feels much lesser for it altogether. However, what this really means is up to you – have we evolved by cutting out pointless aspects of games, creating more streamlined experiences, or did gaming lose a part of its soul when it cut the codes? Personally, I'm on both sides – it's like we're on a journey to a brave new world, but we've left our treasured stuffed animal toy from childhood on the plane. I'm going to miss the teddy bear, but, inevitably, I suppose this is what it means to grow.

Of course, the grand tradition of cheats lives on in a few games, such as Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row, and I'm glad for that – the ability to spawn any vehicle you want and give yourself a six-star wanted rating instantly is nothing short of amazing; but times have truly changed. While I look forward to, say, finally playing The Last of Us or the new offering from David Cage, I still can't help myself from loading up Vice City, inputting “FIGHTFIGHTFIGHT”, enjoying the carnage and thinking of simpler times as I weep into my keyboard.