Cheating in online video games has become a major issue for game developers and publishers, and banning cheaters has become a routine practice to keep users happy. However, the publisher of Escape from Tarkov, Battlestate Games, has taken a unique approach to this routine by naming and shaming cheaters. In the last week, Battlestate Games banned 6,700 cheaters and published all their nicknames on publicly available spreadsheets.
According to Battlestate Games’ spokesperson Dmitri Ogorodnikov, the company wants honest players to see the nicknames of cheaters to know that justice has been served and the cheater who killed them in a raid has been punished and banned. Other companies, such as Activision and Riot Games, usually just announce the number of players they banned, not their nicknames and handles.
People in the industry believe that Battlestate Games’ approach may be more effective and act as a better deterrent. Cheaters often fabricate a false image to their friends and significant others, and when their deceitful behavior is exposed publicly, it brings shame to their name and discourages them from repeating the act. However, in some cases, despite being banned, these individuals simply purchase a new account with a similar profile to their old one and continue cheating without consequence, deceiving whoever they built a relationship with to play games with.
Cheats are essentially programs that exploit vulnerabilities in video games to give players an unfair advantage when playing online against others. Usually, cheats offer features such as “wallhack,” which allows players to see their opponents through walls, or “aimbot,” a system that automatically points at enemies, making it easier to kill them.
Making cheats has become a big business, and in 2021, Chinese police with the collaboration of tech giant Tencent dismantled a video game cheating organization that had made more than $70 million selling cheats for PUBG Mobile.
In conclusion, Battlestate Games’ approach to naming and shaming cheaters may be more effective in deterring cheating in online video games. Cheating is a big business, and it is important for game developers and publishers to take a strong stance against it to keep their users happy and maintain the integrity of their games.
Russian Game Developer Takes Action Against 6,700 Cheaters by Imposing Bans and Doxing
The gaming industry has grown immensely over the years, with millions of gamers playing various video games worldwide. Unfortunately, with the growth of the industry, there has been a rise in cheating cases. Cheating is considered unfair gameplay that gives some players an edge over others, ruining the gaming experience for everyone else. Game developers have implemented various measures to curb cheating, including banning and suspending accounts. Recently, Russian game developer Gaijin Entertainment took action against 6,700 cheaters by imposing bans and doxing.
Gaijin Entertainment is a Russian video game development company that has developed popular multiplayer games such as War Thunder and Crossout. The company has a strict policy against cheating and regularly monitors its game servers to ensure fair play. Recently, the company detected over 10,200 cheating cases in War Thunder, with some players using third-party software to gain an unfair advantage over others.
Gaijin Entertainment responded by imposing bans on the cheating accounts, with some accounts receiving permanent bans. The company also revealed the names of some of the banned accounts in its official forum, exposing the cheaters’ real names and shame them publicly. This approach by Gaijin Entertainment raised concerns over the legality and morality of public shaming of individuals who cheated in a video game.
Some argue that the public shaming of cheaters is ethical, as it serves as a warning to other players not to cheat and helps promote fair play. However, others consider it unethical, as it exposes the cheaters’ private information, which can lead to cyberbullying and other risks.
Gaijin Entertainment’s actions also illustrate the challenges game developers face in curbing cheating in their games. Cheaters continually evolve their methods, making it difficult to detect and prevent cheating entirely. Developers must also balance between protecting their intellectual property rights and respecting players’ privacy and human rights.
In conclusion, Gaijin Entertainment’s actions against cheaters in War Thunder demonstrate the severity of cheating in multiplayer games and the measures game developers must take to ensure fair play. While the public shaming of cheaters raises ethical concerns, it serves as a warning to other players not to cheat and promotes fair play. Game developers must find a balance between protecting their intellectual property rights and players’ privacy and human rights and continue to explore creative ways to curb cheating in their games.
