Cheating in online games are activities that modify the game experience to give one player an advantage over another player(s); depending on the game, different activities constitute cheating and it is often a matter of consensus opinion as to which particular activity or activities actually constitute cheating. Clive Thompson writes[1] that "Johann Huizinga, one of the first big philosophers of ludology -- the study of play -- defined cheating as when you pretend to obey the rules of the game but secretly subvert them to gain advantage over another player."
Cheating reportedly exists in all multiplayer online games but is difficult to prove[2]. The Internet provides players opportunity, means and methodology -- through anonymity and resources -- necessary to cheat in online games; however, darknets also provide access to cheat tools and methods.
Type of cheating
Lagging
By attaching a physical device (called a lag switch) to a standard Ethernet cable, a player is able to disrupt updates/communication from the server with the intent of tricking the game server into continuing to accept client-side updates (which remain unimpeded). This can have a variety of effects such as teleporting, delayed animation or fast-forwarded game play; however, the goal is to gain advantage over another player without reciprocation.
In the peer-to-peer gaming model, lagging refers to a player with a faster connection flooding an opponent(s) using a basic denial-of-service attack outside the game structure.
User settings
Typically, a player can change settings within a game to suit their preference, play-style and/or system; these alterations are considered cheating in certain circumstances. For example, changing the keyboard layout to make it easier to use is an accepted practice and not considered cheating; however, changing player models and/or textures, increasing the field-of-view, turning off or limiting particle effects, modifying the brightness and/or gamma are considered cheating when set to extremes
Exploits
Ghosting
Most games allow other participants to observe the game as it is played from a variety of perspectives; depending on the game, perspectives allow an observer a map overview or attach a "camera" to the movement of a specific player. In doing so, the observer can communicate with an accomplice using a secondary communication methodology (in-game private message, 3rd-party or even off-line) to inform friendly players of traps or the position of opponents; an observer can be an active player, using a separate computer, connection and account.
Some systems prevent inactive players from observing the game if they are on the same IP address as an active player on the grounds that they are probably in close physical proximity; when all players from a single IP address are no longer active participants, they are all allowed to observe.
Binding
Binding involves reassigning a key to the mouse wheel or any other key (CAPS-LOCK) or combination of keys that allows a player to issue commands at a faster rate than the expected physical limitation of the player pressing the default key configuration sequentially. For example, assigning the "fire" command to the mouse wheel allows a player to shoot faster (generally with weapons that fire at the same rate at which the user clicks) when compared to the default "fire" key configuration. This is a subset of the user setting cheat.
Aimbotting and Triggerbot
An aimbot (sometimes called "auto-aim") is a type of computer game bot used in multiplayer first-person shooter games to provide varying levels of target acquisition assistance to the player. While most common in first person shooter games, they exist in other game types and are often used in combination with a TriggerBot, which shoots automatically when an opponent appears within the field-of-view of the player. Some TriggerBots are blatant while others attempt to hide the fact they are being used through a number of methods.
Wallhacking
Wallhacking allows the player to see through solid or opaque objects and/or manipulate or remove textures. When used in conjunction with an aimbot certain wallhacks allow the player to shoot through solid objects. A subset of the wallhack known as WhiteWalls removes the color/texture from objects in the surrounding environment, providing distinct contrast to the opposition's character models, which remain colored/textured. (See ESP for the evolution of the WallHack.)
Cham hacks, Chameleon skins, or chams for short, generally replace player models with brightly colored skins, often in neon red/yellow and blue/green colors. Chams are wallhacked skins that change color depending on whether the model is visible. For instance, If an enemy's head is showing, it would be a different color from the rest of the model, giving the user a very large advantage over non-cheat users, especially in games in which camouflage on player models is negated by the extremely bright colors or when the cheat user comes to walls which he or she may shoot through.
ESP
Extrasensory perception (ESP) in video games displays contextual information such as the health, name, equipment, position and/or orientation of other participants as navigation/directional markers. In military parlance, this is known as Battlefield Visualization and part of a larger trend toward Information Dominance.
Sharing
Sharing is when multiple people play using a singular character -- mainly in MMORPGs -- to gain an advantage by having higher online times and/or being able to apply more manpower toward game activities such as leveling or gaining experience. In some MMOs this is not seen as cheating although others such as Maplestory, Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft or Jagex's Runescape specifically forbid it.
Spinbots
Spinbots alter the game so that play occurs on a rotated screen -- upside down, sideways, diagonal, etc. Spinbots that cause the player to have more difficulty playing are rare; spinbots that present the user a normal view are more common but may still cause the player in-game model to spin extremely fast, disrupting the character model's hitbox and distracting other players.
Disconnecting
In games where wins and losses are recorded on a player's account, a player may disconnect when they have lost in order to prevent the loss from being recorded. A similar phenomenon is when a server operator boots an opponent or players who they do not support. Disconnecting is considered immoral, as the opponent may not have their "win" recorded. Some games implement a disconnection penalty, usually by recording the disconnect as a loss, or a loss of experience points as in Halo 3.
Stacking
Stacking involves altering game settings or team lineups to give one or more teams an unfair advantage over the other(s). One example includes pitting a team composed of skilled or known players against a team with members of lesser skill. Although a valid and accepted tactic and practice—especially in real-life sports[3]—stacking upsets less-skilled players who feel that they aren't being given a fair chance. Less ethical rigging involves weighting the game by providing a player or team an advantage by outfitting them with better (or more familiar) weapons or equipment or creating a play field that caters to a certain player, team and/or playing style.
Farming
In games where achievements are available via defeating a number of a particular class, players may arrange to win/lose against one another in order to obtain the achievements without having to play the game linearly. This is also known as stat-padding or swapping, but is not considered cheating by most.
