The Cheater

I’m a cheater… on gaming that is.

That comes as no surprise to my friends. At one point in my life I was called The Game Shark (because my gaming depended on me using a game shark all the time). I guess the first cheat I ever used is the ever so popular Contra cheat. Since then my gaming had never been the same.

Why do I cheat (more specifically on RPGs)? Some people told me that I take the fun out of gaming. I had never invested in leveling a character up. My life’s always been 9999 while my magic points was 999 – it was always the maximum. I never got lost through the game because I always had a walkthrough beside me. That’s why I’m often asked why the hell I do it? Why take the fun out of gaming?

I do it because gaming is supposed to be fun. If some people find going through a game the hard way, there are also people like me who likes to cheat his way through the game. I don’t like wasting my time fighting the same monsters again and again just to level up. I’m a loser in real life. I don’t need to lose in a game over and over just to feel MORE of a loser.

In the fake world of gaming, I love being god. I love beating the hell out of the monsters who dare challenge me to a duel.

There are downsides of course. I learned those the hard way. I saved where I shouldn’t save (I got the save anywhere option cheat) and ended up playing the game all over again. Also the big bosses looked like training dummies because I could kill it with one shot whether I wanted to or not.

I cheated my way through Legend Of Legaia, Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 8 and Suikoden 2. Most effort was made in Suikoden 2 because I refused to use the cheat to get all the 108 Stars Of Destiny. I did that the hard way.

So was there ever a game where I didn’t use any cheats and actually finished? Yes., there was. I had to struggle my way through Max Payne without cheats? Why? Just because I couldn’t get how to do so. If I had a choice I really would have cheated. But it’s a good thing I was that stupid then and couldn’t activate the cheats. I proved to myself that there is a game that I could finish without being invincible.

I guess not cheating isn’t such a bad option, too.