Is it cheating if it's IN the game?

Here's an example. Let's say that you're trying to complete a stage in Sonic Unleashed as fast as you can. However, you find a glitch that allows you to skip half of the level. Now, the game wasn't modified in any way, shape, or form. However, with this glitch, you've completed the stage twice as fast than if you'd do it normally.

Is it still legit?

Here's another example, and it's also Sonic-related. In Sonic '06, there's a purple gem that can be unlocked, and it allows players to jump repeatedly until they want to land. As the purple gem isn't SUPPOSED to be infinite, does this mean that using it to skip large pieces of stages would be cheating.

You understand what I mean? If the game allows you to break its own rules, is that cheating, assuming you don't mod the game in any way, shape, or form?

Oh, and another thing. What about cheat codes in video games? There are certain passwords that can grant infinite lives, health, and so on. Would using those be considered cheating? I mean, the game provides it. Again, no modding involved.

You are using the game and exploiting it in a way that it wasnt meant to be played. yes sir you are cheating. As for cheat codes they are called CHEAT codes for a reason...

Glitches are unintentional. They're programming errors that the devs couldn't find or fix in time for release. It's a part of the game, yes, but it was never supposed to be there in the first place.

Cheat codes are a different matter entirely. Those are just for giggles.

Yeah using glitches is still cheating as is using cheat codes.

I don't see how using a cheat code is actually cheating. It's not really cheating just BECAUSE they're called cheat codes. What they do is make the game easier. A great example of this would be the Contra code to get 30 lives, Cheato from the Banjo-Kazooie series, or the infinite items unlockable in Donkey Kong 64.

Even though glitches are unintentional, does that mean that taking advantage of the improper coding makes it not legit?

I personally hold the belief that, if you have NOT modified the game in any way, shape, or form, it's impossible to cheat. If the player is actually intended to go through certain parts of the game properly, then some coders need to do a better job at it.

Using cheat codes technically is cheating, but cheating can sometimes be fun.

If it is reproduceable by anyone playing the game, it isn't cheating at all.

In fact, most speed runners utilize glitches quite often.

@foxhound_fox: Definitely true.

People say that it's cheating because they're not meant to be there, but that doesn't change the fact that they ARE. If they made an invisible wall that's not supposed to be jumped over, but a player finds a way to jump over it and advance tremendously in the game, that isn't the fault of the players. The programmers made an error. A glitch is NEVER the fault of the players.

@chad_devore:

What you just define is glitching and it's a form of cheating. It's not legit and you should not say you finished the game with that imo. But who care if people cheat single player and like it this way.

@gmak2442: The thing is, though, I notice a difference between a glitch and improper coding. What I'm defining is improper coding. Improper coding is coded to make the game work the way it does, and using the code (aka playing the game) without altering it isn't cheating in any way.

I got ragged on a ton for taking advantage of a few spots on Day of Defeat: Source maps that allowed what I called "edge walking"... what is essentially, a place that visually, shouldn't allow traversal, like an edge of a top of a wall, but due to an error in map design, actually allows the player to walk along it quite easily if they know it's there.

People called me a cheater for accessing something that they all could do themselves. And often did after they realized how easy it was and were huge hypocrites for calling me a cheater.

It didn't take long for the developers to fix the issue though.

@foxhound_fox: Well, in all fairness, if a patch is released, THEN it could be considered cheating. Until then, probably not, hehe.

I never really considered using glitches as cheating. Cheat codes for sure without a doubt.

@chad_devore: yes for in-game codes,happened to be the most fun thing to use back in the good ol' days,now it's a risk that needs to be watched over...cheat codes can have consequences,some may damage the game by hindering progress...so I often suggest to do so when there's nothing important to do...as for glitches...I've seen it as a no,some of them don't look like cheats,it's just a dirty secret that gamers happen to stumble upon unintentionally(first timers) or intentionally(which I would call it a yes,it's cheating)..remember one of those early releases? they may have lots of them..patches come and go,and one by one they're gone.sadly, whatever happened in Sonic 06 is a permanent damage that should've seen a delay.

Exploiting =/= cheating. Cheating would be altering the game's code (cheat codes, hacking, modifications). Glitches and bugs exist in the original game's code, so by taking advantage of them (which are available to all who play), you are exploiting and not cheating.

You could ask about other games as well. There are out of bounds lines in basketball courts. Going outside them during an official game with a ball after it has been passed into the boundary (and sometimes within the additional boundary of the half-court line). The boundary lines are in the game. Why can players not shoot when outside that line?

It is because the game was not designed for that purpose. Exploiting the boundaries of the design is often considered cheating, but some professional gaming organizations allow doing so such as Major League Gaming and weapon sliding in Gears of War in the past, yet other glitches have been prohibited. The lack of consistency among the ranks of MLG does not help establish a precedent to follow albeit one that would merely be by tradition. The best team in the world for this summer, "Legends Aree Back," might weapon slide, but some might think that is an unfair advantage.

Ultimately, you can set your own rules in single player virtual games granted you have legal standing (i.e. the legality of modding, for example), but multiplayer requires the additional provision of agreed on rules between all player parties for a game to have credibility as fair play and not manipulation.

Not agree: Abusing bugs is cheating. It's similar to exploit. Claim you that if a backdoor is hidden in Windows 10 and if you use it you are not hacking?

Alrighty, so giving it a lot of thought, I'm guessing that using a glitch IS cheating, as it completely defeats the purpose of the game.

On the other hand, cheat codes are meant to make the game easier for players who can't do it, so this was intentional. Intentional means it's NOT cheating. While I will admit that it's cheating to exploit a glitch for gain, I'm still standing by my opinion on codes not cheating.