Let's face it. Games are a lot more competitive than they used to be back in the days of Commander Keen and the original Quake. The rise of multiplayer gaming has seen many developers focusing substantially on multiplayer features in their flagship titles, and the ever-improving state of broadband Internet has facilitated a much more enjoyable online gaming experience. Lag is now rarely an issue and many are able to obtain an online experience similar to that provided via a LAN (Local Area Network) - as far as pings are concerned, anyway. In either case, the bottom line is that multiplayer gaming, especially in the online arena, has become much more enjoyable as games and technology have advanced, and the elimination of lag issues has allowed players to take a much more competitive stance while online. After all, what's the point of multiplayer gaming if not to compete with humans, rather than the monotonous and highly predictable pre-programmed bots?

There are hundreds of thousands of gamers fragging online at any one time, and with the more popular games it often takes quite a while before you are even able to join a server. This immense popularity has also led to an increase in the overall competitiveness of the community, as the general skill level of those playing has risen greatly over time. With such a high level of competition, it's only natural for us to try and overcome this added difficulty, whether it be by practicing for many hours a day, or even upgrading our PCs to ensure maximum frame rates. Even away from the PC, similar events take place all the time. When you were a child and mum asked you to tidy your room, did you neatly fold each t-shirt and pair of underwear before carefully placing it into your dresser? Or did you sneakily sweep every scrap under your bed so you could get back to whatever it is you were doing before you were ever so rudely interrupted? Thought so! However, these acts were ultimately only harming yourself and thus, weren't that big a deal. It's when cheating moves to the multiplayer arena that it starts becoming an issue.

Cheating in games is certainly not a new concept. Games as far back as Doom have featured pre-programmed cheats (added by the developer himself) to allow those that are stuck to move through the game with reduced difficulty. We've seen a whole gamut of cheats ranging from no clipping mode (see-through walls) to all weapons, to unlimited ammo and even invincibility. However, these were all cheats for the single player game, and it wasn't until relatively recently that cheats of the same nature were introduced to multiplayer gaming, as well. This is a significant issue because, unlike single player cheating where you're only affecting your own gaming experience, multiplayer cheating affects everyone playing in the server with you at the same time.

Cheating is now close to destroying entire gaming communities (Counter-Strike anyone?), and it's gotten to a point where developers are having to spend a large portion of their research and development time creating barriers against the individuals who program and utilize such cheats.

The first question that must be answered is: What constitutes cheating? Dictionary.com defines cheating as "To violate rules deliberately, as in a game." So, in the context of multiplayer gaming, we can define cheating as modifying game configuration files so that you have an unfair advantage over your opponents. That said, please note that this does not include modifying your character or weapon skins, as long as the models themselves don't change. For example, in some of the earlier versions of Counter-Strike, it was possible to modify in-game models as you saw fit, allowing you to enlarge enemy body parts, including the head, in order to see them from behind walls and boxes. Thankfully, this issue was soon rectified when the developers modified the game's code to ensure that you cannot join a server with anything but the default models. So, to recap, you're able to slightly modify the game's original code without actually cheating, however, as soon as you gain an unfair advantage over your opponents, that's when you're breaking the rules.

How do cheats work?

There are a number of different types of cheats available, each modifying game configuration files in a slightly different manner.

Client Hook - This is the most common method of cheating in current games, and works by loading up a 'client loader' when the game is executed, and inserting numerous lines of code into memory, thus allowing the game to be manipulated in a number of different ways directly from its memory. Most auto-aim and wallhack cheats use this method, due to the fact that until recently it has been quite difficult to detect. That said, we're pleased to report that in recent months many developers have released a number of anti-cheat solutions for client hook hacks, sending the creators of such programs back to the drawing board once again. However, it doesn't take long before skilled coders figure out how to get around even the most extensive anti-cheat measures.

OpenGL Hack - OpenGL hacks, which obviously only work in OpenGL-based games such as Quake III Arena, modify the OpenGL driver so that it draws textures differently. For example, an OpenGL wallhack can modify the driver so that it draws Quake III Arena wall textures transparently, and so on.

Hard-Coded Hack - These hacks are the simplest of the lot, and involve replacing the game DLL and Config files with modified ones. This was the main type of cheat used in the earlier versions of games such as Counter-Strike, however, these cheats were easily eliminated by the implementation of specific file sizes and the searching of config files for known hacks when connecting to a server.

Sadly, due to the fact that cheaters have become so common in the multiplayer arena, on many occasions innocent players are being accused of cheating when they are really just playing well or having a lucky day. Continous chants of "OMG HAX!!" can be quite frustrating for legitimate gamers, and although it's easy to prove your innocence at a LAN, it's unfortunately near-impossible to do so online. Not only do we now have trigger-happy players, but this has resulted in server admins becoming much less tolerant as well, banning those accused of cheating without much investigation at all. But who can blame them?

The copious amount of cheating accusations make it difficult to pick the legitimate players from the cheats, and many server admins take the stance that "it's better to have two or three legitimate players wrongfully banned than it is to have another hundred cheaters walk free." This is understandable and it's ultimately the actions of the cheaters that are ruining the experience for everyone. However, you can help to avoid innocent players being banned by making sure that you are 100% certain that someone is cheating before accusing them. The following section should aid you in making a much more informed judgment.

Name any multiplayer-enabled game you own and it's almost certain that there has been some sort of cheat developed for it, whether it's a first-person shooter (FPS), a real-time strategy (RTS) or even a role-playing game (RPG). Just so you are aware of exactly what these cheats enable players to do and thus, what to look for while playing, below is a list of the most popular multiplayer games, which includes an explanation of the cheats available for each.

Wallhack - Wallhacking, perhaps the most common cheat in Counter-Strike, allows players to see others through walls and other objects, giving them the advantage of pinpointing the exact location of an enemy and removing all elements of surprise as well as enabling you to easily shoot them through crates, doors and even thick concrete walls. There are various types of wallhack (e.g. full transparency and partial transparency), however, both ultimately give the same results. It's relatively easy to spot someone who's wallhacking, as they will usually blatantly shoot people through thick concrete walls and hit spot on with just about every bullet - something that is normally impossible to do unless you see them run into the position.

Anti-grenade - Put simply, the anti-grenade cheat makes players immune to both flashbang and smoke grenades. For the uninformed, flashbangs let off a bright spark which blinds both enemies and teammates for a number of seconds, and smoke grenades release a cloud of smoke, only partially blinding players but lasting for a longer period of time. When enabled, this cheat makes players immune to both types of grenades, and you'll know when someone is using it if they get five flashbangs thrown in their face and are still able to accurately fire at targets despite this.

Player Information - This cheat is very similar to the wallhack, however, rather than making walls transparent, the player information hack displays health, weapon and ammunition data above both enemy and teammate models, which can be seen even when players are hidden behind objects such as walls and doors. This allows you to pick your fights as well as pinpoint the enemy's position. Detecting this cheat is similar to the way in which you'd detect a wallhacker.

Glowing Player Models - This is a relatively simple cheat that makes all enemy player models glow a color of your choosing, making them much easier targets. Players using this cheat are almost impossible to spot unless it is used in conjunction with a wallhack/ aimbot.

It's clear that cheating is a significant issue in both the online and offline multiplayer gaming communities. However, it's also clear that developers and third-party programmers are going to great lengths to keep cheats out of our games, and you can be sure to see a much higher grade of cheat protection being integrated into many upcoming titles. That said, it's unlikely that there'll ever be a way of completely eliminating cheating, as intelligent coders will always find a way to get around even the most stringent counter-measures. However, what these increased anti-cheating measures will do is greatly minimize the amount of cheats we do see, which should help to make our gaming experiences cheat-free... at least 90%+ of the time.