In recent years, as the gaming industry has expanded rapidly and online games have become increasingly popular, the problem of “cheating” has become increasingly serious. Cheating is the use of external tools or modding programs to violate the rules of a game and gain an advantage. This upsets the balance of the game and undermines fair competition. Cheating is on the rise, especially among minors, and has a significant educational and social impact. In this article, we will take a closer look at the causes, effects, and countermeasures of cheating by minors.
Tampering with games?
The latest news is that the younger generation is increasingly cheating in games by tampering with their game content. This is very concerning news and has become a hot topic in developed countries in recent years, and is a big problem in gaming powerhouses like the United States and Japan.
ゲーム内容を勝手に改ざんする「チート行為」の若年化が進んでいる。ネット動画などで方法を調べ、気軽に手を染める未成年が増えており、中には刑事事件や損害賠償に発展したケースも。
Source : Yahoo Japan
Even elementary and junior high school students can now easily cheat, and there are cases where teenagers are charged with obstruction of business and other crimes, and the number of cases that escalate into court cases is on the rise. There is also a sharp increase in families where parents are astonished and outraged.
◇「8歳でチート知った」家裁送致された男性 「他の人にチートを見せびらかして、特別なプレイヤーになれるのが面白かった」。東京都内に住む男性は、淡々とした様子でそう振り返る。18歳だった2021年、スマートフォン用ゲームアプリ「人狼ジャッジメント」でチート行為を繰り返したとして、電子計算機損壊等業務妨害の罪で家裁送致された人物だ。運営企業から損害賠償を請求され、今年5月に謝罪と解決金の支払いをすることで和解。金額は非公表だが、「100万円を大きく超える額」という。 初めてチートの存在を知ったのは8歳のとき。「親のスマホでYouTube動画を見ていて、『バイオハザード5』で変な挙動ができるのを知った。いいなあ、とうらやましく思った」。中学2年生になり、パソコンを与えられると、どんなゲームでチートができるか手当たり次第に試すようになった。次第に、ありえない挙動で他のプレイヤーを驚かせることが快感になっていったという。
Source : Yahoo Japan
What is cheating?
Cheating refers to the act of using unfair means to break the original rules and restrictions in games and software to give players an advantage. It is mainly seen in the world of online games, and can take the following forms:
Using cheating programs: Using external programs or tools to strengthen a character’s status or take actions that would normally be impossible.
Using bugs and exploits: Using bugs (errors) or design loopholes in the game to circumvent the game’s intended behavior and gain an advantage.
Using modified data: Directly modifying game data to cheat, such as obtaining infinite money or items.
Using auto-play tools: Using tools such as bots to automatically operate the game and shorten tasks that would normally take time and effort.
Cheating not only damages the fair competition and experience intended by game developers, worsens the gaming experience of other players, but also has a negative impact on the entire gaming community. For this reason, in many games, players who cheat may have their accounts suspended or deleted, and even legal action may be taken.
Cheating is both an ethical issue and a serious challenge in online gaming.
Increase in cheating: a challenge in the digital age
With the advancement of the Internet and technology, the popularity of online games has rapidly increased, and many minors have begun to enjoy playing games. As a result, the number of minors cheating has also increased. Cheating and hacking tools are easily available on the Internet and can be used without technical knowledge, making it easy for minors to get involved in cheating.
Why minors cheat
(1) Desire for recognition and competitive spirit
One of the biggest reasons why minors cheat is the desire to win and to be recognized by others. Online games are often based on competition with other players, and competing with friends and classmates is a major motivation. There are many cases where people cheat because of a strong desire not to lose and to stand out.
(2) Difficulty and frustration of games
Many games are difficult or require long play times, which often makes people feel frustrated. In particular, children who are growing up may have low patience and tend to try to relieve their frustration by cheating. The desire to obtain the results of hard work in a short time is a factor that encourages cheating.
(3) Lack of moral awareness
Minors may have a low awareness of the impact cheating has on other players and game operators. They often do not understand or underestimate that cheating is a violation of the rules and a nuisance to others. Furthermore, in a highly anonymous online environment, real-world ethics may become weak.
Effects of cheating
(1) Deterioration of the quality of the game experience
Cheating disrupts the balance of the game and creates an unfair situation for other players. This deteriorates the overall game experience and causes serious players to leave the game. In particular, in competitive online games, if cheating becomes widespread, the entire game community may collapse.
(2) Negative impact on minors
Serious impacts also apply to minors who cheat. In the short term, you may get a temporary sense of satisfaction, but in the long term, you may lose the opportunity to understand the value of effort and accomplishment, and you may be more likely to try to solve problems in the real world by similar means. You may also be subject to account suspension or ban from game companies, and there is a risk that the account you have worked so hard to build will go to waste.
(3) Legal risks and penalties
In some countries, cheating and related acts are regulated by law, and even minors may be held legally responsible. For example, hacking and data tampering may be treated as cybercrimes, and involvement in these may be subject to criminal penalties. By engaging in such acts, minors take on great risks in the future.
The Importance of Countermeasures and Education
(1) The Role of Parents and Educators
The role of parents and educators is very important in preventing cheating among minors. Parents need to understand what games their children play and what online communities they belong to, and provide appropriate supervision. It is also important to teach them the importance of proper attitudes and efforts toward games. Educators should also provide opportunities to teach that cheating is ethically wrong through digital literacy education in schools.
(2) Efforts by Game Companies
Game companies also need to strengthen their countermeasures against cheating. Specifically, they are required to develop technical tools to detect cheating and to take prompt action against players who cheat. In addition, it is also effective to provide educational content and warnings in the game to prevent minors from engaging in cheating.
(3) Raising Community Awareness
It is also important for online game communities to take a firm stance against players who cheat. In order to maintain a healthy gaming environment, it is important for players to report cheating to each other and foster a culture that does not tolerate cheating. This will raise the bar for minors to cheat, and is expected to have the effect of curbing cheating.
Conclusion
Cheating by minors is a serious problem that undermines the fairness of games and negatively impacts their own ethics and futures. To address this issue, parents, educators, game companies, and the entire gaming community must work together to strengthen education and supervision of minors and to advance efforts to prevent cheating. In the digital age, fostering a healthy gaming culture is an important challenge for the development of the next generation of children, and it is an issue that we all need to address.
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