Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Odin. Odin Wonders, “Why do cheat codes work?” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Odin!
It's a typical weekday. You get home and make an after-school snack before you get started on your homework. Fortunately, your teacher took it easy on you today. A few math problems and a half-hour of reading and you're finished well before dinner.
What will you do with your free time? You could grab your skateboard and enjoy the nice weather outside. You could watch the next episode of that show you started binge watching online last night.
Instead, you turn on the television, grab a controller, and plop down on the couch for some quality time with your favorite video game. Ever since the first video game was invented, video game developers have been making games that excite the senses and challenge the reflexes. Some of them even help you get some exercise!
This new game you've been playing for the past week has really captured your imagination. It immerses you in an alternate universe where you must fight aliens in order to survive to reach the next level. Unfortunately, you seem to have reached the limit of your skills, because you just can't seem to conquer the current level you've been stuck on for several days now.
You give it another try, but after several minutes you're back to the same point: out of ammunition, health low, and still on the same level. Frustrated, you search the Internet for help. You find what you're looking for and, with a precise sequence of button pushes, your ammunition is resupplied, your health is restored, and within minutes you're on the next level.
What did you find online? If you're a gamer, you already know the answer: a cheat code. For non-gamers, cheat codes are passwords or button combinations that can be entered to trigger a particular effect or event within a video game.
For example, a cheat code might replenish the ammunition in a weapon. It could also restore or increase a character's health. It might also change a character into a different character, elevate you to a higher level, or even jump you forward to a later part of the game.
Are cheat codes created by hackers to exploit games? Sometimes that can be the case, but most cheat codes are created by video game developers and placed into games on purpose. Why would they do that?
Originally, cheat codes were tools that helped developers to test the games they were building. For example, a cheat code that jumps you to the end of a game could help developers test the latter parts of a game without needing to play through the entire game first.
Thanks to the Internet, cheat codes can be easily shared with people all over the world the instant they're discovered. But is using cheat codes really cheating? The answer to that question really comes down to the motivation of the player.
If you're playing by yourself and you want to jump to a later part of the game, is there any harm? Maybe not. You're only cheating yourself out of the entire experience of the game. If you're playing against someone competitively, however, and you use cheat codes to gain an unfair advantage, then that's clearly crossing the line into cheating.
Cheat codes aren't as prevalent today as they used to be. Thanks to game consoles connected to the Internet and the regular rollout of game updates, developers can remove loopholes created by cheat codes with a simple game update that you download via your game console.
Video game connoisseurs, however, point to another development that they believe has been a significant factor in the decline of the use of cheat codes: achievements and trophies. These new rewards were developed to incentivize fair play and encourage completion of challenges, particularly in online multiplayer games. Those found to be using cheat codes can be branded with a "cheater" label that taints their online image.
FAQs
The most basic type of Cheat Code is one created by the game designers and hidden within the video game itself, that will cause any type of uncommon effect that is not part of the usual game mechanics. Cheat Codes are usually activated by typing secret passwords or pressing controller buttons in a certain sequence.
How does the GameShark work? ›
GameShark Pro
During gameplay, the user presses a button on the device to open a code search menu. Finding a code is done by searching memory locations either for specific values or for values that have changed in a certain way (increased, decreased, not changed, etc.) since the last search.
How do cheat codes get discovered? ›
Sometimes, cheat codes are purposefully included in games by the first-party developers who created them. Other times, they're inserted through third-party software after a game's been produced. Moreover, it isn't always intentional. Gamers have discovered unintended “codes” by exploiting bugs in a game's software.
What is the famous cheat code up down? ›
Players would enter up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A and Start on a controller to activate the "Konami code." It was first used in the game Gradius, but later made famous on Nintendo with Contra.
What is the most famous cheat code? ›
The Konami Code was first used in the release of Gradius (1986), a scrolling shooter for the NES and was popularized among North American players in the NES version of Contra. The code is also known as the "Contra Code" and "30 Lives Code", since the code provided the player 30 extra lives in Contra.
Do cheats ever change? ›
Even when faced with the complex challenges that often underlie serial cheating, people are capable of modifying their behaviors. Trauma, psychological conditions, and relationship health are all things that can be improved with the proper guidance and treatment.
How does cheat work? ›
It is a game of deception, with cards being played face-down and players being permitted to lie about the cards they have played. A challenge is usually made by players calling out the name of the game, and the loser of a challenge has to pick up every card played so far. Cheat is classed as a party game.
How do you spot a cheat? ›
- Altered Schedule. If working late is suddenly a new normal even though your partner's job doesn't really require it, they may not be telling the truth about where they are.
- Uncomfortable Friends. The friends of the cheating partner usually know about it before you do. ...
- Inconsistent Expenses. ...
- False Accusations of Cheating.
If you're playing against someone competitively, however, and you use cheat codes to gain an unfair advantage, then that's clearly crossing the line into cheating.
What happens if you tell Google the Konami Code? ›
The Konami Code strikes again. Go to a Google search bar and using voice, search for “Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right.” And just like that, you'll have unlimited free Google searches.
'Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A' – better known as the Konami Code was created by developer Kazuhisa Hashimoto and is known as the most common cheat code in the world. Tell this to Siri and her response is… 'NERD,' 'cheater,' or 'I'm getting dizzy.
What are the rules of cheat? ›
It is a game of deception, with cards being played face-down and players being permitted to lie about the cards they have played. A challenge is usually made by players calling out the name of the game, and the loser of a challenge has to pick up every card played so far. Cheat is classed as a party game.
How does a cheat sheet work? ›
A cheat sheet is a single piece of paper containing written information relevant to your studies. It has become increasingly common for instructors to allow their students to create a cheat sheet and use it during a test or quiz.
How does cheat show work? ›
Each episode features four contestants who are asked a series of trivia questions. Contestants can answer them or choose, by subtly pressing a button, to be given the correct answer to say – to cheat. After each question, the other contestants can accuse the answerer of cheating.
Are cheat codes permanent? ›
Cheating will disable cheats for the subsequent autosaves and saves of that 'session'. If you start a new game, say from a chapter or something, you can get achievements again. Cheating will disable cheats for the subsequent autosaves and saves of that 'session'.
