Esports and Cheating: A Challenge to Competitive Gaming
Esports is booming, with professional competitions drawing in millions of viewers and offering prize pools that rival traditional sports. But there’s a threat that looms large. Cheating is a significant issue that undermines the integrity, legality, and sheer thrill of the game. Let’s dig into why it matters, some examples, and what can be done about it.
The Harm of Cheating in Esports
In esports, cheating isn’t just about having an unfair advantage. It’s about money, reputation, and legality. Here are a few reasons why cheating is so harmful to esports competitions.
Cheating Undermines Integrity
Cheating hurts the spirit of competition that makes esports so great. It takes away the pride of accomplishment and casts doubt on every victory. In a space where precision, strategy, and skill should reign supreme, cheating undermines the very essence of esports.
Cheating Ruins the Player Experience
Nothing is more frustrating than losing to a cheater. It’s demoralizing and can drive players away from the game they love. Cheating can be even more devastating in professional esports, where careers are at stake.
Cheating Damages Reputations
A cheating scandal can wreak havoc on the reputation of players, teams, esports organizers, and the entire esports industry. It sends a signal of untrustworthiness that can alienate fans, deter sponsors, and hinder the credibility of esports.
Cheating Is Illegal
When large sums of money are at stake, cheating is more than unethical — it is illegal. Professional esports competitions often involve significant prize money, and engaging in cheating can lead to legal consequences that tarnish not just the individual but the sport itself.
Types of Cheating in Esports
Cheating in esports comes in many different forms, including software cheats, hardware cheats, bug exploitation, doping, ghosting, and online attacks. Here we’ll discuss some of these categories of cheating and share real-life examples.
Software Cheats
This form of cheating involves using unauthorized third-party software to gain an advantage, like aimbots that automatically target opponents or wallhacks that allow a player to see or move through solid objects. Such cheats can drastically tilt the playing field, negating the skill and strategy of other players.
One example of using software cheats in esports happened during a 2018 CS:GO tournament. Nikhil “forsaken” Kumawat somehow placed a typical aimbot-style cheat onto his game terminal. During the tournament, an admin became suspicious and checked out the terminal as Kumawat desperately tried to delete the cheat files. Although the CS:GO community called for a lifetime ban, Kumawat received a five-year ban from the Esports Integrity Coalition.
Hardware Cheats
Another form of esports cheating is specialized hardware, such as modded hardware (mouse, keyboard, etc.) that automate button presses or macros. This physical manipulation can provide an unfair advantage and hurt the gameplay experience.
One notable example of this form of esports cheating made the headlines in 2018 at The International 2018 (DOTA) when Atún, a player on Peru’s Thunder Predator team, used a specially configured mouse to run pre-set macros. The cheating was discovered when Atún teleported several character clones simultaneously (which is impossible to do without a pre-programmed macro). The cheating scandal resulted in the Peru team being disqualified from the $15 million tournament.
Bug Exploitation
Finding and taking advantage of game bugs is another form of cheating that can happen in esports tournaments. While discovering bugs is part of the gaming experience, intentionally using them to win crosses a line into unethical territory.
A ‘famous’ example of bug exploitation happened at DreamHack Winter 2014 at the CS:GO tournament, where the Fnatic team found a bug that gave them an advantage. As explained by Rock, Paper, Shotgun:
“It involves a boost from the Counter-Terrorist (CT) spawn that should be impossible because there is nothing to stand on, but it turns out there’s a rogue pixel somewhere. One player gets on this invisible surface, another stands on his head, and from here, there’s a view of the majority of the map — including the Terrorist (T) side’s spawning location. Such an advantage is a map-breaking exploit, and Fnatic used this spot to enormous effect and turned the score around to win the match.”
In a post-match interview, the coach admitted that Fnatic had known about the bug for over two months. The incident caused such backlash that Fnatic forfeited the game and exited the tournament.
Doping
Similar to traditional sports, doping in esports refers to the use of drugs that enhance concentration, energy, and reaction time. Performance-enhancing drugs, particularly nootropics like Ritalin and Adderall, create an unlevel playing field in esports tournaments.
Anti-doping rules for esports competitions came under discussion after a 2015 CS:GO tournament where Kory “Semphis” Friesen admitted openly that all the players of his team Cloud9 were on Adderall. At the time, there were no regulations on doping, but afterward, the esports league ESL reacted by announcing they would create anti-doping rules and enforce randomized drug testing.
Solutions to Esports Cheating
Tackling the cheating problem in esports is complex and requires us to approach the problem from multiple angles. Here are some of the key ways we can address the issue of cheating in competitive gaming.
Anti-Cheat Software
Anti-cheat software is vital for catching cheaters in the act. It must be smart, agile, and able to detect wrongdoing without interrupting the game. That’s where Anybrain steps in! We’re developing anti-cheat technology that monitors players and detects cheating in real-time. By using AI and behavioral biometrics, we can identify irregular patterns that indicate cheating so esports tournament officials can take immediate action without disrupting the game for everyone else.
Regulatory Measures
Regulations set expectations and boundaries for acceptable behavior. But it’s not just about having rules; follow-through is crucial. By following up with fines, bans, or legal actions, esports organizers create a deterrent for others who might consider cheating. They also send the message that cheating will not be tolerated and that they are serious about fair play. This seems particularly problematic in the area of doping, where many players have been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, but often no punishment is enforced.
Education & Awareness
Educating players and fans about the risks and consequences of cheating can go a long way toward prevention. By raising awareness, players understand why cheating is wrong and how it can ruin the game for everyone involved. For example, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Global Esports Federation recently announced that they will be creating education programs about the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs. We hope this article also helps educate people on the harm of cheating in esports and how we can solve the problem.
Community Cooperation
Finally, it’s essential to recognize that combating cheating is a team effort, requiring the cooperation of esports organizations, technology companies like Anybrain, game developers, and the entire gaming community. By working together, we can pool resources, knowledge, and expertise to create an environment where cheating is culturally unacceptable and less likely to happen. The gaming community plays a huge role in shaping this culture through their voices, input, and active participation.
Creating a Fun and Fair Experience for All
Esports cheating isn’t just a problem for the pros; it’s a challenge that affects the entire gaming industry. That’s why Anybrain is committed to providing a robust anti-cheat solution not just for professional players but for every gamer. Whether it’s a competitive tournament with money on the line or just a fun game with friends, we believe that gaming should be fun and fair for all and that our technology is a big part of the solution. The game against cheating is on, and we’re playing to win!