For a long time, fraudsters have treated the online gaming community as their playground, causing havoc without restraint. However, game publishers can no longer stand by and watch this overwhelming situation. They are increasingly turning to rescue forces in this relentless battle.
“We are doing everything we can to wipe out all the cheating programs embedded in Quake III,” said Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software, a company known for developing games for Activision.
Just before the release of “Return to Castle Wolfenstein” in 2002, id Software realized that “they were fighting a losing battle,” Hollenshead recounted.
When Game Companies Strike Back
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| Source: Download.com |
For this reason, id Software signed a contract with leading anti-cheat software company Even Balance to develop a proprietary tool. Four years later, the PunkBuster technology was integrated into all games released by id Software.
Now, following id Software’s lead, MMOG (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) developers and publishers are rushing to Even Balance to equip themselves for the fight against cheaters and fraudsters.
However, everyone understands that players themselves also play a crucial role in catching these con artists. “We rely on reports from users to identify and eliminate the dark corners,” a spokesperson from Sony Online Entertainment stated.
Failure is Not an Option
Never think about losing, Hollenshead advised. Cheaters harm the gaming industry in a domino effect, just like a “worm spoiling the broth.”
“It’s like doping in professional sports. Even if not everyone uses drugs, the entire industry suffers a tarnished reputation. The public stops respecting the achievements of honest athletes. Soon, no one will want to compete or care about it anymore.”
Joining the Fight
Tony Ray, president of Even Balance, noted that more and more game developers are realizing the practicality and cost-effectiveness of outsourcing the fight against cheating to third-party companies. “A non-specialist team cannot handle cunning fraudsters,” he said. “Highly paid coders are needed to dedicate time to researching anti-cheat methods.”
Recently, Even Balance signed a contract with game publisher K2 Network to test protective software on Knights Online – currently one of the most downloaded games on download.com. This software operates similarly to antivirus programs.
According to Ray, Even Balance is pursuing contracts with several other popular MMOGs, expected to be publicly announced in the next 2-3 weeks. Ray hinted that these are very popular MMOGs today.
Players Must Take Action
Both Ray and Hollenshead encourage gamers to take screenshots whenever they suspect they are being cheated or scammed, then report it to the admin and send the screenshots to PunkBuster.
Additionally, Ray suggests that players should join anti-cheat groups and only play with members within that group.
For MMOGs, players should report any behavior that violates the service’s regulations to the provider. Of course, before reporting, consider and analyze the situation carefully. “Otherwise, you’ll end up seeing bad guys everywhere,” Hollenshead warned.
Destiny
