Why hackers are so common: a theory

[carpenatedbevrage 21]

I'm not usually a big PC gamer except for DayZ, but it seems that this game suffers from more cheating and scripting than any PC game I've ever seen. Aside from the fact that it is apparently very easy to cheat in DayZ, I think there might be a bigger underlying reason for the prevalence of hackers:

Cheating at a video game is nearly always a form of griefing. That is, the cheater isn't playing the game anymore, they are playing the other players. A cheater cheats because he (or she) wants to feel powerful, and so by cheating they have made themselves more powerful in the game than other players. This frustrates or even enrages other players, who often express their frustration out loud. This is exactly what the cheater wants because they can see and hear the frustration of those less powerful than them and thus they achieve a level of satisfaction with the game. While other players seek satisfaction from the game, the cheater seeks satisfaction by making others miserable.

So why does DayZ suffer from so many cheaters? The answer is simple: because DayZ makes the player feel weak. Most video games make the player feel powerful. This is especially true of single-player games and RPGs, but nearly all games are designed to make the player feel power that they cannot feel in real life. DayZ makes the player feel weak and vulnerable. You can die from getting shot only once, you can easily get cornered by zombies and die with an empty gun in your hand, you can break your legs by falling even a few feet. Many applaud this level of realism in a game, but to the cheater, they see it as not only a disincentive to play the game the way it's meant to be played, but also as an opportunity to cause more grief from other players. It's a disincentive because someone who doesn't have a good attention span or is lazy doesn't want to spend hours collecting gear, they want to experience the best the game has to offer right away. When that gets boring (as it inevitably will), they realize that other players HAVE spent hours collecting gear, and that it would be fun to kill them in such a way that they cannot fight back (i.e. teleportation). This makes the cheater feel powerful because they are invincible against players who are very, very weak.

So there you have it. That's my theory, and I bet that if it were possible to actually collect data on the rate of cheaters in games, that DayZ would have more cheaters, even when compared to games that have a similar number of players and a similarly weak anti-cheat system.

So what do you do about a cheater?

It's quite simple: nothing. The cheater wants you to insult them in side chat because they know you can't do anything to them and that makes them feel powerful. So next time you get victimized by a hacker, don't even react. Let them kill you in some idiotic or embarrassing way. Let them do whatever stupid thing they want to do to feel powerful, and as soon as the opportunity appears, quietly log off and wait for them to leave. What would you do if you found out that someone at your friend's poker game was cheating? Would you swear at him and try to beat him anyway, even though you can't possible beat him? Or would you say "I don't want to play anymore" and take your chips and leave? If you don't give the cheater the satisfaction of knowing he pissed you off, then he will not feel powerful or satisfied, and will choose someone else to victimize instead.

I think instead of IP banning, there should be IP shaming. If a player get's globally banned, let them play, but display a server message that they are a known cheater when they log in. Everyone would log out, and the cheater would have no one left to grief.

[beastoverlord 574]

I think there are more hackers in DayZ because it is part of Arma II which is made for scripts. Most of the hackers here don't use legitimate hacks, they just script things in that are already written in the games coding. A lot of games that aren't mods have very few hackers if any. When DayZ becomes a Standalone is will be much harder for people to cheat.

[Devastator4455 1]

I think what you said is actually very smart!

I get what your saying with the whole weak in Dayz but in Halo for example your the chief AKA the boss!

[Dayz Steve 26]

I agree with you completely! There poor at the game so they cheat to make other players feel weak!

[Col. Kurtz (DayZ) 91]

Very well put OP. You hit the nail on the head with this statement. "It's a disincentive because someone who doesn't have a good attention span or is lazy doesn't want to spend hours collecting gear, they want to experience the best the game has to offer right away." We see that happen with the F2P games out for the PC. A lot of players will pay to win rather than work for reward. Seriously, very well written post. Beans for you.

[Kerbo 198]

It's nice to read a well thought out post with some insight for a change. I think you nailed it. Have some beans.

[Dark Terror 11]

Very well written! Agreeing with everything you have said, However removing the IP Ban would put allot of other Legit users at risk. People might not see the message or may not log out fast enough and with the threat of server Nuking everyone would loose there well earned gear. Whereas now with the current system the players name and Ban is shown to the server upon trying to enter without the threat to the other users. Just my thaughts! :)

[snake pliskin 11]

Half of what you said can be applied to bandits sniping unarmed, fresh spawns on the coast or sniping a bambi with a makarov from atop a building you have to get flown onto. They do it for the same reasons that hackers do what they do.

[latiasracer 8]

Half of what you said can be applied to bandits sniping unarmed, fresh spawns on the coast or sniping a bambi with a makarov from atop a building you have to get flown onto. They do it for the same reasons that hackers do what they do.

I have to agree with this. It's the same mentalty for those groups on servers who like to get a car/truck, drive around, and kill everyone. Regardless if they are a threat or not, regardless of if the group needs supplies. Half the time i got killed by people, who didn't even loot my body.