Death of The Cheat Code

Death of the Cheat Code
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When I was little, I had a Sega Game Gear, and one of my first games was The Lion King, based off the popular Disney movie from 1994. I wouldn’t know it at the time but later it would be talked about as one of the hardest platformers ever made. It wasn’t hard for me though, not that I’m great at platformers – I’m terrible at them. I have to move really slow, and then the anxiety kicks in that I won’t finish the level on time, so then I speed up and three lives later – game over! The Lion King was the first one I genuinely beat without the assistance of my older brother…well not genuinely. When I first popped The Lion King cartridge in and turned on the Game Gear, I was fiddling around with the directional buttons. I was just continuously pushing down up-right-down-left, up-right-down-left, up-right-down- left as the Sega logo hit the screen. I heard a weird nose and was taken to a menu I hadn’t seen before. I can’t remember what it was called (this was almost 30 years ago) but my eyes lit up as I had found gaming gold. It was a cheat menu! I immediately got my older brother’s attention, “Dude look!” I remember we just kept our eyes on that screen for ten minutes not knowing what to do. In the menu I pretty much had free reign over anything in the game – I could give myself infinite lives and a few other options, but the thing I was most excited for: level select. I was 7 years old, had been playing this game for weeks, and I couldn’t get past the damn “Just Can’t Wait to Be King” level. I was continuously dying, while that melody just played and played. It reached a point where that melody seemed cruel to me, almost mocking me as I cried each time in frustration. I needed to get back at this game for that wrong; I needed to show Disney and Sega up! I looked down at that level chose the very last level. It was there I came face to face with Scar – that was the entire level. All I had to do was beat Scar. It turns out, all you had to do to beat him is have well timed jumps and he’ll eventually fall off the map, end credits, circle of life. I defeated him. I shouted “Yes!” as I had won. My brother (the purist) would chime in, “Why don’t you try beating it without cheating?” I punched him in the arm, then he hit me, we both got grounded – circle of life.

I miss that feeling – that cheat code feeling. They used to be in practically every game, and nowadays whenever there’s an accidental advantage, the studios put out an update to fix it. Where did they go? Why did they go? These are questions I’ve asked myself for awhile now…I’ll tell you one question I’ve never asked myself, “Could I beat The Lion King without cheating?” I sleep well at night beating that game the way I did, I regret nothing. Cheat codes originated as developer tools, as way for a developer to get around their creation to work, modify, or observe something in the game. “Oh I need just check the specs at this part of level 5, better make sure my character is invincible so I can get there.” Possibly the first game to ever have a cheat is Gradius released in 1985. “The Konami Code” it was called: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start. Gradius developer Kazuhisa Hashimoto invented this code after realizing during the debugging process that Gradius was too hard, even for him. This code would find itself in other Konami games such as Contra, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Castlevania, and more. Over the years, cheat codes began to open a number of possibilities: invincibility, extra lives, all weapons, all costumes, etc. Then someone stored cheats to various games and thought of a way to monetize it; that’s when GameShark was born. Oh boy, do I miss GameShark. You’d connect your game to the GameShark cartridge, and there was no button pressing needed – just pick out the cheats you want on and go to town! It was a such a great time in gaming.

Cheat codes were everything back at that age. In school, they were currency. You’d trade your McDonald’s lunch for a three-page cheat code list for Grand Theft Auto 3. So what happened? Where are cheat codes now? Well nowadays I guess the closest we have is PC modding where other people modify the coding in a game and put it out for download. I only really see cheats when I watch TikTok videos and Reels of PC players getting caught cheating at Call of Duty (always good watches). As far as consoles though? Cheats are essentially behind paywalls. Do you want that cool weapon or sick alternate costume for that character? $5.99 please. Some games have cheats that can only be obtained by completing challenges in the game. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s not a cheat – that’s just part of the game! Its something we elder gamers don’t say out loud, but the cheat codes as we knew them died. I happen to believe once online gaming came to consoles, it was the end of cheat codes. With the competitive nature that online gaming brings, cheat codes could no longer exist because the advantage would be over another person rather than over a program. Imagine you’re playing an NBA 2K game and your opponent never misses a shot, never loses the ball, or is unfairly fast – you’d never play that game again. Cheat codes have become a risk to profits. Cheating is now taken very seriously in the gaming world. Those TikToks and Reels I mentioned before, its not just an embarrassing viral video for the cheater; they ultimately lose monetization rights to their stream/channel or could lose everything all together. I’m not sympathizing – they deserve it. There’s a big difference though in cheating at The Lion King on Game Gear and cheating in a Call of Duty tournament. The difference is exactly what killed cheat codes to begin with. Its wasn’t the cheating itself, but the intent.

Konami Code | Source: Wikipedia/Amazon

I hate to say it, but it was a necessary sacrifice. One we didn’t see coming but had to happen as gaming evolved. The cheat codes as we knew were fun and helpful, but such a tool eventually becomes used for evil. They only live on in those of us that kept our old games and consoles. I find myself not even using them whenever I’m playing a retro game because I want to experience the game the way it was made. As far as The Lion King on Game Gear goes, if I had that now and I could pop it I guess I wouldn’t play with – psyche! I still would homey – that “Just Can’t Wait to Be King” level can get bent!

In closing, while we may not be able to cheat our way to the last level anymore, today’s video games give us much more than they used to. Cheat codes now would really devalue all the hard work and effort put on by the developers. We’d spoil ourselves to where developers would ask why they put so much work into something that’s going to be skipped or altered. It would be like going into an art museum and drawing on every painting with a marker. Cheat codes were great, and they gave us many great memories. We didn’t have a chance to say goodbye, but seeing a Monster Energy-fueled streamer being caught using aimbots on the internet is a good enough farewell for me.

About Post Author

Dan Danzy

Howdy. I'm Dan. I'm a huge nerd for games, sci-fi, and comedy. I was a stand up comic for a long time, I don't know why that matters but its a fun tidbit I guess? I enjoy writing in my house about things I love, playing with my dogs, and annoying my wife.
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Author: Dan Danzy
Howdy. I'm Dan. I'm a huge nerd for games, sci-fi, and comedy. I was a stand up comic for a long time, I don't know why that matters but its a fun tidbit I guess? I enjoy writing in my house about things I love, playing with my dogs, and annoying my wife.