NintendoThe Warp Zones in classic "Super Mario Bros."games let players skip straight to the end of the game.Nintendo- Some of the game's most passionate fans believe that using cheats or adding an easy mode to "Sekiro" would undermine the experience.
- Less serious gamers have turned an intense response in the "Sekiro" difficulty debate into a running joke about using cheats to beat classic video games.
A debate about using cheats to win in video games has become a running joke, thanks to a passionate fan of the recently released "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice."
Fans and critics have spent weeks arguing over whether or not "Sekiro" needs an easy mode. The game is considered incredible difficult by modern standards - while highly skilled players can finish "Sekiro" in two hours or less, most people will take 25 hours or more to complete the full game.
On April 5th, James Davenport of PC Gamer wrote that he used a fan-made PC program to beat "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice" using cheats, and offered a spoiler-filled review of his experiences with the game. Davenport said he didn't feel like using cheats cheapened his experience of the game. He encouraged other players to approach "Sekiro" however they wanted to, even if it meant cheating.
"Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice"/FromSoftwareThe ninja action game "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice" has sparked a conversation about difficulty in games."Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice"/FromSoftware"Feeling good about what I play and why I play it is ultimately up to me," Davenport wrote.
The article received more than 1,000 comments in three days and gamers shared mixed reactions ranging from approval to sheer disgust. But there was one particularly intense response on Twitter that grabbed the attention of thousands on social media:
It didn't take long for gamers to recognize the irony in taking a video game so seriously. It's an undeniable reality that cheats have been a part video games for as long as the hobby has existed. Many classic games included cheat codes that would make players completely invincible or let them skip to the end of the game. Cheats or no, players still enjoy them today.
The tweet from @Fetusberry quickly became meme fodder as gamers recalled all the times they've cheated in past video games without feeling bad about it at all.You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
You didn't grow.
You didn't improve.
You took a shortcut and gained nothing.
You experienced a hollow victory.
Nothing was risked and nothing was gained.
It's sad that you don't know the difference. https://t.co/upkhLSNQNO
- Fetusberry 'Ass Bastard' Crunch (@Fetusberry) April 6, 2019The warp zones in "Super Mario Bros." let you skip to the last world in the game.
You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
You didn't grow.
You didn't improve.
You took a shortcut and gained nothing.
You experienced a hollow victory.
Nothing was risked and nothing was gained.
It's sad that you don't know the difference. pic.twitter.com/CDFUhgfy5N
The legendary Konami code works for dozens of games, giving players perks like extra lives or invincibility.
You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
You didn't grow.
You didn't improve.
You took a shortcut and gained nothing.
You experienced a hollow victory.
Nothing was risked and nothing was gained.
It's sad that you don't know the difference. pic.twitter.com/PWhnCBL1co
Missingno was an infamous glitch that let Pokémon players duplicate items an infinite number of times.
You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
You didn't grow.
You didn't improve.
You took a shortcut and gained nothing.
You experienced a hollow victory.
Nothing was risked and nothing was gained.
It's sad that you don't know the difference. pic.twitter.com/kROfO9rWXI
The "Grand Theft Auto" series has constantly included cheats to help players break the law, and the laws of physics.
You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
You didn't grow.
You didn't improve.
You took a shortcut and gained nothing.
You experienced a hollow victory.
Nothing was risked and nothing was gained.
It's sad that you don't know the difference. pic.twitter.com/UMg0QEZLS0
Is making clever use of your items in "Mario Kart" still considered cheating?
You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
You didn't grow.
You didn't improve.
You took a shortcut and gained nothing.
You experienced a hollow victory. Nothing was risked and nothing was gained.
It's sad that you don't know the difference. pic.twitter.com/tBTeHK5f9W
"Super Mario 64" gives players the option to use a literal cannon to cheat in a foot race against a turtle.
Koopa the Quick only respects REAL gamers. pic.twitter.com/AtK0B9gUQ2
— 心の怪盗Don (@skittflash) April 7, 2019No matter how you choose to play "Sekiro" or anything else, remember that games are supposed to be fun.
While the difficulty of "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice" is clearly important to the game's biggest fans, it's probably more important that the people who choose to play "Sekiro" are having fun. Some players will certainly be ready to rise to the challenge, but there's nothing to be gained from shaming players who want to use cheats on their own terms to make the game less demanding, and ultimately more fun for them to play.
There's certainly no honorable or "right" way to play the game, and playing on your own with cheats isn't worthy of shame either.