Opinion: Is Using A Glitch Cheating?

[stringzzz]

So I recently used a glitch in Pokemon Scarlet to get 'infinite' shiny Flutter Manes, and it was so damn easy, it took no skill at all, aside from maybe some to get the Herba Mystica out of the Tera Raid battles (Legitimately). The thing is, I used no cheating devices, and didn't modify the game code in any way. If I was using a glitch to increase my odds of winning like a person in sports using performance enhancing drugs in competition, I would definitely call that cheating. But to get a shiny Pokemon that doesn't improve my odds of winning in the slightest, I would think that's like an athlete getting a tattoo of a lightning bolt, it doesn't do anything to help them win, it's just for show.

Even still, even though glitching is an integral part of speed runs, and again, this glitch didn't improve my chances of winning against others, I can't help but feel like I cheated to get those shinies. So, what's your take PC, is glitching the same as cheating, or does it depend on the purpose?

P.S. I'm currently setting up the glitch again to fill as much of one box with them as I can, before the glitch gets patched, lol.

 

[Sweet Serenity]

So I recently used a glitch in Pokemon Scarlet to get 'infinite' shiny Flutter Manes, and it was so damn easy, it took no skill at all, aside from maybe some to get the Herba Mystica out of the Tera Raid battles (Legitimately). The thing is, I used no cheating devices, and didn't modify the game code in any way. If I was using a glitch to increase my odds of winning like a person in sports using performance enhancing drugs in competition, I would definitely call that cheating. But to get a shiny Pokemon that doesn't improve my odds of winning in the slightest, I would think that's like an athlete getting a tattoo of a lightning bolt, it doesn't do anything to help them win, it's just for show.

Even still, even though glitching is an integral part of speed runs, and again, this glitch didn't improve my chances of winning against others, I can't help but feel like I cheated to get those shinies. So, what's your take PC, is glitching the same as cheating, or does it depend on the purpose?

P.S. I'm currently setting up the glitch again to fill as much of one box with them as I can, before the glitch gets patched, lol.

It really depends on how you define cheating.

For many people, Shiny hunting is a dedicated grind to obtain alternate colors for their Pokémon, which takes a long time because of the low odds of encountering one. Cheating in video games can be defined as "a video game player using various methods to create an advantage beyond normal gameplay, usually in order to make the game easier." By exploiting glitches, you are, by definition, using a method beyond normal gameplay to make Shiny hunting easier. Because of this, you're not really putting in any effort to hunt your Shiny Pokémon like dedicated Shiny hunters do. Some Shiny hunters might think you're doing things the easy way, while others might not care. In fact, they might even want to know your method so they can get various Shinies too. Me personally though, I'm not going to judge you. I mean, I used the Ditto glitch in the Virtual Console to get Shiny Dittos and one with perfect stats. I used the box glitch to clone it so that I could have a ton of them, and put them in Pokémon HOME. Personally, I would say that is definitely "cheating," even though I didn't alter the game's code or anything, but I couldn't care less. Lol My breeding is too great for me to complain. I do, however, warn players that the Dittos are clones before trading though.

However, "cheating" can also be defined as "acting dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, especially in a game or examination." With that being said, exploiting a glitch to obtain Pokémon with an alternate color isn't exactly "gaining an advantage" per se. You're also not altering stats or doing anything to make Pokémon more powerful than normal to win competitive battles either. In that sense, I can't say that you're "cheating." Yet, the developers did intend for you to get lucky finding a Shiny Pokémon or for you to work for obtaining them. By exploiting glitches, you are technically going against what the developers intended to make things easier for yourself. Knowing that, though, I think the real issue should be, instead of worrying about whether or not you're cheating, ask yourself, does it matter? Are players going to generally give you a hard time for exploiting the game in this way? If not, my question is, who cares? Have fun taking advantage of the developers' own mistakes.

 

[Empoleon671]

no. i used to be a hard set "glitching for shinies" was cheating and shouldn't be allowed.... but that was a long time ago. times are changing. as far as im concerned, if it doesn't sway your odds of winning in battle and is used for solely cosmetic purposes (i.e shiny ) then so be it. it takes alot of effort to find exploits anyways/.

truth be told, if someone is giving you a hard time for exploiting the games code, for getting an alternate color pocket monster (which is just a slight pixel variation if you break it down completely) then that person is really scooping the bottom of the barrel for things to worry about.

Yet, the developers did intend for you to get lucky finding a Shiny Pokémon or for you to work for obtaining them. By exploiting glitches, you are technically going against what the developers intended to make things easier for yourself. Knowing that, though, I think the real issue should be, instead of worrying about whether or not you're cheating, ask yourself, does it matter? Are players going to generally give you a hard time for exploiting the game in this way? If not, my question is, who cares? Have fun taking advantage of the developers' own mistakes.

which they have done things like making it easier to obtain in each subsequent generation. and no. i'd argue glitches are part of the gaming experience. in skyrim for example, there were so many exploits, or "cheats" that people did... the devs didn't punish everyone for cheating or what not, because at the end of the day, who cares about you cheating in your single player RPG.

and yeah well Gamefreak also intended for ev training and iv training to take decades or grinding for exp in their games but doubled down and essentially made it a non factor in modern titles. if you told anyone who was trying to breed competitively back in 2012 that there'd be an official way to maximize IVs or change natures on the fly, they'd probably think you were using a gameshark.

 

[Fact Checking Gardevoir]

My take on glitches, cheat codes, ... in general is that it is alright to use them in games' solo mode, for our own fun. What is not fine is to use them in multiplayer, online, and gain unfair advantages on other players, as well as ruining their fun. This also goes for multiplayer features such as scores, trading, ... Spending a long time and great efforts to get an achievement, a rare item, only to see someone do it in a second, without sweat, and showcase it, brag about it, ... online would not be nice either.
So, as long as it stays strictly solo, I think one can have fun the way they like!

 

[Adam Levine]

No*.

(There is a distinction to be made between glitches and exploits, but for the sake of brevity I'm lumping them together because they're usually given the same treatment.)

I think of it like this: if it's possible in the base game without the use of any external tools, such as Action Replay and tool-assisted speedruns (I'd argue that RNG manipulation doesn't fall under here, because it doesn't directly alter the game's code or allow you to perform humanly impossible feats), it's fair game. Backwards long-jumps are integral to Super Mario 64 speedruns, competitive Super Smash Bros. Melee players utilize glitches and exploits all the time to gain a competitive advantage, and using the pause button to beat the Yellow Devil in Mega Man without memorizing his pattern is a strategy as old as time. In the words of a wise man, "this isn't how you're supposed to play the game," and in many cases nowadays glitches are patched out so that the developers let us know that we'd be playing the game wrong otherwise, but glitches are the price you pay for developing a game in the first place. They can be harmful, helpful, or just plain silly, but that's the way it is. Obviously, using some glitches such as item duplication is still somewhat frowned upon because it more often than not breaks an entire gameplay mechanic, and honestly I'm not the kind of person to use this kind of glitch because it feels wrong, but in my opinion people should be allowed to play within the boundaries of the game however they like.

*Some communities might take a different stance, however. There are usually different speedrun categories for different games, one of those being "glitchless," and e-sports communities take it upon themselves to remove or otherwise restrict aspects of the game (such as glitches) that may prove harmful to their respective games and, therefore, their communities. In such cases where multiple people are involved in a game, it's obvious that democracy dictates what glitches are fine and what aren't, or if glitches are fine at all.

Now, I know my stance sounds black-and-white, but this does beg the question as to whether emulation is cheating. Sure, emulation on its own may have different legal repercussions, but emulation has features not present in the original games, such as save states and speeding up gameplay. Do these count as cheating? I'll leave this one up to you.

 

[Lunastra]

Personally I don't think so, but then I don't really concern myself with what constitutes cheating and what doesn't: I play in whatever way is most enjoyable for me, and that does not always coincide with the way the developer intended. It might be their vision that made the game, but it's my money that bought it, and my time I am spending on it. If there is an exploit, be it a glitch or a code or whatever else, that will make the game more enjoyable for me, whether they intended it to be there or not, I'm going to use it. If that makes me a cheater in the eyes of others...well, that's their problem to work through.

Honestly I would see cheating as more than a feeling of disatisfaction gained from playing than an action. I'm only really concerned if it "feels" like cheating, and that can encompass things that developers actually put into games, like cheesing bosses in RPGs with one-hit KO strategies, or bypassing difficult areas of games, or even something like level grinding early if it breaks the game entirely. So really, it's only cheating if it robs you of a satisfying experience.

 

[The Mega Champion]

No. Only if doing so gives you an advantage if your playing against others.

 

[Devalue]

Echoes pretty much everyone else.

• Using cheat codes and glitches in a solo game? Fine. Enjoy your game how you want to.
• Agreeing in advance to use certain glitches with other people? Fine. Creates a level playing field.
• Using glitches without another person's knowledge? Not fine. Impacts their experience.