Gaming Rant

I have been gaming fairly avidly on the PC for about 3 years now. It started with BFME the first really, and has gone to BF 2142 now. Originally I just played the computer. By far the easiest gaming type, because no matter how good the programming, you can always figure out the CPUs weaknesses and they almost never change patterns and schemes (Sports, RPG, FPS), no matter what you are playing. Then I got BFME II and tested out this rumored online play where everything is supposed to be better, playing real people and what not. BFME II introduced me to some of the most intriguing people in the world I think. A perfect example is my English friend and U5A clan member Rizzo (now a great BF2142 player too). He is one of the few that was good at the game and actually easy to work with. Usually when you started a game you would just hope your teammate wouldn't lose in the first 5 minutes do to rush or something. When I gamed with Rizzo, he beat the other team practically by himself at first and then I could just learn from him ultimately, I mean I was a major noob when I first met him. As we went, I got better, we both got better, and soon we dominated most of the people we played.

The thing about most the people is that there are really only 2 kinds of online gamers. Those that are unrealistically good, and those that just suck horribly. It's really true I think. The only other type would be cheaters, which we have found our fair share of those, but I don't like to acknowledge them as real people, so I leave them out. With BFME, we would either get killed fast, I mean totally obliterated, or we would do the same to someone else. Really, there weren't that many close games.

Then came BF 2142. A completely different game, FPS, rather than BFME which is RTS. It's really nice because when you die, you respawn in 15 seconds, instead of BFME, where if you die, you have to wait til the game ends and then recreate another game and it's a long and difficult process. The thing with BF 2142 is that you can really see talent gaps...but you can also spot cheaters. I mean, when you unload an entire clip into a guys back and he doesn't die, then he turns and shoots you once and you die, you know something is up. And mind you, this isn't coming from some crazy angry noob. My clan has a bunch of vets of BF 2142 in it now, we pretty much all are except for maybe my bro, and he is getting there too.

The other night, I realized how much this bothered me. Why the hell would you cheat at a video game like this. This isn't like the old games where you had to get a cheat code to beat a boss or cheat to find out how to open some hidden door! This is where you run around and hone your skills and if you die, you're coming right back. You learn from trial and error, from watching guys that are obviously good, from playing for a long time. Once you learn you become dominant. You learn the tricks of the game and how to outsmart your opponent. Until that time you take the rough road and it makes you better. Which is why I don't understand cheating in this game. Does it someone how make you feel superior because you can't die and it takes nothing for you to kill others?

I know it's just a video game, but the fact that I can finish in the top five in almost every round makes me pretty proud, and I do it without cheating at all. Usually it takes some help from my awesome clan members, a heal here, a resupply there, but ultimately, my time spent dying, and now living has made me one of the better players in any given round and for that, I am proud. For all you gamers who don't cheat, more power to you and I look forward to going up against you real gamers. For those of you who find it necessary to cheat because you lack skills or patients to create skills, don't even play, because if you do and we catch you cheating, we won't just take your dog tags, we'll cut your fellas off too.