Quick definition:Software and systems used by game developers to detect and prevent cheating, such as hacked programs, unfair automation and tampering, so that online matches remain fair for honest players.
Meaning
Anti-cheat covers every measure used to keep online play honest. Some work on the player's computer, scanning for known cheating programs or checking that game files have not been changed. Others work on the game's servers, looking for impossible speeds, perfect aim or suspicious patterns in the data.
Many systems also rely on people. Players can report suspected cheaters, and moderators review recordings before issuing warnings or bans. Penalties range from losing ranking points to permanent removal from the game, and competitive events may add checks of equipment and software.
The contest never ends. Each new defence leads cheat makers to look for ways round it, and sometimes honest players are banned by mistake, which developers try to correct through appeals. Consoles are harder to tamper with than computers, so cheating is usually seen as more of a problem on computers.
Origin:The term is a plain combination of anti and cheat, and it came into use as online multiplayer games attracted players who used outside programs to gain an advantage. Anti-cheat systems grew from simple checks of game files into complex software running alongside the game. No single origin or inventor is clear. Example:Before Elena can join a ranked match, the game runs a short scan and reports that a background program has been altered. She closes it and restarts the game. In the match itself, a hidden system compares players' movements with normal limits, and by the following week, several cheaters in her group have been banned.
Did you know?Anti-cheat tools are controversial, because the strongest ones run deep inside a computer's operating system and can see a great deal. Players debate privacy and security, and developers argue that such access is the only way to catch determined cheaters.
