This is an interview conducted with a Counter Strike player who goes by the name of Alan CoPiTz.  He is a part of a Counter-Strike clan called CoPitz cLaN.  He enjoys the competition of the online games, but dislikes cheaters for destroying that competition and the overall value of the gaming experience.  He points to unbelievable scores as a tell-all sign of cheating.  It is interesting that his response to the question pertaining to cheating hurting the game community reflects the concerns of major game developers that players are going to be discouraged from coming back to play when they see cheating.  I have already sited elsewhere in this magazine that game developers are concerned that this will hurt the new wave of online games that charge a monthly subscription.  Cheaters, in this case, can start hurting company revenues.  Seasoned players like Alan deal with the cheating, but even he recognizes that others may be discouraged.

Questions

How long have you been playing Counter Strike?

I have been playing for about five months

What do you like best about playing the game?

The best thing about this game is when all of your friends play in the same room.

How is the competition online?

Competition is good.  There are a lot of good players out there.

What is it like when you lose?  What is your reaction?

I get a little upset, but I never get too salty. 

Does losing encourage you to play more?

Losing generally always makes me try to player better.

What do you think about cheating on Counter Strike?

It is very upsetting when people cheat, especially when you can see them cheating in front of your face.  Cheating in general makes the game un-pious and most people once they find out there are cheaters amongst us will leave the room, which contributes to a boring and upsetting playing experience. 

How does it make you feel?

I generally just leave the room and go play elsewhere, however if I spot the cheating fairly late in the game I get very made at the person and message him to “get the fuck out of here.”

Do you ever accuse people of cheating?

Yes I have for the simple fact that some people’s scores are often un-believable and the odds of a score with a 5:1 ratio are very slim.  Yes people are entitled to be good at the game; however, I generally start to question the validity of a persons score if it is too high.

Have you ever accuse someone of cheating who has you later found out was not cheating?

No, I have not for the simple fact that one ever knows for sure if someone is cheating or not.  The player might tell you he is not cheating as well as other players in the room, but that doesn’t prove anything.

Do you run a server?

Yes I do with help and assistance from Kage CoPiTz.

How do you feel about people cheating on your server?

They get booted if I have an inclination of cheating. 

Do you kick them?  Ban them?

Absolutely, I have no problem kicking or banning people for cheating.  There are millions of counter strike players, and booting the cheater and the shit talkers will only contribute to a better playing experience.

Would you permanently ban someone for cheating?

YES!!!!

Do you feel that the game community is hurt by cheating?

YES!! I feel the community is threatened by cheaters for the mere fact that cheating inherently makes a game you are involved in un-natural, unfair, and un-motivating which in my opinion contributes to people giving up the game all together.  Consider this, if for all the time you go play this game on line and in every room you find cheaters that reduce your personal playing ability since you prematurely die, would you not play the game as much?  I believe the commonsensical response would be YES.

If a person is a part of a clan and that individual cheats, do you think it reflects poorly on the clan?

YES, for a clan member is a reflector for the entire clan.  If a member is caught cheating that clan’s legitimacy is very questionable.

Have you ever cheated?

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NEVER

Would you ever cheat?

NO.