Stealing in Computer Games
A game is an organized form of playing, usually undertaken for fun or entertainment, and occasionally used as a teaching tool. Games are very different from work, generally carried out for profit, and from literature, which is normally more of an expressive or aesthetic matter than a teaching tool. The purpose of playing games is not to pass any knowledge or information, but to entertain. When we play games, we are free to pursue our own ideas, experiment with new methods of achieving results that the rules of the game encourage us to try, and even to compete against other players.
There are many forms of games, some widely known and enjoyed, others being less well-known or only recently introduced into the mainstream market. Word games include crossword puzzles and word games like hangman. Checks and balances are simple word games played on checkers or counters. Chess is a complex board game requiring strategy and skill. Invented in the 18th century, chess has been one of the most popular games ever developed and continues to be a standard educational tool and a competitive game.
There is no argument that the most popular and most well-known games are those based on rules of chance like bingo, blackjack, lotto and poker. These are all games of chance, without the need to follow the rules of the real world. For example, bingo does not require you to stack up chairs to your left or right, nor does it require you to name the colour of your card before you bet. A game of blackjack is essentially a game of chance, since it is impossible to tell the exact cards before the game begins. Similarly, lotto results are unpredictable, since it is impossible to predict the numbers which will come up.
Video game rules can either be simple or complicated. Simple rules are those which do not require any strategic thinking about how to play, while complicated rules involve some degree of thinking as to how to best use strategies in a complex environment. While the complexity of a game often comes down to its ‘payout’, video game rules may involve something more; such as skill and timing. Often it is these ‘little details’ which make a game exciting and worthwhile, since they add extra depth to the game and challenge its players. Whether or not the game has a story is not important – the point is that it can be fun and challenging.
Video game rules are written in code, so that the game cannot be manipulated or cheated in any way. To complicate things, computer programs such as’Huizhang’ or ‘Zhouzhai’ have been developed which are capable of manipulating a game rules or performing a task known as “stealing” in an effort to gain an unfair advantage. Computer programs which perform these tasks are usually illegal in China. There are many websites offering tips on “stealing” games – some of them very good!
As more computer games become available worldwide, it is becoming increasingly important to understand how they work and why. Stealing is one of the major points of controversy which arise with computer games. If you would like to find out more, I strongly recommend that you follow the links below for a great Stealing in Computer Games article and also a free Stealing game sample.