The Fight Against Cheats: Keeping Competitive Integrity To begin, I disagree with the idea to accept things for the way they are simply because, "cheaters will always exist". Its comparable logic to claim, we shouldn't seek out treatments options for a disease like cancer as a complete cure hasn't been developed. Reducing its prevalance is an effective method we should always strive for. Competitive integrity is a burden that should be sought after by players alongside gaming companies, and not solely in the world of esports. Admittedly, I have little understanding of anti-cheat mechanisms, an issue not helped by the lack of transparency from gaming companies to their respective communites. It isn't like there is even public information about the quantity of cheats that run rampant, even in estimation. We have no gauge as players as to how effective these anti-cheat programs truly are. The cheating industry is a multi-million dollar business, and so it makes sense it has found its way into every competitive queue. I say this without criticsm on the effectiveness of anti-cheats or the ability of developers in creating secure code. Infact, I think they have done a great job with specific titles, and if it weren't for the security already implemented. It would not even be possible to climb to higher ranks, which is a luxury we still have. Rather, I wish for there to be an agreement between both parties, for more extreme measures. I believe restrictions are the best option… 1- ID verification, limit the number of accounts per person. This approach could greatly lower the amount of cheating but also smurfing, a common complaint from players. 2- More hardware bans, most cheaters will take comfort in knowing all they need to start fresh is a new email and password. Make the barrier to reentry much more difficult. 3- More legal action against cheaters, unpunished actions will only increase the activity of cheats. Most cheaters are young, stupid, and rightfully terrified by the law. Leverage this advatange by setting more examples. These measures, in tandem with a community and company commitment to competitive fairness will greatly reduce the total number of cheats and experinces ruined in gaming as a whole. We have the ability to help the situation, and while we are far off from completely solving it, that doesn’t mean our environment cannot be improved.

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