Game over for cheaters? Popular streamer advocates jail time for in‑game fraudsters

Players who resort to cheating, often through the use of ancillary software, are most frequently encountered in FPS (First-Person Shooter) games. These games require dedication, time, and an understanding of tactics and controls. But, above all, they require an ability to shoot accurately — a skill born of practice.

It is this required proficiency that drives certain players to cheat. So pressing is their need, they rely on auto-aiming just to be able to play. Brimming with shallow triumph, they succeed in killing opponents from as far as 328 yards in games like Call of Duty: Warzone, leaving their opponents bewildered. This plague of hackers sweeping across various games leaves many developers struggling to combat them. I openly admit, cheaters have deterred me from playing games like Apex Legends and the aforementioned Call of Duty: Warzone.

Nickmercs, one of the most popular streamers of Call of Duty: Warzone, has garnered near-celebrity status amongst the gaming community. Despite his initial association with Call of Duty, at one point he transitioned to streaming Apex Legends. His streams have appealed to tens of thousands of viewers at peak times, a noteworthy achievement on Twitch. Undeniably, Nickmercs is an expert on shooting games and an individual, unafraid of speaking his mind. It's evident, he detests cheaters.

Ever wondered if imprisonment for in-game cheating could be plausible? As it stands, this is nothing more than the whimsical dream of an infuriated player. However, Nickmercs's tweet suggesting such a punishment has ignited a vibrant discussion on potential alternative solutions. Another streamer, known as iiTzTimmy, proposed that a single unified profile for each gamer, capable of connecting to every game, could mitigate the issue of cheating. More adept cheaters could circumvent this deterrent, but overall, it could successfully lessen the problem.

Many fellow streamers support his idea. It's an illustration of a largely unpublicized problem - "stream sniping". This refers to the act of joining the same match as the streamer, with the intention of causing disruption. This group includes both fans who play harmless pranks by providing weapons or equipment, and cheaters who intentionally target streamers to make their gaming experience more challenging. Not only Nickmercs, who himself suffered 20 hours of harassment, but other streamers have also mentioned this issue. He even terminated his night stream prematurely out of sheer frustration with the cheaters and DDOS attackers in Apex Legends, broadcasting a crucial plea to the game's creators.

Apex Legends has been combating a persistent issue with cheaters for a long time and, regrettably, appears to be on the losing side. If cheaters have the capacity to harass numerous streamers at such a scale, something is evidently not right. Conversely, Call of Duty: Warzone developers consistently ban scores of accounts, yet cheaters persistently resurface, much like an insidious disease. These two instances signify pervasive challenges, but numerous other games are similarly dealing with a surge of cheaters.