Growing up when I was gaming in the 90s and on, I knew of the stigma of cheating in video games. You were seen as stupid, someone incapable of completing challenges on your own. You were seen as lowly, someone who can never go through life without cheating. Like, it was a pretty big deal as I grew up, hearing all of this for years on end.
I’ve been able to beat games without cheating, of course. But during my late teens and early adulthood, I just tried going past the stigma. Cheating in video games don’t necessarily reflect how you handle life and don’t translate. I’ve found it quite fun to cheat in video games. Probably not in multiplayer and especially on the receiving end.
I even use cheats just to beat games anymore, who the hell cares. People only care if you want to make a big deal about it, by showing it to everyone and boast how you’ve beaten a game in record times. I’ve tried beating some games head on without cheats but there just comes a point where you ask yourself if it is fun dying a hundred times at some part of a game. I don’t think so, personally.
So yeah, I don’t have the stigma anymore. I kinda like how gamers today only care about cheating if it was done in multiplayer or if you’re trying to beat a speedrunning record or some score record. Fun is meant to be how you find it.
I remember when I first found reddit and ventured into game subs such as for Don’t Starve.
oh the shit I was given for using a save mod so that I didn’t lose my 300 hours of progress because I forgot to pause the game when leaving my desk for a few minutes. like fuck off, I play the game to have fun and relax, I don’t want to start a new world every time I die, I have a life and I don’t have time to put in a thousand hours to get good enough that I never make mistakes and can enjoy a long play world without stressing about permadeath. but boy did some people ever take personal offence to me not playing the game exactly how it was purchased and how they chose to.