Looks like it isn't just the League of Legends team cracking down on on high profile player misconduct this week. In a series of Tweets posted Monday, the president of Sony Online Entertainment John Smedley himself called out Haruhi of ArtificialAiming.com for their cheating on new FTP MMO first person shooter PlanetSide 2, taunting:
"Goodbye you scumbag. Find a new hobby or get good at the game."
He not only confirmed that Haruhi's three accounts have been banned (and that a new one has been opened) but also strongly reinforced their dedication to taking down other cheaters, saying:
"As they develop hacks we will break the hacks. We have time and great people. Trust that this is a top priority. Hackers will not win."
As noted by Travis George when speaking to Gamasutra about Riot Games' new PB & J Team, free to play game communities are greatly affected by bad behavior on the part of other gamers, from griefing, over the top trash talk, and in this case, cheating. While thus far the strong words coming from Smedley have been largely embraced by PlanetSide 2 players,, it also sparks a debate on how cheating should be handled in the first place.
As one person pointed out, Max Payne multiplayer cheaters are lumped in on the same server, isolated from the rule-abiding public. Some view this as too lenient, saying that those who abuse the system shouldn't be allowed access to it at all. Riot Games is combining user reports and a review process with a team of experts to anticipate and curb abuse. Are the steps being taken too much or not enough? Is staying a step ahead of the hackers the only way to keep them from ruining the games we hope to love?
