Analysis of the reasons why the number of PUBG cheat bans remains high
In recent years, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) has been plagued by cheat problems. Even though Bluehole has continuously updated its anti-cheating system and banned a large number of accounts, especially in the past half-month, the number of permanently banned accounts has reached 300,000. However, the cheating problem is still serious, and the number of bans remains high. This article will analyze the reasons from multiple angles.
- High game threshold and strong demand for cheats
As a tactical shooting game, PUBG has a complex game mechanism and requires high-player operation and strategy. Novice players usually need dozens or even hundreds of hours to master the basic game skills, which makes the entry process difficult. Many players with poor game skills, especially Internet cafe players, may not even be familiar with basic game settings such as picture quality, sensitivity, mouse DPI, etc., and long-term frustration will prompt them to choose to use cheats to get short-term game pleasure. In their eyes, cheats have become a shortcut to improve performance.
- Low threshold for obtaining cheats and widespread dissemination
At present, it is very easy to obtain PUBG cheats. Through a simple online search or contact with players who sell cheats in the game, cheats can be easily obtained. Especially after PUBG changed from paid to free, the cost of using cheats has been further reduced, which has led to a large number of cheating players entering the game. At the same time, many low-level cheats can be seen in ordinary matching games, especially those novice players with poor operation but extremely accurate shooting skills, who often become the main force in the ban list.
- Account “consumable” and ban invalidation
For many cheating players, game accounts are just disposable items. Once the account is blocked, they can easily create a new account, or even change the computer to continue the game in more extreme cases. This low-cost cheating behaviour has led to a continuous increase in the number of cheating players, and Bluehole’s ban strategy seems to be insufficient to deter these players.
- The cheats in the ranking game are highly concealed.
Cheating is rampant not only in ordinary matching games but also in ranking games. Many cheating players in the ranking games are veterans. They are more cautious when using cheats and know how to “disguise” as normal players. Through the way of acting, these cheating behaviours are difficult to be detected by ordinary players, and even veteran players find it difficult to distinguish true from false. This makes the problem of plug-ins still serious even in the ranking games, affecting the player experience.
- Advanced plug-ins are difficult to detect
There is a plug-in called DMA on the market. This type of plug-in does not cheat by directly modifying the game data but reads the memory through the secondary machine and synchronizes the cheating data to the main machine. This plug-in is extremely hidden and difficult to detect by the anti-cheat system. In addition, the cost of using DMA plug-ins is high, with monthly fees reaching thousands of yuan. Still, many players are willing to invest because these plug-ins are rarely banned, and even if they are banned, there is a high possibility that the account can be restored through the unblocking function.
- The problem of cheating is serious.
After the ranking rank reaches diamond or above, the competition between players is extremely fierce, and some situations are even described as “fighting between gods”. It is difficult for players without plug-ins or cheating to achieve good results. PUBG’s punishment mechanism is not strong enough to crack down on cheating players. Even if they are banned, it is only for 30 days at most, and the rank is reset. This mild punishment has led many players to continue to cheat to pursue higher ranks.
- The vicious cycle of the cheat market and game mechanism
The supply and demand relationship in the cheat market has formed a vicious cycle. Cheat makers continue to update their technology to evade the detection of anti-cheating systems, and PUBG’s anti-cheating mechanism makes it difficult to completely cover all cheating methods. Since the cost of using cheats is low, bans are unlikely to pose a substantial threat to players, which has led to a continuous increase in the number of cheating players.
Summary
The continued existence of PUBG cheating problems stems from the strong demand for cheats, easy access to them, loopholes in the ban mechanism, and the concealment of high-tech cheats. The high threshold and complexity of the game make some players choose to take shortcuts when faced with frustration, and the lag in the anti-cheating mechanism also allows these players to continue to disrupt the game environment. I hope that Bluehole can strengthen the supervision of cheating, improve the ban mechanism, and ensure a fairer gaming experience for green players.
