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24.
WHEN I GET LOST I STOP FOR DIRECTIONS
Is it possible to remain virtuous
while absorbed in a virtual realm that brandishes its lack of
a moral code? Through the creation of cheats, video game developers
confront us with the ethical dilemma of whether or not to access
the advantage. When the gaming gets tough and the technology has
crippled our confidence, we are invited to suspend our (dis)abilities
for the easy way out. At any given moment, players lay claim to
an arsenal of passwords (also known as "hacks" to the
PC population), codes which can be translated into extra lives,
unlimited health, complete sets of weapons, or dollars in the
bank. However, to bow down to the machine in this way is to admit
its absolute pre-eminence; by yielding to the necessity of a support
system while attempting to harness the very same device - for
instance, making use of the level warp in the original Mario Bros.
in order to pass the game - we emphasize our out-and-out reliance
on the machine. Moreover, cheating modifies sets of instructions,
which results in the perversion of gameplay. By penetrating the
system to our own ends, we ravage the natural order and therefore
must assume responsibility for the twisted course of events. The
Nintendo generation, a demographic indebted to the console for
years of digital-enhancement, should appreciate the sanctity of
the virtual narrative, and steer clear of any passwords that might
reduce a game to mere child's play. Control-pad convicts - those
who cheat their way to the top of the Princess' castle - are "all
thumbs" when compared to their organically skillful peers.
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