Walkthroughs are cheating?

[The Apothecarry]

The only time I ever consulted any form of walkthrough or hint guide was for Mass Effect. It's easy to get lost in space.

I avoid walkthroughs (except those damned Assassin's Creed puzzles) because they act like spoilers for me. Telling where to go isn't as fun as figuring it out myself.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I have one of the journals left to find in Fable 3 and it was driving me insane. I had been looking for it for literally days systematically searching so sue me I checked a walkthrough...

I tend to avoid them unless there is something that I'm completely stuck on and I think I have given it a more than reasonable attempt at figuring it out myself. I'm not stupid by any means so if it turns out to be something ridiculous then it is, as Yahtzee would say, 'a dick move'

But yeah I would say they are cheating.

 

[Denamic]

I used a walkthrough to find that one last puppy I couldn't find in Kingdom Hearts.

 

[Cavehybrid]

Try saying that to minecraft players lol.

But yeh games that give you a tutorial should be enough to prepare you and no need for walkthrough

 

[Cridhe]

I feel playing the game is a moot point if you're going to use a walk through the entire way. It's just going to tell you everything so why bother playing it.

 

[tombman888]

I don't care is someone uses a walkthrough to get past a point where they have been stuck for ages. But any other time? No, its really not good.

 

[MasterV]

Walkthroughs.....walkthroughs are not cheating. Consider the following. Someone got a game, but can't be bothered (lack of time, lack of interest, any one reason) to play it the "legit" way, which in modern gaming means following the predetermined path by following the long cutscenes' clues and, optionally, find a myriad of bullshit tokens.

I won't hold it against him for wanting to skip the cutscenes and do whateverthe hell (s)he likes. Especially when it's for overcoming a puzzle. Even WITH a walkthrough he still needs to have the skill to overcome the challenges the game lays out for him, although in modern gaming that amouns to mostly next to no challenge but puzzles.

With a cheat, one doesn't even NEED to have skill, so in my mind it's an entirely different thing.

 

[Varya]

I don't get it. How could it be cheating? There would have to be a set of rules that you disregard for it to be cheating. If you input a code to change the mechanics, that is the definition if cheating. If you use a source of information outside of what you have or the game provides you with, that is NOT cheating. You might be cheating yourself out of the experience but that is another thing entirely.
Besides, how is this relevant to anything? Games are for enyojment. If you are stuck and the game becomes boring, checking a FAQ might making it fun again. Why would you consider making it more enjoyable wrong?
"But I like the challenge!"
Well then you whiner, you obviously don't qualify for the first part of my statement, so no problem then.

tl;dr No, it's not. Cheating is per definition breaking the rules, and there are no "No FAQ" rules

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

Walkthroughs totally bypass the puzzle-solving elements of a game, and so whilst it's not cheating per se, it is lessening the gaming experience for the user (so if you like the player is cheating themselves). If a player is totally stuck on a particular part of a game I can see why people would turn to them, but even then I prefer gaming forums as you can ask other players for vague hints rather than black and white solutions from the 'answer book'.

 

[StrangerQ]

I use walkthroughs if i get stuck.
For example in witcher 2

Spoiler

After u chopped Keyrans tentacles and rocks fall to it i had no bloody clue what to do next. I died over 15 times while trying to figure out what the hell was going on. So i searched boss WT and looked that i was supposed to walk left up the fallen bridge thingy to keyrans head and i stopped watching after i got clue how to continue

If game starts to get frustrating and shows no clear point where to go next i think WTs just a tool to continue the experience.

Good example for this is castlevania SOTN. If anyone who has plays it first time and gets to reversed castle without help... I raise my pointy hat and cast spell of +1 internets and after that call you a liar

So if used to fix one small part to continue i wouldnt call it cheat.
But if used to find something optional or looking far advance then it is cheating.

 

[Tax_Document]

Some people didn't play Minecraft pre-alpha.

 

[Haydyn]

Games are puzzles that require knowledge to solve, or beat. I guess one could say they have beaten any game if they just sat and watched someone else beat it, then did what they did. Althought there are times when I will sit down and try to do something I just saw done, and still not be able to do it.

However, by that logic, your friend telling you to use a sniper rifle at a certain part is cheating. That's information you didn't figure out on your own. I'd say if it doesn't affect the game itself it is not cheating, unless it negatively impacts somebody you are going up against. Ahhh, this is getting complicated.

 

[Shymer]

What is cheating? The only applicable definition is "violating rules and regulations". A walkthrough does not violate the mechanics of the game and nowhere has any game developer that I know of stated that there are 'rules' and 'regulations' about how to play their games.

 

[Astoria]

If you are completely stuck on something then it's absolutely fine but if you're not even trying to figure things out for yourself then it's cheating.

 

[ZehMadScientist]

To me it depends on the game. Personally I only use a walkthrough when I am really stuck and have been wandering for hours. And the most of the time when I check GameFaqs or something and find out what I should do it is usually followed by me performing the epic facepalm.

An example, that final 10 star difficulty mission of Zack and Wiki was utterly impossible without a walkthrough.

But when you are using a walkthrough on a game like Portal 2 I am really curious to find out why you even bothered to buy the game in the first place.

but walkthroughs are for singleplayer, and if you enjoy a game more with a walkthrough rather than without, I'm not going to stop you. Do I consider it cheating? Yes and no. Yes if you use a walkthrough without even trying yourself, and no if you use it to get past a part you really can't get past no matter how much you try.

 

[Frybird]

In the end, it's your game. If you really want to play through it with a walkthrough. It's your choice. It's about fun, not archieving something.

That said it usually is more fun to figure out things on your own.

(I personally use walkthroughs exactly like that. Once being stuck in a level stops being fun, i look up the section on the internet)

 

[Loremaster P]

I use walkthroughs, yes. But not for games i truly play to enjoy the fullness of it. Mass effect for example, never looked at a guide for it. Assassin's creed? Yes i did, mainly cause i was playing for the story. Also if someone spoils a game for me i might as well use a walkthrough, since it was already spoiled. I may feel a bit guilty, sure but it's my enjoyment in the end, i choose how to experience my fun, if i may use a guiding hand for it, so what?

 

[Quellist]

I use walkthroughs first time in JRPG's only. Too many of them love to hide half the cast and most of the decent gear in areas and situations most people wouldnt even know exist let alone be able to find (when you first enter the town go to the market and talk to the old man before you save at the inn etc TriAce i am so looking at you right now). When that means i'm losing a good % of my enjoyment of the game (Final Fantasy X2 was too boring to complete more than once for me and no way would i have gotten the proper ending without cheating).

 

[MasterProcrastinator]

For the most part, yes, it is a mild form of cheating.

But in adventure games or puzzle games, it is most certainly cheating, to the highest degree.

 

[Davroth]

It's cheating alright. Cheating yourself out of the fun of figuring it out on yourself.

I know I regretted a lot of times looking up solutions online.