On Cheating
Posted 24 June 2009
I know that for most of the community, the use of a cheating device such as Action Replay or Gameshark or Pokésav is considered wrong at some fundamental level. I agree. In most cases. The point that I don’t agree on is when building a team for competitive battle within the lines of the game. In this case, when I refer to cheating, I mean utilizing an out of game device to create pokémon with specific EV and IV values, techniques, and abilities for the purpose of creating a competitive battling team.
Honestly, I don’t see much wrong with it. You’re creating data that could be made normally in a game. It’s just a shortcut. A shortcut that takes a lot less time. Let us make an assumption or two. Generally speaking those that participate in the pokémon competitive battling community are older. This is mostly because competitive battling takes a deeper, more full strategy. And, in general, older people, ranging up from high school age tend to be busier. What with high schoolers and extra curricular activities occurring a lot more frequently than in early grades, college students having to worry about class loads and also paying for rent and tuition, and on from their working a good chunk of the week. It’s a wonder that most webmasters can upkeep their sites! Regardless, I don’t think that someone who doesn’t have the time to create a competitive battling team for Diamond or Pearl shouldn’t be allowed to participate. It’s just a couple of dollars into a “cheating device” then download Pokésav and you’re good to go! But, you may say, isn’t this still wrong? After all, you’re adding an element that wasn’t part of the original game as the creators intended. But, you’re getting to the same result, with less time invested. The ends justify the means, I think. Likewise, there is no difference, data-wise, between a conventionally breeded pokémon and a “hacked” pokémon, if the hacked pokémon is created within the rules of the games.
And after all, it’s just a game. Pokemon in Diamond or Pearl or Fire Red or Gold are just bits of data. And if someone is getting further enjoyment from competitive battling, they should be able to throw together a team over a weekend to throw into a match against a friend. Or for that matter a tournament… Basically, it's all what they consider the game to be. If they consider the act of training to be challenging and enjoyable, they should go for it. And it is. However, I'm guessing that after doing this for multiple teams, it becomes a hassle.