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Before I get started I am going to make a statement. I in no way agree with using cheat codes in a game until you have beat it fair and square. Now that I have said that let me make a small differentiation between cheating, and getting help.

Cheating is when you punch in a code, or alter the code of the game in some way to give yourself and advantage that makes the game easier to play. Getting help is when you ask a friend how the hell you get out of the room that you seem to be stuck in. One I believe is pointless and makes the game no fun to play. The other I try to not use, but there are times when I am damn glad it is available.

One of the great things about PC games (and games in general lately) is that they often have one or more places that require some real thinking to get past. Also they have lots of fun Easter eggs and reasons to replay the whole game from scratch. However this is also the annoying things about a lot of PC games.

I can’t count the times I have spent hours retracing every step looking for a clue or item that I know I had to miss to get further along in the game. However, with the internet, this is no longer the way it has to be. Now if I get truly stuck (and to me that means I have tried every possible thing I can think of) I can go on the internet type in help me figure out this game, and boom I can find a place where players either a bit smarter or more motivated (not sure which half the time) have figured out what to do when I get stuck.

I love these PC game hints and while I consider cheat codes an aberration, I consider this a totally fair way to beat a game.

I know this may seem hypocritical, and maybe it is, but I look at using a walkthrough as more akin to calling my friend for directions to his house, while I look at cheat codes as akin to copying your neighbors test answers. Call me crazy but that is where I stand.