Cheating Online Games

Cracking Down on Farming

Blizzard and other game companies know they cannot stop farmers with a EULA alone; they have to catch farmers red-handed and ban their accounts. In other words, game companies must use technical means to crack down and cause measurable and immediate economic impact to the cheater.

Unfortunately, some companies have chosen to do this by resorting to technology that scans even legitimate gamers’ computers for any form of macro tool or automation program. And, the tactic works. Thousands of accounts have been banned. In response, small companies have cropped up that promise “ban-proof” automation tools. Of course, this is a classic arms race, and in the end, all black-market automation tools end up being detected and even ...