Why do people cheat?

[Dusty]

Interesting article on the bbc website.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/front_page/8273483.stm

Personally, I know it goes on, I understand it is part of the game from playing on to "losing" hits, doesn't mean I have to like it.

At campaign, I lit up someone I actually know fairly well while he was moving to bunker me (he missed by a country mile as it happens), and he continued to his next bunker, wrapped and posted his gun on me.

Now then, there was no way in hell he didn't know he was hit, there were at least six on him from thigh to chest, his justification for it was even though he ran on, wrapped his bunker and posted up on me, he didn't pull the trigger therefore he didn't play on.

End of the day, I was annoyed at the time, but I'll get him in the long grass, so I'm not bothered. My point is, why do you do it? People know who the culprits are, there's always someone at a tourney well known for their antics.

How do you justify it to yourself or other players? Why do it? Really what are you likely to gain at a local tourney, or Div 3 of the Millennium?

 

[jagerpirate]

Because they can. Sadly its often that simple, some people cheat because they think/know they'll get away with it.

 

[Buddha 3]

I have an opinion on this subject, it's a bit longwinded. I'll post it up later today, but some people might not like it.

 

[Thib]

Because they can. Sadly its often that simple, some people cheat because they think/know they'll get away with it.

Hoppefully that's not true, else everybody would cheat everywhere !

 

[Al Woods]

Two words:

To win.

In fact, I'll change that...'To Compete.'

 

[Kitch]

When was the last time you went to an event where anybody else but the winners are rewarded, I don't want to slip into some PC-esque 'we need to reward everybody' philosophy, but when I first started playing there were still prizes/trophies for most sporting team.

At the end of the day we all like to win, and if we can't do it on an even playing field then someone will always put a slope on it to help themselves with that, unfortunatly that slope is a slippery one and pretty soon most people are on it.

 

[Buddha 3]

I think Al hit the nail on the head. People also cheat because they are given the opportunity to do so.

To be honest, I fail to see why we need to make such a big fuss over it, it happens. And not just in paintball. It happens in every sport, but for some reason many paintballers get all righteous about the subject, which is fine, were it not that many of them cheat as well.

I cheated a few times. Did I feel good about it? No. But I would have felt worse had I left the game straight from the break.

Cheating is a weighing of options: Are the potential consequences of cheating worth the potential rewards? If the answer is yes, many, if not most people would cheat.

Take American football as an example. An offensive lineman is not allowed to grab a hold of his opponent in order to keep him away from the ball carrier, yet it happens all the time. Believe me, you'd rather take the occasional 10 yard penalty then see some nasty defensive lineman blast your quarterback into oblivion. So if you're lined up against some guy that's a better athlete than you are, you hang on to a piece of his jersey when it looks like he's gonna slip past you and prey that you are far enough into the thick of things for it to go unnoticed by the zebra brigade.
Regular football players fall over as soon as you look at them. That's also a form of cheating. Cyclists have their blood replaced by something synthetic. It's everywhere.

The only difference I can see between those sports and paintball is that by and large paintball reffing is laughable. So as soon as people cheat and get away with it, the effects can potentially be gamebreaking.

It would be great if paintball could work on the honour system, you wouldn't even need refs then. But since that ain't the case, just accept that it's going to be a part of the game and that we'll need refs, just like any other game out there. So rather than starting a crusade against cheating, start a crusade against crap reffing.

 

[Dusty]

It's not so much a crusade against cheating, I've stated it's part of the game and I accept that. I don't have to like it, but the game is changing in the way it is played and I don't believe for one second it is changing for the better.

It will eventually become who are the best at cheating as opposed to the most skilfull with their gunzzzzzz.......

 

[Buddha 3]

Sorry mate, didn't mean to say that YOU were on a crusade, it was meant more generally.

All you really need is better and more sensible reffing.

 

[Piper]

It's only cheating if you get caught!