When it comes to cheating, the vast majority of gamers have probably done it in one form or another. Cheating in single-player games usually don't have any real consequences, especially if one uses built-in cheat codes rather than modding or tampering with the game's code.

However, cheating in multiplayer games or MMOs are another subject altogether. Gamers who choose to use cheats that give them an advantage over other players, especially in MMOs, are often penalized and it would appear that H1Z1 is no exception to the rule.

Daybreak Game Company President John Smedley recently released a tweet simply stating that 24,837 players of the zombie apocalypse MMO H1Z1 had been banned from the game for using a cheat that allowed cheaters to see other players through walls. While this number shows that the Daybreak Game Company means business and doesn't take cheating lightly, what came as a surprise was John Smedley's open attitude regarding cheaters. After receiving questions about the ban, he replied with the following two tweets:

[HTML1]

[HTML2]

While the gamers who were banned from the game were probably already annoyed at being caught, being referred to as "cockroaches" undoubtedly worsened the blow. John Smedley has since shown that he's willing to give H1Z1 cheaters a second chance, announcing that banned players could upload public video apologies up until noon PDT today for a chance at being unbanned. However, he has since pointed out on Reddit that only 3 players have been unbanned thus far, and he doesn't expect the number to rise above 5 or 6.

Gamers who choose to play current games with mods or cheats enabled should take care, lest they experience the same fate. Daybreak Game Company isn't the only developer cracking down on cheating, and many other recent and popular releases are also making it clear that cheating is unacceptable. Bungie has banned Destiny players who logged into the game using modified consoles, even if they didn't cheat, and Microsoft lashed out at game testers who leaked screenshots from Gears Of War: Ultimate Edition, going so far as to brick their Xbox One consoles. Players who've been concerned that using mods in Grand Theft Auto Online were also proven right, as Rockstar Games has booted players who used even the most minor mods that didn't give gameplay advantages over other players.

Cheating or using mods in games tends to be a lot of fun, especially if you've grown tired of the vanilla game. Even so, it's important to remember that if you're playing online on a public server, there's a strong likelihood that you're going to get caught. While cheats are fun in the short-term, being blocked from playing the game ever again or potentially even using your console isn't really worth the risk.

H1Z1 is currently available in Early Access on Steam for PC.

Source: Twitter