Originally posted by Stealth Viper
I've been watching this whole thing with Zero unfold, and at first I was, of course, shocked that he may have cheated. But upon thinking about it for a little while, I came to realize something.
If you really think about it, is this a big deal at all? This web site is meant to be fun. It's about a GAME...in fact the times ZC were posting were for a game on this site. Ok...he made a little mistake...but how important is this?
If one of your friends cheats at a monopoly game you're playing together, do you cut off the whole friendship and exile him from your house? Of course not! It's not a big deal...it's silly, trivial, and petty.
Compared to what's really going on in the world right now, this is NOTHING. It DOESN'T MATTER. Those of you that sit here and argue about it all day should go outside, read a book...do SOMETHING!
I love this site, and I love Gran Turismo 3. But when comes down to something like this, I have to tell myself that it's a GAME, a FUN web site...not anything that you should lose any sleep about.
If Jordan wants to ban ZC, then go ahead and do it. If he doesn't, then forget about it...that's fine too. Just don't turn this into something it's not.
That's all. I'm done.
:smilewink
As I am not a regular member here, I cannot speak for this community obviously (even more obviously as it appears I have a markedly different viewpoint that what I have heard here), but I have been heavily, *VERY HEAVILY* involved with another site for over a year and a half so I will give a different perspective.
Is this a big deal? Depends on your veiwpoint. If looking at it in reference to real life, the world in general and all the really heavy stuff like that, no, I guess it's pretty inconsequential. Looking at it from the inside though, and the online racing community in general, cheating is indeed, quite a big deal since, for the most part participants rely on one anothers trust in order to see reliable outcomes. Due to the fact that people who cheat have been around since the beginning of time, race admins have put into place a series of checks and balances to protect those who participate for *fun* from those who attempt to participate via cheating (for whatever that can possibly get them, as I can assure you, nothing beats the feeling that you actually won against a real human being).
Maybe if YOU would really think about it, imagine a scenario where cheaters were allowed to run unchecked and rampant. Do you think for a moment that would be anything close to fun to you? You call this a little mistake he made. Others, particularly those who put actual effort into the run would likely call it a premeditated act of betrayal, especially since he appears to have a reputation for it to begin with. You can't for a moment compare an event that took weeks or months of preparation to get together, with 90 racers from around the globe, to a quick match of Monopoly. That is not even close to fair to the event coordinators. Then again, if I had a friend who consistantly cheats in Monopoly I don't think it would take long for me to not want to play Monopoly with him anymore because it would be no fun.
On another note, if your site gets a rep that it's fine, no big deal to cheat here, guess what? People who cheat will be the ones flocking here instead of real racing talent. Look at the top contenders in the event in question. I can guarantee the reason is because those are sites where cheating is taken *VERY* seriously, therefore they are where the best of the best have gravitated to because they know that is where the *REAL* fun is. The participants can share and compete without worrying about people trying to pull a fast one, and the knowledge that if someone is caught they will be dealt with swiftly and effectively. A mistake is quite different than a cheat. One is caused unkowingly, the other knowingly. Big difference there to me. What would be the fun in thinking that the reason you just couldn't beat somebody, no matter how hard you try, is because he's racing with his calclator instead of his controller? Honesty HAS TO BE the MOST important thing considered by a race coordinator in events of this size. It should, in fact, be the most important thing for any race coordinator in an event of any size, or lets face it, why even do it otherwise. If someone want to run unregulated runs in a very casual atmosphere, that is one thing, but if you wanna play with the big boys you gotta take it seriously. These are serious racers that have raced before for actual money prizes and trophies, not some casual group of go-getters. If you don't want to take it seriously, that is your choice, but if you could see into some of these teams private team boards I'm sure you would see exactly how serious it is to them.
Sorry to be so long winded, but it's important for me to voice feelings from the other side of the fence here.
