eSportsology - Nothing Is Absolute
By Staff Writer - CEVO|Ferguson

No cheat detection will ever be absolute or unbeatable, not in eSports, not in sports and not in society at large. This is especially true in our technological age where systems are so complex and numerous that programmers and hackers are continuously finding new exploits. But does this failure to achieve perfection mean that we should give up? Any improvement in anti-cheat is a step in the right direction by making cheating harder to do. This acceptance of imperfection is crucial to drive us to be on the lookout for the latest exploits and ways to counter-them. To believe that we have built a foolproof system is the first step towards defeat by letting our guard down.

Cheat detection is not a struggle unique to eSports. Fraud, cheaters and hackers are a plague to any organization with rules or security. For decades the Olympics, the pinnacle of athletic achievement, has struggled to catch users of performance enhancing drugs. Even when nobody is caught, suspicion and accusations are rampant among competitors. Major League Baseball (MLB) has had its reputation tarnished over scandals involving specially developed steroids to circumvent detection, supposedly used by some of MLB.s star players (see "Balco Scandal"). Even more recently, Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France, has been accused of using the latest undetectable drugs. Sports examples are countless, but professional competitive sports continue to thrive nonetheless. That they recognize the problem and have begun to take counteractive measures is the first step.

Few have more experience in the detection of cheats than National Banks who have been targets of fraud for as long as they.ve existed. Their tribulations have led them to conclude that in order to prevail, they must be continuously investigating and improving their methods in detecting and preventing fraud. Banks have learned, like many modern corporations, that no sum of time and money can ever create an unbeatable system, but they must try. Take for example counterfeit currency. Every year news reports warn about fake bills circulating in our wallets. Despite cutting-edge preventative technology, they cannot and never will be able to develop a bill that absolutely cannot be replicated. However, their continuous pursuit is succeeding. With specialized investigators and genius engineers, counterfeiting is less of a problem every year. Only the most cunning and well-connected criminals have even the slimmest chance of getting away with a new counterfeiting scheme. Continuous commitment to improve, founded on the truth that perfection is impossible, drives their success. So too, these philosophies should drive our quest to eliminate cheaters in eSports.

The beatable frame of mind is essential for us to be successful over cheaters. If we believe to have created a foolproof anti-cheat system, then we will have no psychological drive to continue innovation or improvement. Moments spent basking in declared victory will give hackers the edge on the next breakthrough in cheating. Further, arrogant statements of invulnerability entice their egos, driving them harder to find new ways to beat us. Do not tell them its impossible; they will make it their goal to prove you wrong.

In the past year we.ve seen great progress in eSports cheat detection. Organizations ranging from developers, leagues, server-companies and community portals are all developing unique systems with different approaches to anti-cheat. These companies will serve as our foundation to combat the cheaters who seek to devastate the community we have built. It is essential that these companies learn lessons from cheating and fraud in the broader society, such as in the Olympics and at National Banks. We as a community too, need to stand behind them, in full recognition that no system will be perfect. With our support they will continue to research cheats and improve anti-cheat technology to keep us ahead. Perfection is not possible, but with and only with dedication and hard work, victory is achievable.


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