PlaySafe ID, the gaming trust and safety startup, today produced a report to show the effects of cheating on both gamers and the games industry itself. The report, called the Cheating Crisis Report, evaluates how often gamers encounter cheaters and how cheating erodes trust and safety for players who encounter
The report’s findings come from a group of 2,013 gamers in both the US and UK, 82% of whom play games multiple times a week. According to the report, 4 out of 5 gamers have encountered cheating in an online game, and 52% say they encounter cheating a few times a month. Out of the players surveyed, 42% said they have considered quitting a game because of cheaters.
Cheating also harms retention and monetization, with 55% of players surveyed having either reduced their in-game spending or stopped buying all together because of cheaters. One of the side effects of cheating’s proliferation is that players are tempted to join in, with 62% saying they’re tempted at least occasionally.
The report shows that, on the flip side, players are open to solutions. 83% of those surveyed say they’d be more likely to play a game that had a credible claim to being free of cheating. 73% said they’d be open to verifying themselves (as PlaySafe ID’s product touts itself), and 79% think that cheating penalties should extend across games.
Andrew Wailes, PlaySafe ID CEO, said in a statement, “I hate cheating in video games, it’s a serious issue that undermines player trust and directly impacts developer revenues. From looking at our data it’s clear that gamers agree and that they are not only aware of the problem, but they’re ready to be part of the solution. Gamers are ready, the responsibility to address cheating now falls squarely on studios and developers with robust, effective and most importantly transparent measures.”