Top 10 Video Games Ruined By Morons
Script written by Nick Spake
#10: “Overwatch” (2016)
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Right out of the gate, “Overwatch” exploded into a phenomenon. The shooter accumulated an instant following with its colorful weaponry and characters tailor-made for cosplay. Like most good things in the realm of online gaming, though, it was only a matter of time until the “Overwatch” community took a toxic turn. “Overwatch” is all about the group effort, but more often than not, you’re bound to get at least one teammate who only cares about the individual. A player may purposely bring the team down for their own trollish amusement or get so wrapped up in the game that they start to stress out everyone else. Nothing’s more annoying than when your team refuses to swap characters, leaving the group unbalanced.
#9: “Dota 2” (2013)
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Released to rave reviews, “Dota 2” remains one of the most played games on Steam. If you haven’t been playing this MOBA since 2013, though, you probably missed the window to dive in. The learning curve is steep, which some beginners might welcome if they’re looking for a challenge. Alas, it’s hard for even the most determined newbies to wrap their heads around the game’s complicated mechanics when more experienced players are criticizing their skills, among other things. To Valve’s credit, they’ve attempted to crack down on griefing and smurfing in the game. In 2021, they announced a new system that would pair newcomers with seasoned players who have high “behavior scores.” It’s a start, but the community has a long way to go.
#8: “League of Legends” (2009)
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The fact that “League of Legends” has maintained a strong following since 2009 is a testament to the developers at Riot Games. Like “Dota 2,” however, many experienced players carry a sense of superiority, alienating newbies who aren’t on “their level.” Others simply wish to fan the flames of toxicity. While an “honor system” was introduced in 2012, the game continued to attract negative influencers like YouTuber Dunkey, who finally got banned from “LoL” in 2015. The “honor system” received an update two years later, although player behavior remains an issue. Before leaving Riot in 2016, the lead designer of social systems, Jeffrey Lin, stated, “The vast majority of players behave really positively.” Even if that’s accurate, the minority can still ruin the experience.
#7: “Valorant” (2020)
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Even before “Valorant” was officially released, players found a way to ignite problems. After more than a decade of milking “League of Legends,” fans were excited to see Riot Games produce an original IP. When a select few participated in the game’s closed beta, though, many were annoyed to find cheaters and hackers running amuck. Riot offered between $25,000 and $100,000 to players who could find vulnerabilities in their anti-cheat system. The company banned almost 10,000 cheaters, giving them “no second chances” after the game was fully released in June. This naturally enraged the cheaters who thought their ban would be lifted after the beta ended. For those who had their beta experience ruined, however, this move provided some satisfaction.
#6: “Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout” (2020)
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The moment you start playing, you can quickly grasp everything that makes this platform battle royale such a blast. With adorable characters and bombastic obstacle courses, “Fall Guys” keeps you coming back for more… until cheaters invade your game. Shortly after the game launched, reports flooded in concerning speed hacks. Cheats range from making players faster to removing the knockout factor. While “Fall Guys” can be fun even when you fail miserably, watching others skip to the finish line sucks out the suspense for everyone else. In response, developer Mediatonic secretly created “Cheater Island,” a program “where cheaters could happily compete against themselves for the Cheater’s Crown.” Cheater Island has since been removed, but Mediatonic announced an anti-cheat update called “Big Yeetus and Anti-Cheatus.”
#5: “Among Us” (2018)
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With its candy colors and simple yet appealing designs, you wouldn’t expect “Among Us” to stir up much controversy. This outer space mystery game received little fanfare when it hit the scene in 2018, but became a favorite among streamers during the pandemic. Unfortunately, the game’s newfound popularity extended to various cheaters and hackers. The most notorious case surfaced in October 2020 when a hacker called “Eris Loris” bombarded North American servers with spam attacks. Players received threatening messages telling them to subscribe to Eris Loris’ YouTube channel. Some messages also included slogans promoting Donald Trump’s reelection campaign. The following January, more reports surfaced claiming that the Eris Loris was back to hacking. Forget the Impostors. Hackers are this game’s true enemy.
#4: “Grand Theft Auto Online” (2013)
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Cheating in games is a double-edged sword. In a single-player experience, there’s nothing wrong with using cheat codes to get better weapons, vehicles, and abilities. In a multiplayer game, it can get obnoxious when numerous players are finding new ways to cheat. The same applies to mods, which honestly aren’t that amusing unless you’re the one in control. So, you can see why some would rather fly solo in “GTA V” than roam the streets of its online counterpart. Cheaters have exploited a variety of glitches, including one that gives free money while signing in. Some mods even leave players vulnerable to having their personal information hacked. We get the irony that Los Santos is overrun with injustice, but we live in a society!
#3: “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” (2012)
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“Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” currently remains Steam’s most played game. Typically, the bigger a game’s following is, the more toxic its fan base will inevitably become. Valve only extended the game’s longevity by making the free-to-play leap in late 2019. As you might expect, this is when matters really got out of control. As if dealing with an already elitist community wasn’t bad enough, fans were now targeted by a wider spectrum of cheaters, hackers, and trolls. But who says that you can’t troll a troll? In 2020, YouTuber ScriptKid turned the tables by creating fake cheat software that makes unsuspecting hackers explode and fly off the map. We just wish Valve would fire back at cheaters with the same level of creativity.
#2: “Apex Legends” (2019)
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Another game that continues to dominate Steam, “Apex Legends” is showing no signs of dipping in popularity. The toxicity surrounding this battle royale shooter sadly isn’t dying down either. In June 2021, Respawn announced that they were “pursuing several options to crack down on cheating.” A couple of months later, over 2,000 players got banned for “dashboarding,” aka force quitting before losing a match. While that sounds like a step in the right direction, Respawn soon faced more controversy when offensive blog posts by lead designer Daniel Z. Klein resurfaced. Klein’s comments on women and people of color led to his termination from Respawn. Ironically, Klein previously suggested that developers should avoid discussing “Apex Legends” online because of toxic gamers.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions.
“Eve Online” (2003)
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An Early Source of Virtual Crime
“Fortnite” (2017)
Top 10 Video Games Ruined By Rush Production
A Sandbox For Cheaters
“Roblox” (2006)
Top 10 Moments That Ruined a Video Game
The Power to Create Comes with the Power to Irritate
#1: “Call of Duty: Warzone” (2020)
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“Call of Duty” meets the battle royale genre with a free-to-play model. It was a recipe for financial success, but we all knew this combination had the potential to attract the most toxic players that gaming has to offer. “Warzone” has yet to prove us wrong. In May 2021, it was announced that around half a million cheaters had been banned from “Warzone” since it launched a little over a year earlier. This included 30,000 “malicious accounts.” That same month, 350,000 players were given the boot for offensive language and behavior. While it’s good to see Activision taking action, it feels like every time one moron gets banned, several more sprout back up. It’s a war with no end in sight.
