In Game World, Cheaters Proudly Prosper

Web sites such as 1Up.com provide gamers with tips, tricks, tutorials and outright cheating strategies for games. (1Up Network)

"It's like lying. We all agree that lying is bad, but we all do it anyway, and there are definitely different degrees in which you should do it. Like lying to hold back a surprise party," says Jason Blake, 23. For tips on "Halo 2," Blake scours the forums on Bungie.net.

You did it from the start, trying to cheat your way in a game. You talked to your friend Freddy and exchanged ways to outsmart "Pac-Man." Years ago, before the PlayStation-Xbox-GameCube generation, games were easier to beat. On "Super Mario Bros. 3," released in 1990, you played the same levels repeatedly until you mastered them.

In "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," released in 2004, designers created an open-ended, multi-layered gaming experience with more and more levels to explore.

To cheat way back when was to figure out how to keep your character alive and finish the game. To cheat now is to unlock doors and expand the breadth of your game.

"It's not just cheating, really," says Sam Kennedy, the mastermind behind the new MyCheats.com."It's trying to get more out of the game, kind of like buying a special edition DVD where you get extra stuff."

Kennedy, an editor at 1Up.com, a one-stop site for gamers, was pummeling through the action game "Metal Gear Solid 3" a year ago. As he combed through the game's strategy guide, he realized that he had beaten the game differently than the guide recommended. He wanted to share that knowledge.

On the site, the "M" in MyCheats has horns, as if to say, you're cheating, but go ahead. You can add cheats and edit cheats provided by other users, some of whom provide video tutorials on how to beat games such as "Nintendogs." It's like browsing through the collective intelligence of the gaming brethren.

Neither "The Godfather" nor "City of Heroes" is on MyCheats. Not yet, at least. Though Graves, industrious as he is, has figured out ways to beat the system.

"I'm not sure I should tell you what they are," he says.

Because in the end, all cheating aside, it's every gamer for himself.