“Yes, I Cheat, but Not Blatantly”: The Use of Macros in Racing Games as Transgressive Play

Abstract

This paper seeks recourse to the concept of transgressive play to examine cheating behaviour in racing games, and to analyse how cheating is received and reacted among gamers from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China. The game play analysis subjects Tencent’s QQ Speed and its international equivalent, Speed Drifters, to close scrutiny. This paper draws on interviews conducted with gamers from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China, with the aim of delving into their narratives regarding different types of cheats they used/ came across in games. The research is also supplemented by the author’s personal observation. This paper suggests that the narratives provided by the interviewees generally revolve around two tensions: the tension between human and nonhuman, and between technology and authenticity. Sometimes problematic as these tensions remain, they are strongly felt by gamers, in that they reflect how technological change is considered and how competitiveness is celebrated within the gaming community.