StarCraft II players banned for cheating in single player

Since October 1st, Blizzard has been suspending and banning StarCraft II player accounts for using hacks and “trainers” in, get this, single player. To be clear, this refers only to players using third party software to “hack” the game, not the use of SCII‘s built-in cheat system.

Of course, it’s not uncommon for players to be banned for using hacks in online multiplayer modes of games. If companies like Blizzard didn’t do that in MMOs, those games would rapidly degenerate and be destroyed by their own players. Banning gamers for applying cheats in single player, however, is new territory, and another sign of the changing shape of “offline” gaming.

You see, in StarCraft II, you never really do play alone. The game requires an internet connection to play at all, and single player has an online component in the form of an achievement system. Blizzard argues “While single player games only appear to be you and a computer at first, your achievements and gamer score also carries weight and prestige for your online play,”

It’s clear that Blizzard holds the right to take this action. Their End-User License Agreement gives them the power to yank players for cheating in any form.

Blizzard’s motives have been thrown into doubt over this ordeal, with some claiming the company simply doesn’t care about players once they’ve got that person’s money. Also, banned cheaters will now be left to repurchase a game they only picked up earlier this year.

[source]