8. Screen Peeking (Mario Kart, Halo, Goldeneye)
Gamers have all had that moment when theyre lying in the perfect hiding spot preparing an ambush against an unsuspecting opponent when, suddenly, theyre hit from out of nowhere and their opportunity lost. After some perplexity, the answer becomes clear: the opponent peeked at the other half of the TV screen. Two-player games with split screens all provide this opportunity to cheat. Its actually a hard cheat to avoid. Keeping ones gaze on only half of the TV at all times is difficult. For this reason, not everybody takes it seriously. There was no way to adjust the rules of the game to prevent it, short of rather extreme measures like the one pictured above, until the internet took multiplayer action far from the living room and into international territory. Even players making an honest effort not to peek at the other side of the screen often fall victim to the irresistible temptation. In a game like Mario Kart's Battle Mode, it is easy to know the location of an opponent just by glancing down and seeing what color he or shes near. Its a dirty way to play, but the game makes it easy. Not a player alive hasnt stooped to this dastardly level once or twice.