10 Creative Ways Video Games Fought Cheaters

If gamers en masse have proven anything over the years, it's that they're incredibly susceptible to FOMO, and so when all else fails, developers can exploit that to punish cheaters.

Though perhaps not egregious as cheating goes, Team Fortress 2 did nevertheless have a problem with players using idling programs to exploit the game's item drop system, where weapons or cosmetic items would be regularly given to players while playing online.

Idling programs such as SteamStats were able to mimic the game's engine and allow players to receive item drops while not actually playing the game. These programs proved hugely popular and were ultimately used by a large chunk of the player-base.

In September 2009, however, Valve decided enough was enough and released an update which gave a special item to anyone who hadn't used idling programs - a golden halo hilariously called the "Cheater's Lament."

The halo also came complete with the message, "Congratulations! Your honesty has been rewarded with a new hat!"

Naturally, hackers were a bit miffed that they had to miss out on this shiny treat, and in the years that followed Valve made several changes to the item drop system which made idling decidedly less effective, such as forcing players to confirm a new item before being able to receive another one.