NICKMERCS & Tfue call for cheating in video games to be “illegal”

Michael Gwilliam
tfue and nickmercs vs cheaters

Twitch stars Turner ‘Tfue’ Tenney and Nick ‘NICKMERCS’ Kolcheff have sparked a heated debate after calling for cheating in video games to be made illegal.

Cheating in video games comes in two forms: fun single-player cheats to enhance one’s own experience and nefarious multiplayer cheats such as wallhacks that make games unfun.

Both Tfue and NICKMERCS have had their fair share of run-ins with cheaters in competitive games ranging from Fortnite to Warzone and Apex Legends. Now it would seem like the two have reached their tipping point.

On July 31, Tfue made a post on social media advocating for new laws that would make cheating in video games a crime, and NICKMERCS was quick to chime in, voicing his agreement.

“I’m in. Where do we sign?” the MFAM leader wrote, fanning the flames of the debate to come.

Gamers debate making cheating “illegal”

Following NICKMERCS’ remark, Minnesota Rokkr content creator Rasim ‘Blazt’ Ogresevic pushed for those found guilty to get life in prison with no parole and just one hour of light a day.

“Agree completely, I have so much resentment for anyone who does it that ISN’T 11 years old and knows better,” Apex Streamer Rogue replied with similar sentiments. “And the fact we have 18-30-year-olds doing it…”

Not everyone voiced the same opinion, however. Some felt that making cheating illegal would punish cheaters too heavily while others wanted politicians to deal with matters other than video games.

“More important things going on in the world than worrying about who’s getting more kills than you in Warzone, I’m afraid,” one user wrote.

Interestingly, in Soth Korea, cheaters have been sentenced to prison for cheating in video games with hack distributors facing fines up to $43,000 or 5 years of jail time.

As for politicians debating the cheating issue, it’s definitely not off the table if recent history is anything to go by.

Last month, US politician Ted Cruz agreed to discuss video game microtransactions with Twitch star Asmongold, so it’s possible that Tfue and NICKMERCS’ hacker dilemma won’t fall on deaf ears.

Related Topics

About The Author

Michael Gwilliam is a senior writer at Dexerto based in Ontario, Canada. He specializes in Overwatch, Smash, influencers, and Twitch culture. Gwilliam has written for sites across Canada including the Toronto Sun. You can contact him at michael.gwilliam@dexerto.com or on Twitter @TheGwilliam