I’ve always been one of those embarrassing people who loves games but who is pretty much skill challenged when it comes to actually playing them. But a lot of my motivation is also story based. When a game I’m not good at doesn’t have a “cheat” option it often takes me a very long time to struggle through it, and in those circumstances I often will use a strategy guide, just to make sure that I get to see everything that I want to see in the game, without having to play through it multiple times. I did this with Mass Effect, since I’m notoriously bad with anything that requires me to aim, but because the story sucked me in so much that I NEEDED to see the outcome of the game. I kept a strategy guide with me, because making up lost ground would have been punishing considering how often I died, and I turned the game to easy difficulty when I got overwhelmed by a particular fight.

When a game you would otherwise like is set up in such a way that the challenge is in areas you don’t enjoy the challenge of, or when the challenge is actually obstructing the part of the game you enjoy, I think it’s perfectly legitimate to find a way to play that emphasizes the parts you like. This, of course, only applies to single player games, where you’re not out-god-moding other players.

Of course, the cheeky monkey in me would say that playing a Paladin in WoW is already God mode
.-= We Fly Spitfires´s last blog ..WoW Arena Season 8: Fashion Victim =-.

I see it similiar to what you described though: when you’re playing God Mode, you’re not actually *playing* the game, but you are enjoying a story like a TV show or a movie.

I don’t think I would ever do it personally, I love discovering stories in games as I go. I think that might actually be why I rarely watch TV shows or movies, I can’t stand non-interactive stories. Written stories might be the only exception, but then again, reading is somewhat interactive since you’re in control of how you imagine the characters and their adventures.
.-= Ophelie´s last blog ..Why do I Need Battle Text? Let Me Tell You! =-.

If they aren’t there, though, I’m stuck and have to play the way the devs designed… and I may not always agree with their design. Gaming, to me, is about *me* making choices, not doing what someone else mapped out. Devs, give me the option to “cheat”, drop the sermonizing, and let me play already. If nothing else, cheating may be my only way to play the game that you set up as a Nintendo Hard tribute to your godlike programming skills. I don’t pay money for that, I pay for something I want to play and have fun with.

I wrote about it at more length hereabouts:
Game Tourism
wherein I link to a great article by Shamus over at Twenty Sided about much the same topic.

One other thought: I work in the game industry, and if nothing else, “cheats” allow us as devs to get to places in the game that need testing without grinding through the game “as intended”. They let us see the game as a whole, without getting bogged down in the minutae of playing through everything. That’s hugely important when trying to get a “big picture” sense of the game, and what is working on that level. It’s not a bad idea to give at least some of that control to players for the same purpose; to let them understand the narrative and game world without getting bogged down in the “gaming” mechanics.
.-= Tesh´s last blog ..Us and Them =-.

But I’m really curious now about how player intent interacts with developer intent. Yes, the developer works a game under the assumption that gamers are playing through normally. But when a game is narrative-driven, how much does that impact the developer’s intent? Some games don’t have strong narrative ties, while others do. For me, WCIII’s story is just strong enough–or at least interesting enough–to warrant my taking an alternate route to experience it sans actual gameplay. Other games are nowhere as close. For instance, WoW: running through Ulduar loses something if one could one-shot the bosses. Because the narrative doesn’t come from progression through the Instance; progression through the Instance //is// the narrative.