Thread: Article: Can video game cheating be prevented?

If the article is hinting at the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) infrastructure, then AMD was a founding member together with Intel. It sounds as though Intel is developing a system that generates trust certificates for clean gamers.

https://www.trustedcomputinggroup.org/about/members/

Intel's technology would embed a module in a PC's circuitry that would analyze data coming off the keyboard and the mouse and compare it to what a game actually processes. If there are conflicts — the player clicked the mouse just once but the game read that as "fire 100 shots" — the Intel system would be able to signal the game makers or other players. The system could also put a "trusted" stamp on seemingly legitimate players.

Intel says its system would not degrade PC performance or be noticeable in game play, but the concept still needs work. Notably, it would require the support of PC makers as well as the game companies that would have to build in ties to the Intel system.

Interesting - Bacon, what does the tcg you link'd have to do with this- I'm having trouble understanding the babble.

In nutshell, there is a chip that is being built into PCs. The chip is called the Trusted Platform Module (TPM). The TPM assures that all resources in the computer are from trusted sources. For example, the chip makes sure that the hard drive belongs to the person that is logged into the PC. It does this through a daisy chain of trusted certificates that are matched to the user, such as by username and password.

In such a system, suppose that a person stole a hard drive from work and then plugged it into his home PC. The TPM would not allow the person to read the hard drive because its certificate belongs to someone else, such as the IT department at work.

Certificates can also be assigned to software to make sure that the software is from a trusted source and therefore free of viruses. Of course, that software could include games. The trick is how to certify the gamer as a trusted person, and then associate him with a trusted certificate. It appears that Intel is trying to do that my matching keyboard/mouse input to what the game is processing. There may be other ways to certify a player as well.

If any of you are more versed in this topic then please feel free to clarify/correct. My only hands-on experience with the TPM is in the realm of hard drives.

Originally Posted by laggyNgroovy

Intel's upcoming technology could be interesting.

Laggy,

I couldn't help but notice your interest in Intel's efforts. Have you considered whether Intel's technology could be improved upon or done differently? At least based on what's been published of it?

I had an idea and would like to run it by you and anyone else that would like to chime in. Everyones' opinions are needed here.

One of the things that turned me on to TTP was the quality of gamers that TTP attracts.

Do any of you believe there is a way to quantify the quality of TTP-grade players? For example, would you be willing to vote for or against other gamers to help decide whether they will be banned from a game? The final vote tally could be used as a certification similar to the Intel function that was discussed in the above article. i.e. Your vote would help to smoke out cheaters.

I'm wondering if there is a way to quantify what a TTP player is made of.

I shared the voting idea with Lemures and he dismissed it within a few minutes. We also know where he stands in the TTP circle of trust.

I'm not saying Lemures is a good or bad person. What I'm asking is for you to think of him and wonder whether you, as a fellow gamer, are accurate enough at judging character to vote whether he is a hacker of any sort. Would you trust Lemures with your wallet? Would you trust him with pictures of your wife or daughter? Would you trust him with your PC? Same questions for Yurigo, who has been through our ban forum. Yurigo is arguably a great gamer, but would you trust him with your credit card numbers?

Do you trust me?

These are the types of hard questions that Intel is trying to find an answer for. This is also a great opportunity for us to guide the technology of tomorrow. Let's show the gaming world that TTP looks to the future.

Is our collective judgment of a gamer accurate enough to certify him as a trusted player? Talk it up.

If this function would be on intel cpu's, wouldnt hackers just buy AMD cpu's....

That is my question, it seems that it would allow Intel to have a monopoly on games of sort at that point.

Cecil,

The function already exists for all CPUs. How do we apply it to gaming?

Businesses react to what their competitors are doing. You can be sure AMD would follow suit.

I just said Intel's approach looked interesting. I restrain myself every time I play here. We have some incredible players that if I had met on another server I'd be "SURE" they were hacking, using aimbots and the such :::: muttering freakin' charvel ::::

But reading the interpretation that you posted about the TCM, I think Microsoft has the samething already going. Or so I've read. A checksum gets built into Windows Vista and if you change the motherboard later down the road, it invalidates that copy of Windows. I've got to go through some seriously old emails at work to refind that link, but I'll do it if it slows down tomorrow.

I do agree in tightening up code, be it for gaming, surfing, using. But I don't agree with you being in my PC putting listening agents on my PC and having it tattle back to some agency without my knowledge. I didn't agree with the V-chip in concept either.

Example... Microsoft got their hands caught recently with the Microsoft Updates software. No matter what you selected as far as updating (or not) some files were being updated anyway. http://windowssecrets.com/comp/070913/#story1

Anyway, its late, I'll pick this up more tomorrow. Just getting the comments started.

Laggy

Originally Posted by laggyNgroovy

But reading the interpretation that you posted about the TCM, I think Microsoft has the samething already going. Or so I've read. A checksum gets built into Windows Vista and if you change the motherboard later down the road, it invalidates that copy of Windows. I've got to go through some seriously old emails at work to refind that link, but I'll do it if it slows down tomorrow.

I do agree in tightening up code, be it for gaming, surfing, using. But I don't agree with you being in my PC putting listening agents on my PC and having it tattle back to some agency without my knowledge. I didn't agree with the V-chip in concept either.

Anyway, its late, I'll pick this up more tomorrow. Just getting the comments started.

Laggy

That isn't just a vista issue. I upgraded my mobo this weekend, and my comp flipped out and wanted me to validate my copy of windows. And, of course, it does this before I can install any drivers. The first time it popped up, I couldn't move the mouse or use the keyboard, because it hadn't gotten that far in the windows boot or somethng. I had to run a repair, and just exit out of it with everything loaded so I could click the damned buttons.

Then it tells me it can't find the internet (because it hadn't let me install the new mobo drivers) so I have to call the 800 number and do the long validation process.

Friggin' stupid.