A brief history of cheats

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An overview of the oft-overlooked insider lore that helped fuel the growth of the games industry

THE KONAMI CODE

The Konami Code - up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A - is by far the most famous game code in existence. The sequence was invented by Kazuhisa Hashimoto, who used it to help along testing for Gradius.

It wasn’t until Contra, however, that the Konami Code phenomenon hit the West. Anyone who played Contra, especially alone, had the code memorized within hours. There are few modern games with equivalent difficulty levels - you get three lives per continue, and only three continues, and there’s a shit-ton of dudes shooting at you. So basically, f*** you. Without the Konami Code and the 30 lives it bestowed upon players, the game would have been nothing but an exercise in breaking controllers (that’s not to say it isn’t a great game, it is).

Above: A very impressive Contra run. You cannot do this

Since Gradius and Contra, the code has been used in hundreds of series and games – many of them not even Konami’s. Castlevania, TMNT, DDR, Silent Hill, Metal Gear Solid, Half Life 2, and Viva Pinata: Party Animals (in which it bestows a “classic gamer” Achievement), are just a few.

SnorgTees

Even GameSpot contains a Konami code Easter egg – load the site and enter “up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Enter” on your keyboard, and you’ll be redirected to the Contra cheats page. Oh you clever dogs.

The Konami Code (among other things) is representative of the shared language and culture of gamers. Think of it like Starbucks. When you walk into one for the first time, you have no idea what to hell to order – maybe you have to ask a friend, or you stick with plain coffee. A year later and you’re rattling off “venti-iced-white-mocha-extra-shot-no-whip” like it’s a Tibetan mantra. The shared language of Starbucks is widely considered to be an element of their marketing success.

Back to games: the kids who knew the codes were the insiders – the early adopters. Gaming lore spread through word-of-mouth. Instead of “try an upside-down caramel macchiato” it was “enter up, up, down, down, left, right…” and instead of at an overpriced ultra-branded coffee shop, the exchange of information took place in playgrounds.

SONIC’S DEBUG MODE

The debug mode in the first production releases of Sonic the Hedgehog is also among the most popular early cheats. It was a debug mode before we (as strapping young lads) even knew what a debug mode was. Such leftovers from development are arguably the most enjoyable cheats to find, as they replicate the feeling of slipping backstage at a concert you aren’t even old enough to attend. Of course, things like that only happen in made for TV Disney channel movies, but you get the idea.

GamesRadarTylerWilde
GamesRadarTylerWilde
Associate Editor, Digital at PC Gamer