Life would be easier if I had cheat codes, if I could just type in some secret words and the magical solutions to my problem would appear. But the thing about cheat codes is that they make the game too easy. Boring. Meaningless. Unfulfilling.
If you skip the levels on Ocarina of Time to get to the boss, what’s the point? The best part of the game is the adventuring, the learning, the puzzle-solving and the discovery, the satisfaction when you hear the little jingle that means you’ve solved a tricky mystery. If you increase your productivity in Starcraft or make yourself invincible, the whole purpose of the game is moot. Plus, if you’re me—someone who can’t even look up a step in a walkthrough without feeling like I’ve betrayed myself and the game—you feel guilty for doing so.
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