Is buying from a hacker considered cheating?

[TheodoreCottontail]

I'm not too concerned about whether or not it's cheating but lots of people have mass cataloging islands for cheap entry fees here on the forums. I went to 2 different cataloging parties for free and my catalog is much fuller now. Save your real cash!

 

[Fridaynightcatlady]

It’s not cheating, but I don’t think anyone should be profiting from the game (and that includes folks who charge real money for their patterns or island services). This is a game, not your business. That’s late stage capitalism for you, and some day it’ll be over for good.

 

[tajikey]

I think it's subjective, and based on your own personal conscience. I'd rather not chance it, but it's totally up to you and how you feel.

 

[Xara]

to some, yes, but i honestly dont really care. people can indulge in and buy whatever they want, i just personally don’t want anything to do with hacking or hacked items in fear of it somehow corrupting my save file

 

[DarkDesertFox]

I'd say yes if you know they are hacking, but honestly who cares. They made trading in this game pretty much a requirement for a lot of things and some people aren't into that and just want the solo experience. I personally wouldn't waste real life money on these eBay listings though.

 

[Bioness]

Yes, it is cheating. However, with Animal Crossing not (directly) being a a competitive game, it doesn't really matter.

 

[Licorice]

Please don’t pay real money for that stuff. I just gave a garden wagon diy away for free lmao

 

[Lavamaize]

I mean buying items from hackers in my opinion is cheating because they got the items they are selling from illegitimate ways by exploiting a glitch/hack the game that was never meant to be in the game to begin with. On the other hand buying legitimate things from people is really up to you (but you can never really tell if they are hacked as the seller most likely won't tell if they are hacked).

 

[cheezu]

I bought bells and tools back in good ole' NL days - getting bells with real money was the only way I could get some of my dreamies back then.
I still think that people running these kinds of businesses are taking advantage of players who are technologically inept and they are selling duped items, after all, so I no longer want to support them, personally.
Also, to me, obtaining some things this way takes away from the joy of playing the game naturally.
Sure, I could pay to catalogue ALL the furniture but then what? I mean, it seems to defeat the purpose for me in the long-run especially for someone who wants to play the game for years to come.

 

[Jhine7]

I would say no. Anyone can play the game however they want. They paid for the game, so you do you. This isn't a game where holding world records, time trials, etc are really taken seriously. Supposed to be a relaxing game, so who cares. As long as it doesn't affect other people's save files, then I don't think it should matter.

 

[Bluebellie]

I would never pay money for this, but thats because theres so many other ways to get the items within game currency, or forum currency, through treasure islands, or just people giving it out for free.

That being said, I wouldnt consider it cheating. People pay for DLC all the time. In pocket camp almost everything is paid for. You want that really nice furniture set, you buy it. On new horizons people spent money on buying amiibos all the time instead of letting villagers come an go naturally. It makes no sense to me why one thing would be considered cheating and another thing not.

From personal experience, I disagree that getting all these items sooner will ruin the game. Though I haven’t used real currency, i have all my caralog completed. All i can say is that it has definitely enhanced the game for me. I play the game mostly for decorating purposes, and having the ability to use any item I want is a plus.

If it would make the game enjoyable for you, go for it. The game is meant to be played however you want.

 

[nightglow]

I don't consider it cheating because AC simply isn't a competitive game. However I would call it a scam but that is just me and my personal view point. I mean, if both people are happy with the transaction and are fully aware of how getting those items in game work, then is it really a scam? You do you.

 

[Croconaw]

This is a controversial Animal Crossing topic for sure, lol. I don’t consider it cheating just because you’re entitled to play the game how you want. It’s your game. I do think people charging actual money for in-game items or features is outrageous. I’m glad that’s not allowed on this site, lol. I think it’s hard to classify it as cheating considering you don’t know where the items came from unless you do obtain them yourself. If Person A gets an item from Person B, who knows where Person B got the item from? Person B could have obtained it from Person C, who hacked. Just because Person A didn’t obtain it from the hacker themselves, that doesn’t make the item not hacked. That’s just my opinion.

 

[kemdi]

Would I consider it cheating? No
Would I ever pay real money to obtain anything in this game? Also no.