The availability of prepared accounts is a widespread problem in the gaming community. These are often equipped with high levels, rare items or other advantages that would normally have to be earned through a lot of playing time or special skills. Some players simply do not have enough time due to work, school or other obligations, do not show the necessary commitment or want to take the easy route of achieving a certain status in a video game in order to keep up with other players.
This can be particularly important in multiplayer shooters, online role-playing games or e-sports titles with correspondingly high competition. A high-level account gives the owner a certain feeling of status in almost every game because it is seen by others as a sign of performance and individual ability. Repeatedly playing sections or missions, also better known as “grinding“, is not for everyone, although it would be a legitimate way to achieve a self-set goal.
The wide range of account boosting services
Professionally designed websites such as BoostRoyal, ElitistGaming and Boosting Factory offer a variety of services that are tailored to different games and the needs of the respective community. Experienced players, for example, improve the account of a paying user for a set fee. Private individuals also offer their services surprisingly openly and relatively unashamedly in all gaming forums, social media or on Discord servers. This fact is not exactly a secret.
Even on eBay you can occasionally find offers for prepared accounts, even if this clearly violates the terms of use of most video games. Platforms such as PlayerAuctions and G2G specialize in trading in in-game currency, accounts and items. Busy trading is evident on EpicNPC, among others, and these are just a small excerpt. On closer inspection, supply and demand appear to be quite high, which logically annoys honest players and sometimes gives online gaming experiences a bad aftertaste.
Ethical concerns and legal information
The decision to use such account boosting services is ultimately up to the individual player. However, it is important to consider the possible consequences. Anyone caught violating general terms of use must expect strict measures. These can range from temporary bans to permanent account closures, as most game developers reject any form of deliberate manipulation or unfair competition.
Boost users are allowed to play in higher ranks or levels without having demonstrated the necessary skills or invested the necessary time. This can affect the experience for those who try to improve their accounts and progress in the game through hard work and skill. In addition, it can lead to a bad reputation for the entire community if a high percentage of players no longer want to master the game’s challenges on their own.
Countermeasures are increasing
Game developers use extensive analysis to identify suspicious behavior. Monitoring tools measure serious deviations from typical patterns, such as sudden successes or leaps in performance that do not match the player’s previous skills. In addition, they implement strict penalties for users who are caught boosting accounts. Suspected cases are temporarily banned from the game while a thorough investigation takes place in the background.
Regular updates are intended to close security gaps and some PC video games have additional anti-cheating software. Another approach is to actively involve the community in the monitoring process. Honest players should be increasingly encouraged to report suspicious activities so that those responsible can react to violations of terms of use as quickly as possible. In the best case, ranking systems are designed from the outset in such a way that boosting is not worthwhile and only players with obviously similar skills meet each other.
