Automated scripts or agents that perform gameplay actions for resource farming, experience gain, or other unfair advantages.
Supporting Academic Articles
An Ensemble Fuzzy Logic Approach to Game Bot Detection through Behavioural Features
Mario Luca Bernardi, Marta Cimitile, Fabio Martinelli, Francesco Mercaldo
2018 IEEE International Conference on Fuzzy Systems (FUZZ)
Target: Game bots - AI systems simulating human behavior to obtain advantages like cyber money and popularity
Aim: Bernardi, M. L., Cimitile, M., Martinelli, F., & Mercaldo, F. (2018). An ensemble fuzzy logic approach to game bot detection through behavioural features. In 2018 IEEE International Conference on Fuzzy Systems (FUZZ) (pp. 1-8). IEEE.
Recommendation: (Bernardi et al., 2018)
CAPTCHA Challenges for Massively Multiplayer Online Games: Mini-game CAPTCHAs
Yang-Wai Chow, Willy Susilo, Hua-Yu Zhou
2010 International Conference on Cyberworlds
Target: Botting/automated programs giving unfair advantages, allowing accumulation of wealth/resources/experience without effort
Aim: Chow, Y. W., Susilo, W., & Zhou, H. Y. (2010). CAPTCHA challenges for massively multiplayer online games: Mini-game CAPTCHAs. In 2010 International Conference on Cyberworlds (pp. 254-261). IEEE.
Recommendation: (Chow et al., 2010)
GCI: A GPU-Based Transfer Learning Approach for Detecting Cheats of Computer Game
Md Shihabul Islam, Bo Dong, Swarup Chandra, Latifur Khan, Bhavani Thuraisingham
IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing, Vol. 19, No. 2, 2022
Target: Network traffic-based cheating detection, automated cheat detection
Aim: Islam, M. S., Dong, B., Chandra, S., Khan, L., & Thuraisingham, B. (2022). GCI: A GPU-based transfer learning approach for detecting cheats of computer game. IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing, 19(2), 804-816.
Recommendation: (Islam et al., 2022)
Online Games: Categorization of Attacks
Y. Lyhyaoui, A. Lyhyaoui, S. Natkin
IEEE EUROCON Conference 2005
Target: Multiple attack types: cheating against provider, players, and virtual society including AI bots, asset theft, design flaw exploitation
Aim: Lyhyaoui, Y., Lyhyaoui, A., & Natkin, S. (2005). Online games: Categorization of attacks. In EUROCON 2005 - The International Conference on Computer as a Tool (pp. 1340-1343).
Recommendation: (Lyhyaoui et al., 2005)
Embedded Non-Interactive CAPTCHA for Fischer Random Chess
Ryan C. McDaniel, Roman V. Yampolskiy
CGAMES Conference 2011
Target: Bot/automated play cheating using computer programs for move calculation
Aim: McDaniel, R. C., & Yampolskiy, R. V. (2011). Embedded non-interactive CAPTCHA for Fischer random chess. In 2011 16th International Conference on Computer Games (CGAMES) (pp. 284-287).
Recommendation: (McDaniel & Yampolskiy, 2011)
Game Bot Detection via Avatar Trajectory Analysis
Hsing-Kuo Pao, Kuan-Ta Chen, Hong-Chung Chang
IEEE Transactions on Computational Intelligence and AI in Games, Vol. 2, No. 3, September 2010
Target: Game bots, automated programs, trajectory-based detection
Aim: Pao, H.-K., Chen, K.-T., & Chang, H.-C. (2010). Game bot detection via avatar trajectory analysis. IEEE Transactions on Computational Intelligence and AI in Games, 2(3), 162-175.
Recommendation: (Pao et al., 2010)
Cheating in social network games
Irene Serrano Vázquez and Mia Consalvo
new media & society Vol. 17(6) 829–844 2015
Target: Social network game cheating including bot usage, unauthorized data access, infrastructure exploitation, creating multiple accounts
Aim: Serrano Vázquez, I., & Consalvo, M. (2015). Cheating in social network games. new media & society, 17(6), 829-844.
Recommendation: (Vasquez and Consalvo, 2013)
Cheating in networked computer games – A review
Steven Daniel Webb and Sieteng Soh
DIMEA '07 Perth Western Australia (ACM)
Target: Comprehensive taxonomy including game-level, application-level, protocol-level, and infrastructure-level cheats; bug exploitation, information exposure, bots, denial of service
Aim: Webb, S. D., & Soh, S. (2007). Cheating in networked computer games – A review. In Proceedings of the 2007 Conference on Future Play (pp. 105-112). ACM.
Recommendation: (Webb & Soh, 2007)