Reviewing Cheating and Detection Techniques in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games: A Systematic Analysis

In recent years, despite the shift of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) from PC to mobile platforms, fraudulent and illegal activities persist within the online gaming market. These issues hinder players’ immersion and enjoyment of the game, potentially leading to their disengagement from the gaming community, thereby negatively impacting the industry as a whole. This systematic review offers an in-depth examination of existing studies concerning cheating behaviors, countermeasures, and detection methods in MMORPGs. Our focus is on understanding the underlying reasons for cheating behavior within the structural framework of state-full game servers and exploring the fundamental mechanisms of online gaming, particularly within the context of MMORPGs. Through extensive literature research, we have organized and categorized countermeasures and detection methods systematically. The findings of this review contribute to a deeper understanding of effective strategies for managing and combating cheating behaviors within MMORPGs.