The history of video game cheating is as old as the industry itself. Pac-Man gave gamers the chance to unlock unlimited lives by performing a precise string of actions and button presses. While Wolfenstein 3D introduced the idea of God Mode by giving players invincibility during a play through.
Here is some of the greatest cheats to come from the industry. From Doom's "idkfa" cheat to turning on blood effects in Mortal Kombat these are some cheats that have transcended unfair advantages to become part of the gaming lexicon.
The Konami Code: ↑↑↓↓←→←→BA
Everybody knows the Konami Code. The code started out life as a cheat for the original Gradius on the NES. Gradius creator Kazuhisa Hashimoto invented the code to give his game testers an easier time beating the game. Of course, when Hashimoto was done testing the game he forgot to remove the code and gave gamers the most well known code of all time.
Following the release of Gradius, the code continued to be used for other Konami games. Most famously, the code was used in the original Contra. Using the code gave gamers 30 extra lives for the nearly-impossible to beat side-scrolling shooter.
Doom: Enter 'idkfa' During Gameplay
One of the most well-known instances of a video game cheat is from the original Doom. Enabling the cheat let players become invincible in hell. The code gives players all keys, all weapons, and full ammo.
Perhaps just as famous as the godly mode is Doom's other powerful code 'idfa'. That code gave players full ammo and all weapons but made them work for the keys.
Punch Out: Enter '007 373 5963' on the Menu Screen
Before he was biting ears and hanging out with Bradley Cooper, Mike Tyson was a legendary boxer. He struck fear into his foes with a powerful hook that was unmatched in the early 1990s. His boxing prowess was so unmatched that beating his virtual avatar in Punch Out was near impossible.
No codes for the game was ever created to make Tyson go down easier. However, using a well-placed cheat on the home screen allowed gamers to skip all other fights and go straight to fight Tyson. Whether it did them any good is anyone's guess.
Mortal Kombat: press A, B, A, C, A, B, B on the Code of Honor Screen to Enable the Blood Mode Cheat
Mortal Kombat is supposed to be bloody. The game is all about pixilated red colors coming from the faces of ridiculously looking ninjas. Unfortunately, when Mortal Kombat came to the Sega Genesis in 1992 blood effects were not present out of the box. Instead, players were shown blue-green sweat effects in its place.
The only way to get Mortal Kombat bloody back then was to enter the Blood Code cheat. By entering the code gamers were able to turn that sweat red and in the process upset worried mothers everywhere.
NBA Jam's Special Characters: Mashing various button combinations before the title screen
NBA Jam was all about the cheaters. The 2-on-2 basketball game let cheats do anything from making the court slippery to letting them play as the Beastie Boys. By inputting a various assortment of cheat codes players could gain access to characters such as Ad-rock, Bill Clinton, and even Hilary Rodham Clinton.
The updated version of the game that's available on the Xbox Store and PlayStation Network even let players play as updated special characters. The release let gamers play as Barack Obama or John McCain.
![NES Longplay [043] Mike Tyson's Punch-Out](https://1779241332.rsc.cdn77.org/data/thumbs/full/82601/396/277/50/40/nes-longplay-043-mike-tysons-punch-out.jpg)
