Nickmercs is known as one of the biggest streamers for titles like CoD, Apex, and even Fortnite streaming before that. Playing these titles, he’s run into his share of hackers. Raging against a player using hacks is pretty common but Nickmercs is calling for a much bigger punishment. He’s asking for jail time for people who cheat in online games.

Hacking has become a major problem in some titles, with Call of Duty especially having issues with players doing this. This does mean a target like Nickmercs likely runs into these problems much more often, which might explain why he’s calling for such a punishment.

Source: nickmercs, YouTube

Nickmercs Wants Jail Time for Cheaters

The player tweeted that those who “cheat & hack in video games, you should 100% be sent to jail,” Quite a punishment, but so far developers behind games like Call of Duty have struggled to stay on top of the cheating problems. Activision has just announced that they’re going to start detecting players using Cronus, a big source of cheaters. Nickmercs sent out his calls for jail time just hours after that.

Waves of bans frequently happen which wipe out certain tools and players who have been caught cheating in a game. That’s usually followed by cheaters making new accounts or switching to new tools. Devs often play catch-up, just far enough behind to keep a cheating problem affecting players. This is particularly a problem for Apex and CoD

Nickmercs did address how silly the punishment must sound to a lot of people. He cited his long time in the game in the day as the reasoning. “I know the majority of y’all are busy touching grass… But your boy just spent 20 hours getting hacked on in online video games & I’ve had enough”.

If you cheat & hack in video games, you should 100% be sent to jail.

I know the majority of y’all are busy touching grass & shit, that’s lit, super happy for ya. But your boy just spent 20 hours getting hacked on in online video games & I’ve had enough.

— FaZe Nickmercs (@NICKMERCS) April 5, 2023

Streamers Throw Out Solutions to the Cheating Problem

Is this an actual solution? No. Some other players agreed with the hyperbole, but most thought it was more of a joke than a serious suggestion. Other players in games like Apex have chimed in though, with their own ideas for how cheaters could be cut down on. iiTzTimmy suggested a full profile attached to every game for a player would add a bigger punishment for those getting caught cheating.

Although, that’s also pretty unrealistic as a measure. It would require rival companies to work together on some unified identity service. Games that don’t have such big problems would have to be wasting time on this kind of a service just to improve their competitor’s product.

These more over-the-top punishments are unlikely. It’s clear cheating has become an epidemic in a few games’ communities though, to the point it ruins the experience for a lot of players. Nickmercs might not get his wish of jail time, but Activision is working specifically to crack down on cheating software. Although, it’s far from the first time we’ve heard this from them. We may at least see more permanent bans coming out.