Gamers 'Sins' Revealed

Last updated: 16/11/2006 - 16:30

11% of games-players have ignored their partner's telephone call in order to continue gaming, a survey by 7 Sins publishers, Digital Jesters has revealed.

7 Sins

As much as 11% of games-players in the UK have ignored their partner's telephone call in order to continue playing videogames, a survey by 7 Sins publisher Digital Jesters has revealed.

This forms one of the ‘Seven Gaming Sins’, which has been unveiled in a comprehensive test of the games-playing nation's morality.

Cheating topped the poll of gaming sins, with 26.1% admitting to inputting codes or exploiting loopholes to further their progress. Playing pirated computer games came second, with 16.8% of respondents indicating they'd played games obtained illegally.

6.7% of respondents claimed to have sabotaged a competitor's game in order to gain an advantage, whilst a shameful 4.3% of respondents admitted to feigning illness to play games when they should be working.

Sin While You Win

"It's been an interesting survey – and shows that games players are used to the concept of lying, cheating, deceiving and conniving," says Leo Zullo, marketing Director at Digital Jesters. "Whilst they're able to do some of the above in most games, only 7 Sins actively encourages it, providing a large slice of despicable, entertaining all-round fun – although we wouldn't recommend it PlayStation or PC owners who are easily offended."

The 'Seven Gaming Sins' admitted by respondents are as follows:

1. Cheating: Using cheats to progress in games (26.1%)
2. Stealing: Playing pirated games (18.68%)
3. Ignorance: Leaving partner's phone call to continue playing (11%)
4. Sabotage: Deliberately hindering or altering someone else's game (6.7%)
5. Lying: Feigning illness from work in order to play computer games (4.3%)
6. Coveting: Only borrowing games from a friend's library rather than buying your own copy (3.2%)
7. Spitefulness: Giving away game endings deliberately. (2.7%)

The survey was conducted by tickbox.net, and polled 1164 members of the public. In this instance, 72.68% of respondents admitted to a specific gaming sin. The survey was carried out on behalf games company Digital Jesters – the brains behind the Sims-like digital ‘relationships’ game 7 Sins. 7 Sins is your chance to prove you're a true player in the romance stakes? To succeed in this – somewhat amoral sounding, but - we’re assured, fun game - you're going to have to lie, steal, seduce and cheat your way to the very top of the social elite. Make friends, make enemies, learn their secrets and desires and then use it against them to get ahead.

Game features on 7 Sins include:

  • Exciting 3D interactive environments in which the player gets to mix with the rich, beautiful and famous

  • Complete interaction with other characters – seduce them, humour them, bore them or be as nasty as you want!

  • Non-linear gameplay – players have control over which missions or mini-games to undertake

  • Sprawling locations with players encouraged to 'be bad to be good' to progress to new areas

  • Themed challenges based around each of the seven sins – Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Greed and Sloth.

  • Humour – A heavy dose of 'lads mentality' with visual and audio gags focusing on drinking, voyeurism(?) and pranks.

  • More than 20 different mini games.


  • 7 Sins is available now for PlayStation 2 and PC, from Digital Jesters.

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