In April 2023, the top Geometry Dash player in the world was exposed for cheating his entire career. In an era where people thought cheating to be a thing of the past, impossible due to modern day checks, SpaceUK managed to slip through the system.

But regardless of how SpaceUK managed to cheat, we're not here to talk about that. Instead, I want to talk about the community's reaction to SpaceUK cheating. In particular, I want to bring up the concerning amount of people who are seemingly okay with SpaceUK cheating and ruining years of Geometry Dash history.

But it isn't just SpaceUK. Hackers like NoctaFly, Cyclic, Andromeda, SaRy, 3xotiC, and others have since been glorified.

Geometry Dash Players Support Hackers

Here's some comments on SpaceUK's new completion of The Golden, which is now believed to be legitimate. The comment authors will be kept anonymous. Some of these may be satire, but a good portion of them are likely serious.

One player is is proud of SpaceUK for returning and wishes him good luck in whatever he does next:

Congrats bro. It's great you finally did this. Good luck in whatever you're moving onto next.

Another player overlooks the fact that SpaceUK robbed top players of their achievements and ad revenue for years, calling it a simple mess up.

thank you for inspiring me to play space. u might've [messed] up but at least you came back and finished what you started all those years ago, GG.

Another player is proud of SpaceUK for making a comeback:

even though you hacked top levels in the past and got exposed and confessed... unlike any other hackers... bro did a comeback!!! GG SpaceUK for beating the golden!!

This amount of support for SpaceUK is concerning. I'm not saying people should do the opposite and spread hate. But I also don't think people should be supporting him, seeing as he was a hacker for years.

This comment summarizes my stance well:

Whether one stands by and respect SpaceUK's decision, or find oneself at a loss in attempt to forgive him, providing destructive criticism and encouraging him to continue are both ends of a medium that should be avoided. By encouraging him and welcoming him back with open arms, one sets of the impression that cheaters are allowed to be welcomed back to a community without consequences, which encourage others to engage in the act of cheating, as the punishment appears limited.

However, derogatory comments and abusive language, such as death threats in the extreme cases, are intolerable without explanation.

What I think is this: Geometry Dash players are too quick to forgive hackers. And I think I have a reason as to why.

Why Geometry Dash Players Support Hackers

Hackers of earlier eras in the game have since been glorified. Hackers like Cyclic have had their stories romanticized. Just look at how many documentaries portray the Riot vs Cyclic rivalry.

Andromeda has had his story told using common story blocks. The reliable three act structure. In Andromeda's case, I like to call it the "rise, fall, and rise again" model, where the "fall" is them being exposed for hacking, and the "rise" is them returning to the game to play legitimately.

One thing is sure: Geometry Dash players sure love a good redemption story.

And this is a problem. Instead of focusing on cheaters redeeming themselves, we should instead focus on the players they robbed of achievements. We should focus on legitimate top players rather than reminisce about hackers.

Final Word

I think liars and cheaters, including SpaceUK, NoctaFly, Cyclic, Andromeda, SaRy, 3xotiC, and many others, shouldn't be glorified.

SpaceUK is definitely the most extreme case here. Unlike Cyclic, Andromeda, and earlier players, SpaceUK made thousands of dollars off his hacked achievements. Thousands of dollars that would have otherwise went to legitimate players.

But even looking at players like Cyclic and Andromeda, I think we think too positively of them. And perhaps they agree. Cyclic, for example, has appeared to not want anything to do with Geometry Dash anymore. Possibly because he is regretful of what he did.

And perhaps that is for the best. I would rather us look towards a legitimate player instead.

SpaceUK, Cyclic, and Andromeda have greatly impacted this game. But maybe not for the better. They all stole achievements from others. They took attention that would have otherwise went to legitimate players. Especially in the case of SpaceUK, legitimate players lost potentially thousands of dollars in ad revenue.

Going forward, let's try not to support hackers after they get exposed. Let's support legitimate players instead.