Video games crack down on cheating

Some players give themselves the ability to magically see and shoot through walls. Others find a way to fly, making them nearly impossible to defeat. Cheating like this in video games has a long and even respected tradition. Games have often slyly included ways -- intentionally or not -- for sophisticated players to hack into the software and then skip levels or take on supernatural powers.

But these days, the subject is getting a more serious look. Unlike older games, today's are networked to be played with strangers over the Internet. And now, real money is at stake. Fantasy games like "World of Warcraft" and computer environs like "Second Life," to name a few, have their own currency or other virtual valuables that can be traded for hard U.S. dollars.