Legendary Guitar Hero Player Exposed as a Cheater

By Marc Deschamps

Since the dawn of competitive gaming, there have been players willing to cheat in order to count themselves among the very best. Competitive Guitar Hero and Clone Hero player Schmooey is the latest such example, as fans of the series recently exposed his most impressive feats as fraudulent. The player had spent the last few years sharing incredible videos of his accomplishments, setting new records, and earning thousands of dollars in bounties that had been established for certain songs. In a video breaking down Schmooey's history with the game, Speedrunning commentator/YouTuber Karl Jobst reveals in detail how Schmooey managed to fool players for so long. 

The video from Jobst can be found embedded below.

Activision Blizzard's Guitar Hero franchise has been dormant for quite some time, but the series maintains a passionate competitive scene. Schmooey has long been a part of that scene, and has participated in live events. As Kotaku points out, he's clearly a very talented player, which is likely why it took so long for his fake videos to be exposed. Things started to unravel in December 2021, when Schmooey posted a video of 9 Patterns of Eternal Pain, where he didn't miss a single note, which would have been a world-first. This wasn't the first time Schmooey had drawn suspicion from the community, but the video included segments where it became obvious that his finger patterns didn't match up with what was happening on-screen. Once Guitar Hero fans discovered this, more videos were investigated and exposed.

Schmooey initially dismissed questions of the video's authenticity, but as evidence began to stack up, he revealed that a number of his videos were faked, using a variety of different methods. He has since taken all of his Guitar Hero videos down, paid back the money he received in bounties, and posted a new video, apologizing for his actions. Schmooey admits in the video that he was "not entirely sober when everything took place." The situation is obviously a disappointing one for everyone involved. Hopefully now that Schmooey has opened up about the events, he can get the help he might need, and others will learn from his mistakes!

Were you a fan of Schmooey's Guitar Hero videos? Do you follow the game's competitive scene? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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