Is using save states cheating?

depends on how they are used
>unlock movement option in metroidvania
>savestate before checking if I can advance past a previous roadblock
>find out I can't
>load savestate to avoid backtracking

Abusing them is, redoing a part to come out of it with the best possible outcome rather than deal with the consequences.

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Depends. I think those auto save/load on shutdown/startup savestates are fair, they're pretty much just the equivalent of quick resume on xbox. Using a savestate for keeping progress if the game uses passwords as well or some shit but only if used where the password would resume you.

PC games have had them forever. We just call it "saving" though because it's normal and not some special type of saving that retards argue over whether or not it's cheating. We only care about whether you savescum or not.

Depends how they are used

To save a game you want to pick up later because someone came to the door, absolutely not

If you are saving right before the boss so you can just fight the boss again without having to waste time going through the whole level, no, absolutely not

If you are doing it to abuse RNG or get extra items or get knowledge you aren't supposed to have or something like that then absolutely yes

they are cheating and you experienced the game in an unintended way of you used them.

Here's a subtle one. Is using fast-forward / frame skip cheating?

Some years ago, I played Dragon Warrior 1 and got to the Dragon Lord at the end of the game underleveled and he just fucking crushed me. I powerleveled a couple of levels with playing the emulator super fast and then came back and beat him effortlessly.

Yes, but some games have stupid finnicky bullshit in them that deserve to be cheated.

Not for training

Yes but who cares?

if you wouldn't have done that same thing without using fast forward, then I'd say it was cheating
if you would have grinded those hours or however long it would've took, then no it wasn't cheating since you did the same thing just quicker

Yeah

given that 99% of the time, savestates just save you the time of having to get back to the point you were at, no, they're not cheating

plus even official emulators on consoles have them built-in

Based

Yes. It is. I think you can argue there's different severity to cheating that ranges from kind of innocuous to plan outright not beating the game. But in the end you are cheating.

The only way I would say it is innocuous is if its a password system like in Mega Man X or something, you put in the password, then create a save state there so you don't have to re-enter the password on continue. Or maybe it's a FF and you save the game at a legit save spot, create your save state there just so you can skip past the splash screen and menus and can pick back up immediately.

>If you are saving right before the boss so you can just fight the boss again without having to waste time going through the whole level, no, absolutely not
Sorry, but you unironically didn't beat the boss.

Uhh? Hello? Hi, this is Senator Dave State. Listen, me and the Congress have this bill we passed that allows you to "savescum" *legally obtained* video games. Whaddaya say to that ?

depends on the game

My definition of cheating is playing the game in a way that was not intended by the developers.
Save states is cheating because developers didn't intend for you to use them when playing their game.
Yes, even cheats that are built into the game is still cheating because the developer clearly outlined them as such.
But at the end of the day, nobody gives a shit unless you're a speedrunner.