Dummy

A dummy is data that present in a ROM but which has been intentionally made inaccessible. Such data is said to have been dummied. As an example, it is common in role-playing games to find (through hacking) items, enemies, or even maps that were used in earlier versions or for testing purposes but were not used in the finished game. The process of dummying data, rather than deleting it entirely, is generally less likely to introduce bugs. In all genres of games, debug menus are frequently dummied. Finding intriguing data which has been dummied is a common goal for hackers.

Notable Dummied Data

Possibly the most well-known example of data that has been dummied is the Citadel from Goldeneye 007, a mostly playable multiplayer map whose existence was denied by the game's programmers. Also well-known is the controversial Perfect Head mode of Perfect Dark, though it seems that some or all of the fundamental code for this mode has been completely removed from the game. The discovery of sexual dummied comment in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas caused a media frenzy and resulted in the game's ESRB rating being altered after the game's release.