I would like to elaborate on the "hacks" some bore witness to and most have seen pics

[Phantom_RAcast]

You don't have to be bound by UK laws to be prosecuted by them in a roundabout way. I already explained that above.

Also, if you analyse something to identify invividual components they must be separated from the rest of the system. If you extract things, even just to view them, the system is still modified. If you redesign a system you again; have to modify it. Thus "ZOMG h4x!"

If that modification is un-authorised (and I'm pretty sure gaining access to a level 500+ character is restricted) then it's still illegal. If you engineer something, you don't merely look at it. Although looking and identifying may be mostly all there is, there is still modification. And also, what if you want to identify something you're un-authorised to view? To get into a position of viewing it would indeed, be hacking.

Once you stop analyzing and start modifying, it is no longer reverse engineering. Since in this case, the modifying in question would have to be memory editing. Since you own the memory, editing it wouldnt be unauthorized. The company doesnt own the space it's program is using. They have no authority over what you do with the memory you own.

Of course none of this takes in account if there was any server side editing.