however, a vpn does alter the route the data is sent from your isp to the server so it does DIRECTLY alter data.
This is wrong. This thread contains quite a lot of wrong.

A VPN doesn't alter GAME data in any way, shape, or form. It just changes the way the data travels between you and the server. You're just overriding your ISP's default route with the one provided by the software. Again, for emphasis, no game data gets changed, simply the route taken between you and the server.

You may want to read a few textbooks about how routing works before claiming it changes game data?