How can people ensure safety while playing online games?

Online games has increased in popularity over the last couple of years, from single-player platforms to multiplayer RPGs. With the increase in the number of options, security concerns and possibilities of data breaches have also gone up considerably. At any point in time, a gamer’s biggest priority should be safe gaming. If you forget to take care of your online security, you might jeopardize your safety, expose personal information and fall victim to a lot of illicit activities on the internet, including identity theft. If you’re wondering how to avoid these concerns and ensure safety while playing online games, read on. This article explores the top 5 ways to remain safe while playing online games –

Playing games online

1. Check your privacy settings

The online games you play must allow you to choose your personal privacy settings. For all the threats that might be hurled at you from unknown corners, you must be sure to have your privacy settings in place. This would help you to hide your profile from external attackers and hackers on the internet, hence giving you more control over who steals or views your online activities. There are numerous online games to choose from, but you should be mindful of the games you’re choosing. The sites should have proper security and must go out on a limb to protect your personal information. If you’re fond of jackpot slot games or social media online games, have fun on sites that prioritize your safety and respects your privacy.

2. Block & Report

If you come across shady characters, don’t let them go. Chances are they will go and fool someone else, or they’ll come back to you for revenge. Don’t let them repeat their illicit activities to you or anyone else. Make the net a safer place for you as well as others. Just blocking the shady players or gamers is not enough. You must also report their profiles so that the online gaming sites can take appropriate action against them.

3. Secure your private information

If you’re on the internet, you can catfish or pretend to be anyone else and that’s a fact! Anonymity is a boon and bane of the internet, and you could be playing with a gamer who is interested in having your personal details to scam you later. Don’t entrust your private information that’s critical, with anyone else. Don’t give anyone the chance to hack into your personal accounts, so that they can later steal critical and confidential data like financial data. Being a victim of fraud or online theft is a very commonplace occurrence these days and it can get very costly not only on your finances but also might endanger your safety. Hence, whenever you play on any online gaming site, ensure it’s a trustworthy site with proper certificates so that your private information is not exposed to third-party contenders or other fellow gamers.

4. Invest in good security

If you’re serious about online gaming and often take part in competitive gaming, it might be essential for you to guard your information better by investing in good end-point security. Advanced security solutions have specific firewalls enabled for fast gaming. Firewalls usually have been reported to reduce the speed, hence gamers like to keep it turned off. Experts don’t recommend turning off your security firewalls ever. Instead, they recommend you to opt for a gaming security solution which not only covers multiple devices but is specifically suited to your gaming needs and doesn’t reduce your speed. The best part about having a security solution or software in place is they report suspicious activity, so you can detect potential threats and stop full-blown attacks even before they happen. Block hostile network attacks with an optimized security solution and firewall that also blocks unsafe gaming websites on your personal device.

5. Invest in a VPN

To optimize and enhance your security, you must shift to a VPN. The benefits of a VPN for a gamer are numerous. Firstly, it lets you bypass geographic restrictions placed by your region so that you have access to global content. Secondly, it maximizes your safety because it makes your IP address untraceable, and hence your presence on the internet anonymous and protected. It provides a secure encrypted connection, by virtue of which, no hackers or cybercriminals can spy on your online activities. You’re not thwarted by network restrictions, and you protect yourself better against DDos attacks if you’re a gamer. By confusing the system with a remote IP address that does not belong to you, a VPN maximizes safety for a gamer online and allows them to have access to all games, without jeopardizing their safety. With the appropriate VPN installed, you can have unlimited fun while not compromising on your online safety!

Ranbeer Maver is a Computer Science undergraduate. He's a geek who embraces any new consumer technology with inhuman enthusiasm.