In the recent couple of decades, gaming has quickly moved from what used to be a niche for techies into one of the most popular forms of mainstream entertainment. While this is amazing in itself, the concept of online multiplayer has also brought in a new world of dangers for people who enjoy this diverse ecosystem of digital fun. There are many things people need to keep in mind when they are gaming over the web. In this article, we are going to go through the best practices you should introduce in order to game safely.
1. Protect Your Personal Information
There's no doubt that this is the most important rule of the web in general, and it goes doubly so when you are gaming online. Make sure you're never providing any of the sensitive personal details to public sections of gaming services and sites. Your full name, address, phone number and especially financial info should always be set to private and carefully protected. When signing up to a new game, provide only the necessary information to create a new account. Getting familiarized with the privacy policies is also well recommended, however tedious a task that may seem. Additionally, if a game seems to be asking too much info from you, it's a good moment to double-check its reputation online.
2. Always Use Licensed Games and Operators
Whether it's your favorite MMORPG or an iGaming platform, it's of utmost importance to always go for licensed servers and operators. There are many pirate servers for famous MMO games offering EXP bonuses for faster leveling or higher item drop rates, but those often come with a price that is way higher and more dangerous to your privacy and money. This is why it's very important to never go into private gaming servers unless they are run by people you personally know.
Similar advice goes for lovers of online gambling. If you are looking for the best way to avoid fraud and scammers, you should always go to casinos that are reputable and have good reviews. There are many curated lists of such online venues, and we can vouch for the live games at Card Player where you can check out both crypto poker venues but also many other iGaming sites with good reviews, large bonuses, and exciting games. Look for good word of mouth and trusted reviews to keep yourself safe when playing.
3. Use Strong Passwords
This should come as no surprise, but we will always advocate for the use of unique and strong passwords, in gaming and otherwise. This is your first line of defense against any malicious entries to your private profiles and you should keep it as strong as possible. Go for random strings of letters and numbers, and utilize the help of many available password managers. Try to avoid real words and phrases wherever you can.
For an extra layer of protection, utilize two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever it's available. There are opinions out there that 2FA is just a piece of bloat, but it's still an important brick in our security walls. Whether it's a code texted to your phone, email, or an authentication app, these will fight off 99% of the brute-force entry attempts to your gaming accounts.
4. Be Careful with In-Game Purchases
More and more games are including microtransactions and game stores as part of the experience. Whether it's just cosmetics or items and upgrades, you should always stick to the official stores for the game you're playing. The vast networks of resellers are not just ripe with scammers, but can sometimes lead to your account being banned for using services of stores that violate the game's rules and regulations.
Also, it might be a good idea to monitor your transactions and set limits and restrictions or budgets for in-game spending. Sometimes excessive and unchecked in-game purchases in official stores do more financial damage than some scammers would do with fraudulent shops.
5. Stay Ahead of Phishing Attempts
Cybercriminals use phishing as a common tactic to get ahold of your personal and financial info. They will most often try to imitate legitimate links through emails that seem to be coming from a game company, or through in-game chats and messages. More often than not they will try to offer free or heavily discounted items or content, just to get you to click on the malicious link and log in using your private info. It's important to always be careful around links you're getting and to learn how to identify phishing threats rather than trying to remedy the damage already made.
6. Utilize Privacy Controls
Most, if not all, online games will allow you to control who is able to see your profile info. Furthermore, you can limit who can send you friend requests and messages, and also who can interact with you in-game. Sometimes games will change the way in which these settings work, so it's advised to keep yourself on top of these updates and adapt to any and all changes.
7. Use Secure Networks
It might not seem obvious at first, but the network you use for online gaming is a significant factor in your safety and security. You should always avoid connecting to public Wi-Fi as these are unprotected and particularly susceptible to various malicious exploits. If there is no other choice, make sure to utilize a good VPN to add at least some layer of security. If you're primarily playing at home, make sure that your network uses good encryption and a strong password, and update your router with new firmware on a regular basis in order to patch any vulnerabilities.
8. Stay Alert for Cyberbullying
The sad fact is that some multiplayer communities can still be very toxic, especially towards women, minorities, and younger players. Cyberbullying and online harassment are a widespread issue in the gaming world, so it's important to learn how to recognize and address them properly.
Abusive players can and need to be reported, so be sure to take advantage of the ability to block and report them to the moderators. Many games give you the option to mute people in chat or filter any offensive content. If it comes to actual harassment, always make a record through screenshots for the admins or law enforcement.
9. Update Software and Devices Regularly
While this might seem obvious, it's crucial to not let your games and devices (PC or console) use outdated software. This is a surefire way to open an entry window for cybercriminals pining for your personal and payment information. Never skip updates with security patches, however annoying it might be to wait for them to install and then restart your device. Console and phone gamers should turn on their auto-update features, and PC gamers would be highly recommended to use reputable antivirus and anti-malware services to keep these threats at bay.