Online gaming has transcended from being just a hobby to becoming a global phenomenon, professional career, and an entire online community that holds millions of gamers from every country.
People of all ages spend hours playing online games on different gaming platforms such as PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
By looking at the surface, this branch of the entertainment industry seems harmless, but if you look closer, various online threats surround this community.
While multiple online security tools are available for PC gamers, such as virtual private networks, to combat such threats during online gaming, it is always good to take some self-initiative and precautions to counter such threats.
Speaking of VPNs, not only premium virtual private networks but a few free VPNs for gaming have proved themselves to be quite efficient in protecting yourself and your PC while you are enjoying your online games.
It is estimated that there are more than 2.8 billion gamers around the world. About 1/3rd of these gamers use PCs for their online games. For all the gamers out there, we will be sharing some helpful information concerning protecting yourself and your PC while playing online. So sit back and make sure to read the whole post to keep yourself up to date.
Protecting your online gaming store accounts
If you regularly use online gaming stores, you should know that they record your financial transactions, details, and personal information.
You can keep that information secure by:
- Using a solid or complex password
- Activating 2-factor authentication on your accounts
- Not sharing the account login information with anyone else
- Complete log out of your account when not in use
Using a prepaid credit card or gift card when purchasing online can also give you additional peace of mind.
Keeping your personal information very private
You have to be very sharp, proactive, and vigilant when deciding who to share your personal information with.
It is best to keep the information as private as possible whenever you are conversing with your colleagues or online game players.
Keeping your personal information very private reduces the risk of identity theft and even phishing attempts.
Purchasing only from trusted sources
If you are going to purchase from an online store, make sure it is from a trusted source or vendor. This will ultimately reduce the risk of getting targeted by various spyware, malware, and viruses.
There are multiple safe and trusted sources for almost every device:
- For example, Android users should only use Google Play Store.
- Likewise, iOS users should only use the Apple App Store.
- Windows and Mac users can use stores like Steam, Uplay, and MacGameStore.
- Play Station and Xbox gamers can purchase and download from their manufacturer’s OS stores.
If you doubt the credibility of an online store, look for the user’s review, ask around in the gaming community, check out Reddit reviews before making any purchasing decisions.
Avoid using Public Wi-Fi
While a free public Wi-Fi connection sure is tempting, we highly advise not using it at all. First, you don’t know the network owner, and second, this could be a bait set up to intercept your personal information.
If you do have to use public Wi-Fi, we highly recommend securing your device and online connection with a virtual private network.
Software Update
Ensure that your device’s operating system and all the applications installed on it are up-to-date with the latest updates.
Software and hardware developers regularly provide an update to counter the vulnerabilities of the OS and device. However, if these vulnerabilities are left unchecked, hackers and attackers can use them to infiltrate your device and steal your personal information.
To protect your PC device, you can install various antivirus software or even use a virtual private network that can combat multiple online threats and keep you secure.
Educating your family and friends
You may be taking all the necessary precautions for your personal and PC protection while playing online games. Still, if your family or friends aren’t playing their part in keeping everything secure, your efforts may go in vain.
It is essential for everyone who uses your network connection to know how to keep it safe. The best-starting step would be to educate the children about cyber grooming.
Using a Virtual Private Network
A virtual private network masks your actual IP address and location while encrypting your internet traffic with military-grade AES-256-bit encryption.
With such a robust encryption algorithm, your online activities and personal information will be completely secure from any online threat and third-party entity looking to intercept your information. You’ll remain completely secure from any potential DDoS attacks.
By changing your location and IP address, you can even get unlimited access to online stores and games that were initially geo-blocked for you.
You can also use a virtual private network to stream various streaming services from across the globe.
Only the best virtual private network is a perfect companion for protecting yourself and your PC while playing online games and granting you unlimited and uninterrupted access to various online stores and games.
Wrapping up
Gaming online is never a secure activity. If you want complete peace of mind and don’t want your gaming experience ruined by unforeseen uncertainties, you need to take actions into your hands. You need to adapt certain practices to ensure your PC stays safe while you’re annihilating your opponents online.