by I would like to give a big thank you to GamesHT for allowing me to stop by and help users with questions they might have had about online safety. I’m a big fan of the site and I often find very helpful information.
There’s something about online gaming that has sparked interests lately in the average consumer, in return video game companies have replied by releasing games for every age range possible. Recently free-to-play MMO’s have been taking over the market by having a new marketing style called Micro-Transactions in an attempt to lure users. With so many players gaming together, you are bound to have issues, and that’s exactly the topic we will tackle today. I would like to give you a few tips that can help you play online safely.
Who to Trust Online?
When gaming online you are bound to meet some really awesome people and some really – odd people. One thing you should remember no matter what, is to never give out any personal information to anyone, good or bad. If you become close friends after a very long time then you can open up a little, but believe it or not some players attempt to befriend others for the sole purpose of stealing account information. The sheer amount of accounts being hacked into or stolen because of the information being passed around is incredible.
There have been many stories floating around about people meeting their soul mates online while gaming, and while this can be something rare, I believe it’s possible. Just remember to think about your own safety before you let online friendships or romance take over your mind. Once your information is leaked to the public, it will always be out there.
How to Secure Your Account
Some people think about their account safety a little too much, I can help you make it incredibly secure with just a few methods. By creating complex passwords for all gaming accounts, you can help stop some of the biggest password crackers on the market. Did you know it takes hours to crack simple passwords? Imagine if you have a long complex password? If you are like me and this can be a difficult task to do, you can always look online for some really nice password generators that can result in the highest security possible. Most of the popular games in today’s market are providing an authenticator application for your phone which connects to the internet and releases a personally randomized password on the spot.
In every MMO you will find gold sellers and account traders, never trust these people. These types of actions are illegal, and can cause you to lose your account permanently, if the company finds out. Some of these services have private forums that also sell accounts claiming they are real users just wanting to get rid of them, these are all stolen accounts and buying them will get you into trouble, not to mention the loss of your money.
Anti-Virus Software
It might seem best to take the easy route and play games unprotected, but that mistake can turn on you real quick. Gamers usually complain about the slowdowns they receive when gaming while having an anti-virus program active and running in the background. Well did you know that most of the major brands actually have a “Gaming Mode” now? They have reached out to the gamers and are willing to deliver, so why not protect yourself even more? The benefits you get for having an anti-virus is the ability to know if anything ever enters your system without your consent.
VPN
It is highly recommended by gamers to use virtual private networks when gaming online to keep your information encrypted on unsafe connections. A VPN will scramble your data, so all a hacker could see is a mess of unusable little data bits. It can also protect you from malware and many viruses. There are many VPNs available on the market and a good amount of these have been specifically programmed for gaming and cause no slowdowns.
Cyber Bullies
With everything good comes something bad, no matter where you ar,e whether it is online or offline, you will run into bullies. If you ever feel like you are being bullied online please do not be afraid to send an email to the GM’s (Game Masters) so they can take care of this issue quickly. This is not accepted by company standards so why do you need to accept it? Help stop bullying online and offline by telling someone.
I hope this information can help you stay a little safer when playing online and know what to look out for.
