The internet has brought an abundance of games to our fingertips, opening doors to new ways to play and connecting us with fellow gamers across the globe. However, these benefits are balanced by greater risks, and it’s important to ensure you’re protected from the related dangers. Follow these five safety tips for online gaming so you can play your favourites with total peace of mind.
- Use unique passwords
Hackers target online spaces where there’s likely to be sensitive information such as email accounts and platforms where you need payment details from retail websites to games stores. Ensure you’re using strong passwords across your accounts with a unique password for email access to prevent passwords from being changed or stolen by cybercriminals.
A strong password is at least eight characters in length, with a mixture of letters (in upper and lower cases), numbers and symbols. Avoid using words with an obvious connection to you such as your name: try picking a favourite phrase or food that you’ll find easy to remember, or generate a jumble of characters at random and jot it down somewhere safe.
- Enable two-factor authentication
Now included as standard by many online platforms, enable two-factor authentication on your access to your gaming sites for additional security. This usually involves a verification email being sent to your account or a code going to your mobile phone through which you can ‘prove’ your identity before logging in.
- Set spending and time limits
Making payments is part and parcel of lots of online gaming, and it can be easy to lose track of your spending as play goes on, especially in games with microtransactions between rounds. Whether you’re buying in-game currency or playing quickfire rounds of mobile slots, set a spending limit before you begin so you can’t go over budget. You can usually do this in the settings section of the game, or you manually keep track.
You can set up similar time reminders to enforce regular breaks as well. Many platforms have these built-in already to protect players.
- Beware of cyber scams
Our lives are increasingly conducted online from work to leisure activities, so it’s unsurprising that cybercrime is on the rise. Financial scams such as phishing emails and ransomware attacks can cost you a significant amount of money and even lead to identity theft which can have devastating consequences.
Recently, governments around the globe have warned that advancements in AI are making these threats evermore convincing, so it’s important to be vigilant for cyber scams when playing games online. Look out for unofficial requests for information such as emails or texts from unusual addresses with demanding language and spelling errors.
- Protect private information
When you need to share information for a legitimate reason such as to make a purchase, ensure that anything private such as your address and bank or card details is protected from prying eyes. Check that the website you’re using has an SSL certificate, and be wary of using public Wi-Fi connections where activity is visible to all users.
Be wary of other players trying to con you out of money or information. Game chat rooms are usually monitored by machines and people for illegitimate activity, but they won’t catch everything so it’s important to be cautious. When in doubt, don’t share any information.
