5 Tips to Stay Safe When Gaming Online

If you love gaming as much as we do, then you’re probably gaming online all the time. But when you’re facing off against players from around the world and aren’t in the same room as them, it can be hard to trust that they’re always going to play by the rules. A few bad apples can ruin it for everyone.

To help keep yourself safe and secure, here are five tips to stay safe online when gaming with friends and strangers.

1. Never Give Out Personal Information

Never give out your home address, phone number, passwords, or social security number. Also never share your bank account information or credit card details over an unsecured network. Although it may be tempting for a gaming website to ask you for these details in order to verify your identity, remember a legit site won’t ask for these details.

Similarly, be wary when talking to strangers using the game’s chat function (more on that below). You shouldn’t share details like your full name, location, or place of work, with those you are unfamiliar with. It’s also important to exercise caution with information that could potentially grant access to your account – your pets’ names or your first pet’s name for example.

If you are buying a game online, look for “https://” in the address bar at the top of the page. This shows that the connection is secure. On a similar note, it’s important that your computer always has updated anti-virus software so that you can safely play games and surf websites. This will protect you if you accidentally visit an unsecured website.

2. Have Common Sense About How You Use In-game Chat

It’s always important to exercise some level of caution when using in-game chat. If someone you don’t know enters the game, keep your mouth shut and your ears open. If you don’t know who it is you are talking to, take special care with what you say; make sure your screen name or avatar doesn’t give away who you really are. You never know who might be listening!

If you choose not to use in-game chat functions, that’s okay, too! Some games don’t require you to talk with strangers, or you can choose only to talk about the game, rather than general chit-chat. Remember, people you meet in chatrooms might not be who they say they are and could have the wrong intentions at heart.

3. Log Out After Every Game

If you’re playing a game that requires an internet connection, make sure to log out after every single game. It only takes one person to hack your account and ruin your reputation within that game’s community. This is especially important if other people use your device, or you are gaming on a public computer.

Make sure you secure your account with a strong password that is different from those used on your other online accounts.

4. Be Cautious About Meeting In-person

5 Tips to Stay Safe When Gaming Online | Be Cautious About Meeting In-person

If you game online with strangers, there’s a good chance you can make some good friends – you don’t have to be wary and afraid of everyone you game with! However, if you decide to meet up in person, there are a few precautions you should take.

It’s always a good idea to meet in a public place (not your home) and take someone with you. Make sure that where you do meet has plenty of people around, since you never know when things might get dicey. Always let someone you trust know where you’re going and who you are meeting, in the unlikely event that things go south.

5. Take Care With In-app Purchases

5 Tips to Stay Safe When Gaming Online | Take Care With In-app Purchases

If you’re worried about running up in-app purchase charges, you can easily turn these on or off from your device’s settings. Many gaming apps are free and make their money from in-app purchases. It can be easy to lose track of how much you are spending when gaming online, particularly on a mobile device.

Try to set yourself limits to avoid losing control of your budget – these games often rely on players repeatedly spending ‘just a little more’. Before you know it, you’ll have racked up one very expensive phone bill!

On a similar note, you’ll want to be careful about giving out your payment details to unknown app developers. Although rare, it has been known for people to lose thousands of dollars by giving out their details on apps that aren’t legitimate.

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