Gaming is a favourite pastime for people from all walks of life. Exploring different worlds, role-playing and competing against others helps gamers to escape the real world and enjoy themselves from just about anywhere.
However, in an increasingly dangerous online world, staying safe while gaming is a factor that many gamers and guardians must both consider. In this article, we’ll discuss the best ways to stay safe while gaming online.
Protecting personal information
Data protection is a fundamental consideration across society these days, as the volume of data on every individual continues to grow day by day. Sensitive and personal data are the most important to consider here because this information falling into the wrong hands can have significant consequences.
Sharing personal information in chat rooms, forums and across gaming networks should be avoided wherever possible. There’s no way of knowing who’s on the other end of a chat box or party call, so extreme caution is advised.
You should also create unique, strong passwords for all gaming and personal accounts to prevent unauthorized access, and never share these with anyone.
Financial security and microtransactions
Payment details are needed for many subscription-based and even free-to-play games these days, largely because of the overwhelming rise of microtransactions. Game and console developers want the least friction between you and a potential purchase, so ready-to-use payment details can easily lead to overspending.
It’s advised to remove card details from console, PC and mobile gaming accounts wherever possible or set spending limits to control what is being purchased with certain payment methods. Whether you enjoy participating in a game of online bingo or the challenge of a PvP game, monitoring how much you’re spending is a smart move to ensure you don’t go too far.
Age verification and parental controls
Modern games are accessible to everyone and anyone across a wide variety of devices. As such, age verification is becoming increasingly important to ensure only those old enough to access age-restricted content can do so.
Parental controls can typically be set up on most gaming platforms, although there are bound to be ways of getting around them – some will try just about anything! Keep an eye on what content or games are being consumed and take further steps if necessary.
Unfortunately, the world of online gaming isn’t a safe place for all. You need to be cautious when entering or sharing personal information and vigilant with purchases on or in games. There’s additional information on the NCSC website if you need more support.
