Online gaming has blown up in the past decade. In 2023, the global online gaming market grew by 9.8% compared to the previous year. There was also a significant increase in online gaming during the height of the pandemic, with people having to stay at home and occupy themselves with activities. The immersive nature of online gaming allows you to refocus your attention – and this is something that many people enjoy.
Regardless of how much of an online gaming fanatic you are, it’s always important to play safely. Here are some things to consider so that you can enjoy yourself responsibly.
Strong and unique passwords
A key part of good online gaming etiquette stems from passwords that ensure your accounts are well protected. This means creating strong passwords that are hard to decipher. Think of them as a first line of defence to stop unauthorised users from accessing your account.
Each account you use should have its own password to reduce the risk of someone hacking into multiple accounts and accessing personal information. You may want to consider password managers to help with this.
Personal information
While the social aspect of many online gaming experiences can be a real highlight, you also need to remain diligent. Depending on your chosen game, you could be playing with people from across the globe.
Make sure you don’t share your real name, your address or any other personal details while chatting with other players. It’s also important to review and adjust your privacy settings so you are aware of who has access to certain details on your profile. You never know what someone might do with this information.
Official stores
When downloading games to play, you should make sure you do so from official stores. This way, you can be sure that you won’t come into contact with malware and viruses. You can also check developers’ credentials if you do it this way.
When you’re downloading games or other activities like bingo apps, make sure you’re using the official App Store, Google Play Store or a similar, reputable store.
Stay up to date
Downloading an online game or app from a reputable store is only part of the task. You’ll also need to keep on top of them by downloading any new updates, which are designed to fix bugs and tackle other technical issues that relate to that particular game or app.
Plus, these updates are designed to improve overall security, so it’s important to stay on top of them. You are generally expected to trigger updates both within the games themselves, as well as on devices you play them on, whether this is your phone or a console.