Why do Gamers use a VPN? – 2024 Guide

Do you enjoy playing the latest Mario Kart Tour on your smartphone? In your spare time, do you indulge competing with others on the mobile version of Clash of Clans? Are you addicted to playing Candy Crush on your smart device?

No matter your preference for games you play, running a VPN will help you boost your security and help maintain privacy while connected to the internet. A reputed VPN might even help improve the way you play the game.

Cybercrime is very common nowadays. You might be surprised how regularly cybertheft happens. Losing your data that is on your smartphone can have a detrimental effect on your life. It’s not uncommon to read reports of a person losing their identity, money, and other private data online. To help reduce the risk of a cyberattack, installing a VPN onto your smart device can be useful.

Avoid Becoming a Victim of Swatting

Swatting is when somebody calls the authorities claiming that a person is reporting a serious crime that is not happening. This mostly happens on multiplayer online gaming. It is fairly uncommon for the most part; however, there are countless amounts of videos of people on YouTube getting swatted by fellow gamers. It’s strange to think this happens, but some gamers stalk one another.

In March 2019, a young prankster called the police claiming a man had taken a person hostage and had a gun. The police gunned the young man down, and the individual who made the call faced a 20-year prison sentence. The man who made the call could find the deceased man’s location because of his IP address.

When you run a VPN, you connect through a remote server. Your IP address will be different from the IP address on your device that you are using. If you don’t use a VPN, you are at risk of giving away your real IP address, which helps people to hack your social media accounts, find where you are located, and puts you at risk of becoming a victim of swatting.

You don’t have to worry about Connecting to a Public WiFi Network

img source: addictivetips.com

Lots of us use our smart devices or computers to connect to public WiFi. Whether it’s in a local coffee shop, in a restaurant, in a hotel, or an airport, it seems everywhere nowadays has WiFi available for their customers. Have you ever felt that you might be exposing your device to others on the network? Unfortunately, there is a lot of security when using public WiFi.

Lots of public WiFi areas implement an unencrypted network. The data sent and received to and from the router can be accessed. Another user on the network with basic hacking skills will be able to access your data on your device. Software is widely available online that allows people to ‘’listen in’’ to WiFi traffic. This gives access to cybercriminals to watch everything you do on the internet.

They can even watch while you type. If you are entering bank account details, your user name, and password to your social media or viewing confidential work, you are at serious risk.

Luckily, when you run a good VPN, the VPN will change your IP address to make it much more difficult for someone to gain access to your device.

A VPN will allow you to game online from any Region

img source: hawkesburygazette.com

Some online games use geo-blocking so that you can only play your games in your region. The reasons for this is the following:

  1. The game hasn’t been released in the region you are playing it. Most games are released in different countries on different dates, so if you are attempting to play, you might not be allowed on the network until the game has been officially released.
  2. Sometimes games are grouped by a foreign language, so you won’t be able to play.
  3. If a game is extremely popular, the server might not be able to handle a large number of gamers at one time. The game might require several servers in lots of different regions.

When you purchase a good VPN, you will have access to multiple regions. You will be able to choose from lots of different servers around the globe.

How to select the best VPN

All VPNs are not created the same. The following are some of the factors that you should consider when selecting a VPN service:

  • Encryption protocol. A VPN service is supposed to make sure that you are safe when browsing online. As a gamer, you may be enticed by the uncensored content that a VPN service gives you. On the other hand, organizations focus more on the level of protection that they receive online. There are different levels of encryption protocols that VPN providers use. For instance, 128-bit encryption is weaker than 256-bit encryption.
  • Speed. VPNs are supposed to increase the browsing speed. Such software optimizes the connection between two computers after limiting the number of links in the chain. The upload speeds and download speeds must be high as gamers exchange loads of data online.
  • Cost. Software developers are always looking for ways to make their businesses sustainable. Most VPNs come with several packages to suit different needs. The first package can be free, where it will limit locations available and level of security. A gamer can do well with a free VPN, and you can visit Fortune Lords to view the free VPNs you can use today. You can also opt for paid services that come with advanced features.
  • Set up. You do not have to be a techie to run a VPN. The setup process should be easy and also come with a users’ manual. Installing updates should also be easy to ensure that you are always enjoying the best services.

img source: pcmag.com

Conclusion

For a good VPN, you may have to spend a small bit of money. Luckily, they tend to be of good value. Perhaps downloading a trial VPN before purchasing the full version might be a smart way of choosing the best VPN for your device. With the rate of cybercrimes rising, it should be money well spent.

WebSta.ME
Logo