Gaming is becoming a popular activity among many youth and a lot of them are aspiring to become content creators in the space. One might have heard of VPN or Virtual Private Network being mentioned in the gaming community. But what is it and whether you should also use it?
VPN is a service that encrypts a user’s data, essentially masking it from outsiders. It even hides it from the internet service providers (ISPs). This is useful when something is blocked within a geographical region. To bypass it, an individual can connect to the VPN server for that region and unlock the content.
Advantages of using a VPN
In terms of gaming, VPN provides similar utility. There are several games that are region-locked and to access these games, players need a VPN. It also helps gamers bypass an IP ban on a game.
Apart from accessing unavailable games, it also allows players to play with people across different servers in case a game does not allow cross-region play.
In some cases, even when a game is available in a region, the matchmaking is limited to a certain region. With a VPN, users can connect to any region and play the game.
VPN is also very useful in case a player is getting DDoS’d. DDoS or distributed denial of services is a form of cyber attack in which a gamer’s network gets flooded with multiple connection requests, rendering a complete network failure.
Another advantage of using a VPN is that the game is generally safe from potential doxxing as your IP address can reveal your location.
Limitations of using a VPN
While a VPN can provide a lot of advantages and safety features, there are also some downsides that users may potentially face, especially with free VPNs.
The most common mistake gamers make is to take the free route. Free VPNs usually throttle and eat user bandwidth severely affecting your ability to play games online. Servers for these free VPNs are also not secure, and log and sell user data.
In a game where the company or developers do not allow VPNs, players can be banned or suspended if they are caught and lose their progress. While most games usually don’t ban VPN connections, it is always safe to check beforehand.
Verdict
Gaming with a VPN is very safe nowadays and players should definitely try to use one, especially if they are streaming like lots of other popular streamers. However, keep in mind that connecting to a far-off server will affect the in-game latency severely no matter what the VPN provider says.
On a side note, do turn off your VPN when purchasing games on any platform or trying to bypass regional pricing as your account can be banned permanently.