(i) Inadvertently or carelessly giving away private information, including email, password, age, or home addresses. (ii) Downloading cheats, which claim to help the player playing online games but might contain viruses or spyware. (iii) Risks from computer trespassers taking advantage of security vulnerabilities. (iv) All the risks normally related with online chat-rooms. (v) Downloading 'free' app-based internet games in which one has to ultimately pay real money to access the full content.
To play online games in a safe manner, the following practices should be adhered to:
(i) To play online games in a safe manner, one may be advised to install an antivirus and update it on a regular basis. (ii) Pirated versions of the game should not be used. One should only play with an authorised version of the game bought from reputable sources. (iii) Choose complex usernames and passwords that are difficult to guess and that do not have any meaning should be chosen and used. (iv) Personal information should never be disclosed to anyone even to people who you know, because the information could be inadvertently passed to unauthorised sources by them. (v) Unauthorised software should not be downloaded unless specifically required. These may contain viruses, Trojans, spyware etc. (vi) Kids playing online games should be kept a watch on to ensure that they are practicing safe playing practices. Unlike my website here, many websites provide malware that harms your computer. Also ensure that the children are not being bullied at online chat-rooms. (vii) While disposing of your gaming device or computer either by selling or donating, make sure that all your personal information has been deleted from it. Online gaming has various positive aspects to it. It has grown to be a key source of amusement, given rise to new businesses and sources of profits, and initiated new applications of the human imagination. Nevertheless, it is essential to identify and guard against the dangers connected with internet gaming to keep it safe and pleasurable for all.