Gaming has come a long way in the 21st century. With tech companies rapidly iterating on PC hardware, video are becoming more and more impressive, with deep gameplay mechanics, hyper-realistic graphics, and immersive game worlds to explore. At the same time, the development of communications technology and Internet infrastructure has facilitated the rise of online multiplayer gaming, adding a whole new dimension to an already engaging pastime.
In many ways, there has never been a better time to be a PC gamer, but that doesn’t mean that things can’t be improved upon. With cybersecurity concerns, connection performance issues, and geographical inequality rife in the online gaming space, you would be well-advised to take measures to preserve the quality of your experience.
This is where VPNs have a major role to play. Here, we’ll explore what VPNs do, shining some light on how they can improve your online gaming.
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What are VPNs?
Virtual Private Networks are software applications designed to help you make your Internet connection more private and secure. They do this by providing you with access to a selection of servers in different parts of the world, each of which can be used as a relay point for diverting your connection. In this way, VPNs allow you to create a buffer between your device and the public Internet.
VPNs can be installed on your gaming PC as a browser extension or a standalone desktop client. For online gaming, the latter will be preferable, as it will secure all data transmitted through your PC, rather than just your browser traffic. Thanks to the recent growth of the VPN industry, there are also many options to choose from. With providers like UrbanVPN offering free premium services that can be downloaded and installed in minutes without registration, getting up and running with a VPN is as easy as it has ever been, so there’s nothing stopping you from trying one out on your gaming device.
How VPNs Make Gaming Better
Utilizing a VPN on your PC can improve your online gaming experience in some genuinely significant ways. Chief among them are the following:
Secure Online Gaming
Cyber threats are an unfortunate reality of the modern digital landscape, and gaming online can put you at risk. Motivated criminals can use your IP address to track you online and potentially mount cyber attacks on you, from hacking to DDoSing. So, if you spend a considerable amount of time gaming online, it’s wise to protect yourself, and a VPN can help you do that.
As we’ve said, a VPN will let you route your connection through a server elsewhere. In doing so, it enables you to appear online under the IP of a VPN server rather than that of your personal device. This means that a VPN can allow you to stay anonymous at the IP level to prevent hackers and other cybercriminals from targeting you.
Access to more titles
Another common problem many gamers have is an inability to play popular new titles. Depending on the terms of licensing agreements, access to some games is restricted in specific parts of the world using geo-blocking. Once again, your IP address comes into play, as it denotes your location, allowing you to be blocked. With a VPN, though, this isn’t an issue.
By using a VPN, you can both conceal your IP and change your location at just the touch of a button. This means that by simply selecting the right VPN server to connect you, you can bypass any geo-blocks you would normally encounter and freely play all of your favorite titles, regardless of what kind of geo-restrictions might be in place.
Better Performance
Lags, latency, and high ping are all issues that routinely plague online gamers. These kinds of issues can be extremely frustrating to encounter, particularly if you’ve invested in a high-speed broadband connection. The problem is that in many cases, ISPs use bandwidth throttling as a way to combat network congestion, and this is usually triggered when high-usage activities like online gaming are detected.
The key, then, to better performance is to conceal your activities, and this is what a VPN does. Using a VPN will cause your data to be encrypted and sent through a secure tunnel, preventing your ISP from seeing what you’re doing. As such, they won’t trigger bandwidth throttling when you game, meaning you’ll get better connection performance for a more responsive and enjoyable experience.
Final Thoughts
Online gaming is rapidly becoming one of the world’s premier pastimes, and it’s easy to see why given the quality titles being produced these days. That said, the world of online gaming is far from perfect, so it’s a good idea to take precautions ahead of time to make sure you get the most out of it. By using a VPN on your PC, you can protect your device, maintain optimal connection performance, and gain access to all the best titles out there to ensure that you always have a blast with online gaming.
