The Dos and Don’ts Of Online Gaming

*This post may contain affiliate links* or products that have been sent to me for review. You can find out more in my Privacy and Cookie Policy*

This is a collaborative post

Online gaming is a huge amount of fun, and you can make some great friends and enjoy some amazing downtime through it. Kids love it, and as a parent, you might be torn; you want your children to have fun, but equally, you want to protect them, and you know the internet is a potentially unpleasant place. Knowing that there are some things to watch out for is a good start, and this list of dos and don’ts will help you talk to your children about safety too. 

Play With Friends 

Although this isn’t an absolute, it’s always better to play with friends when you possibly can. This makes the gaming experience much more enjoyable, but it also helps to keep it a lot safer too. There is always the chance that you will come across unsavoury people in the virtual world, and if you’re with others who can look out for you (and you for them), then it makes everything a lot less stressful. When you’re more confident in playing these games, and you know what (and who) to look out for, then you can go it alone a little more if you want to. 

Play To Your Skills 

No matter what kind of game you choose, whether it’s a war game, a driving game, or even a puzzle game like finding the hidden objects, you should always choose one that works to your own skill level. If you pick something that is too easy, you will find it boring, and when you complete it, there will be no feeling of satisfaction. If you pick something that is too hard, then you will find yourself feeling frustrated, and you will not want to play anymore. Either way, you won’t find the game fun, and that’s the biggest thing you want. You want to play a game that will keep you entertained, but that will also be a challenge. 

Be Comfortable 

It’s easy to spend hours in front of a screen every day. To begin with, a lot of schoolwork takes place online, and homework has to be done on some kind of device. Then, when the children want to unwind, they might choose online gaming, and again, that’s through a screen. Limiting screen time is one thing, but in the meantime, it’s important to make the experience as comfortable as possible. Having a good chair is a great idea, and so is adding Ink Black switches to your keyboard to make it much more enjoyable to use. 

Your Information 

No matter what happens or how persuasive someone is, you should never give out your personal information when playing a game. Personal information could be as ‘trivial’ as your date of birth, or it could be as potentially damaging as your full address. Never give out any information that anyone could use to track you down or steal your identity. People can do strange things, and if they were not happy with the way you were playing a game and decided to pay you a visit, who knows what might happen? Plus, if someone tried to steal your identity, it can take many months, or even years, to put it right again. 

Your Money 

If you are playing for money, then make sure you set yourself a budget so that you don’t get carried away. You know how much you can comfortably spend before you put yourself into financial difficulties, so bear this in mind and only ever play with what you can afford to lose. Far from being a negative way of looking at things, it could actually save you a lot of trouble.