Top Advantages of Using Proxies for Gaming

Before you log on to your favorite video game today, please take a minute to read this. There are some things you need to know about gaming and cybersecurity. Yes, your favorite gaming portal is also a favorite hunting ground for cybercriminals. 

Industry reports show that there was a 340% increase in cyber-attacks in 2020 during the pandemic lockdown. Web applications attacks between 2018 and 2020 grew by 415%.  

The methods of attack are numerous. These include credential stuffing, SQL injection, local file inclusion, and phishing. 

What makes cybercriminals so scary is that they are constantly evolving.  They are up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends. Hackers have perfected the art of looking for loopholes to gain entry.  

That is why it is important to be extra careful about your online security when gaming. And, one way to do it is with the use of proxies. Read on to find out the advantages below. But first, let’s start with a simple definition of proxies.  

Understanding Proxies 

We will use an analogy to explain what proxies are. When you go to the airport, you must pass through a security check. It helps ensure that you do not carry any contraband or weapons into the building.  

If the security finds any on you, they will remove it from your person. They may then allow you to proceed. 

The security check, in this case, is the proxy server. It is that middleman or gateway between your browser and the remote servers. Any traffic from, or to your browser passes through the proxy. 

Now, several things happen here including:-

• Sieving of the traffic to remove any harmful content. 
• The proxy masks your IP address. The remote server sees the proxy IP thus keeping yours hidden. 
• Balances traffic going into your browser thus ensuring high page loading speeds. 
• Proxies cache data or compress files, thus saving bandwidth.  

There are different proxies available. Some proxies get IP addresses from data centers. But, if you use a residential proxy, your ISP assigns the IP. They attach it to a physical location and device like a mobile or laptop.

Residential proxies are, therefore, more legitimate because the connections seem like they are coming from an actual residence.  

Advantages of Gaming Proxies

Gaming proxies provide you with an alternative IP address connecting to the gaming servers. There are many advantages to using them as we will show you below. 

1. Online Anonymity

The fact is every time you're online, someone can track your activities. Cybercriminals spend a lot of time monitoring people, looking for loopholes. It gets even scarier. Your IP address gives cybercriminals an easy way to learn about you.  

They can get information like your name, contacts, and bank account details. By hiding your IP address, the proxy gives you anonymity while online. Choosing an IP address in a location far from your actual one is also another safety measure.  

1. Access to Restricted Content

Some gaming companies will only give access depending on the player’s geo-location. Gamers in some countries also have to wait a little longer after launch dates to access new releases.  

The companies will use your IP address to determine where you are. Proxy servers bypass such restrictions by hiding or masking your IP address. Let’s say you are in Africa but want to access content from the US. 

The proxy providers will allocate you a US-based IP. Players can connect with others from all over the world without worrying about geographical location.  

1. Faster Internet Speeds 

There is nothing as irritating as trying to play a game but keep experiencing lags. Imagine if gaming was your income source and you had to deal with that. It gets worse if you are in the middle of a duel, and the internet drops, logging you off.  

When there is a lot of traffic going in and out of the browser, it consumes a lot of bandwidth. Peak times are common in multiplayer or peer-to-peer games. Such need fast torrent downloads due to shared content. With many gamers logged on, internet speeds can significantly reduce.  

As we have stated, proxies compress traffic, and cache data. They will also balance whatever goes in or out.  In this way, the gamer can continue to enjoy high internet speeds.  

1. Quick Data Exchange

P2P protocols in a proxy server are fantastic for data exchange. Here is how they work. The protocols set up folders within the system. You can then give network access to other users for browsing purposes. 

Everyone in the P2P team can do the same. Now everyone can copy saved games from the folders onto their devices. It removes any hassle that accompanies data sharing.  

1. Proxies Can Help Reduce Cyber attacks

Remember our analogy above of the security check that sieves out harmful content? Well, gamers can prevent several malicious attacks with gaming proxies. Take the example of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.  

Cybercriminals use brute force to gain entry into servers or websites. They send huge amounts of traffic until it overwhelms the server. In the end, it will crash. The hackers use different avenues including social media, emails, and websites to infect the systems. 

The worst part about it is that you will not know the malware is in your system until it is too late. 

Proxy servers sieve out such malicious content. And, gamers get the added advantage of the balancing of internet traffic by the proxies. 

Final Thoughts 

There are many benefits to using proxies for gamers. Remote servers see a different IP address from your real one. It provides anonymity, making it hard for anyone to monitor your online activities. 

 By masking your IP address, remote servers will not know your location. Gamers can access content from all over the world without worrying about geo-restrictions.  

Proxies also compress traffic and cache data. That means faster internet speeds, even for multiplayer or P2P games. You don’t have to deal with lags or server overload due to high traffic.  

By sieving harmful content from traffic, gamers reduce the possibility of cyber-attacks. There are many proxy options available in the market. We would recommend residential proxies that give you an IP address from the ISP. They are more legitimate and harder to detect as proxies.