In the last decade, the lack of privacy and security on the web has become a hot topic for advocates of humane technology and anonymous internet. The leaps we make in pushing modern products and services into new heights come at the cost of private user data being chipped away and sold to advertisers.
While the general consensus shows that even if tech companies do not mistreat your data, it can be used to profile users to make them more susceptible and become addicted to their products. Today, even gullible internet users feel like they are being watched, and the outrage presses the importance of privacy and the humane development of technology.
Internet systems that infringe the anonymity of their users are harmful to everyone. While the lack of security is the most dangerous for modern companies, video game players have a lot to lose if their internet connection is not secure. Both professional gamers and casual players can suffer consequences if their IP address or other bits of personal data get exposed. To counteract that, the web is full of privacy tools that help us preserve our precious online anonymity. In this article, we will discuss proxy servers – a simple yet incredibly flexible tool and their benefits for the gaming industry. We will address the challenges that gamers of all skill levels face on the internet and how proxy servers are advantageous in those situations. There are different types of proxies, and it is useful to be able to know the difference between a residential and a datacenter proxy, and why a datacenter proxy is the best choice for gamers. Use these tips to ensure the safety of your gaming experience.
Proxy servers for online tournaments
Competitive gaming has grown as a well-respected career in the last decade. Companies that host the biggest tournaments try to create superb circumstances for competing players by hosting the event on a private network to eliminate the latency and danger of cybersecurity threats. Hosts of lesser online tournaments do not have the same luxury and often host online events.
This is where the possibility of third-party interference occurs. With money prizes and further career opportunities on the line, there is no way of knowing when cheating and match-fixing may be involved. Whether it’s the opposite team’s associate or the third party messing up the playing conditions, there are plenty of reasons to disrupt professional games. In some cases, even the organizers may participate in cheating the better team or player out of the competition.
There are plenty of ways to sabotage players online, and most of them circle the exposure of their IP addresses. To slow down or even crash the internet connection, hackers can launch DDoS attacks to bombard the player with data requests. This begs the question: how do we stop these interruptions and the exposure of the IP address.
Covering the IP address with proxy servers
To ensure the stability and security of their internet connection, gamers can use proxy servers to access the web via the intermediary server. Third parties that may seek to undermine your playing conditions will only see the proxy server address. For more extreme albeit unlikely cases, proxy servers also change your approximate location, which can be useful to confuse potential offenders.
Internet connection improvements
Internet routing can be confusing, and your router may choose an inefficient connection route to the game company’s or tournament holder’s server. With a proxy server, you can reroute the traffic to an intermediary server to find a better way to access the endpoint and even improve your internet connection. You can test out the latency with different proxy servers to see if there is a noticeable difference and a potential improvement.
Which proxy server should you choose?
There are different types of proxy servers, but we can focus on the two main ones – residential and datacenter proxies. Residential proxies get IPs from real devices serviced by Internet Service Providers (ISP). They ensure the highest level of anonymity for their users, but a shared connection can reduce internet speed, which is not good for cases where the lowest ping is a necessity. Datacenter proxy is the best for gaming: their addresses come in bulk from data centers, and while they are easier to recognize, you will have a smoother internet connection for a lesser price. Residential proxies are better for data-sensitive business tasks, while datacenter servers are superior for gaming and casual browsing.
Proxy servers are not a necessity for gaming, but they can be a helpful tool that ensures a smoother connection and a security layer for professional gaming. To get the best product, seek out legitimate proxy providers and avoid public proxies. They are set up by unknown third parties that can monitor your data packets, and if they turn out to be cybercriminals, you are putting yourself in danger. Stick to legitimate providers and avoid free proxies on the internet if you want a safe and stable gaming experience.
