VPN for gamers: why do you need it?
A VPN app is often an underrated and misunderstood tool. Many users think of it as an instrument that allows you to hide your IP address and pretend you’re connecting to a destination server, not from your real location. So what are the purposes of a VPN? To hide a user from prying eyes and give access to geo-restricted content, right?
While these are the features of a VPN app, its use is not limited to these two situations. One should think of covering the IP address and changing the location as of possibilities to do something more than that. In this article, we want to offer you ideas of VPN use cases for gamers.
An obvious use case — to protect your privacy
Online games often get quite heated. And the argument quickly jumps from flaming to real threats — “I will find you by your IP address”. While most players rarely actually track their in-game enemy seeking revenge, situations when a gamer suffered in real life take place. So we shouldn’t dismiss this risk.
That’s why it would be useful to play with a VPN app turned on. iNinja free VPN for Windows and Mac won’t cut the speed while reliably covering your IP address and therefore the real location. Additionally, you can install iNinja on your mobile devices if you’re a mobile gamer.
Fool your internet service provider
Users who need an internet connection for casual surfing rarely have complaints about the speed. Gamers, on the other hand, have high demands for internet service providers because online games need a speedy and stable connection. And if a gamer streams too, the demands get even higher.
Today, many providers consider gamers when creating their pricing plans. Thus, you could find a vendor who offers a plan with a higher speed — obviously, it will be more expensive, too. However, ISPs often try to cut costs by limiting the bandwidth for certain activities. This allows them to leverage fewer resources daily.
That’s why you might experience high pings when you’re playing, but once you check your internet speed when the game is off, the bandwidth seems to be fine. It’s your provider who detects bandwidth-consuming activity and limits your speed. In this case, you have two options. You could try another provider and hope that it won’t do the same thing. Or you could use a VPN app that will hide your activity from your ISP.
Protect your personal data
While most gaming servers are encrypted, you can’t be sure you’re safe from malicious activity. A VPN hides your IP address thus making your device inaccessible to hackers. They will see that someone is connected to the server, but they will lack data to actually trace down the device and crawl into it. Therefore, you can be sure no one steals your passwords and other sensitive information.
Bypass censorship
Some games are adapted to local rules, and that’s why some parts of gameplay or the whole title altogether might be inaccessible in your country. Since a VPN app reroutes your connection through VPN servers, the destination server will not see your real IP but the IP of that VPN server you’re connected to. Thus, you can fool the gaming server into believing that you’re located in a country where there is no censorship regarding a certain game. As a result, you’ll be able to enjoy it without any issues.
Gain early access
Often, developers issue early access only for players from a specific country. And if you aren’t among the lucky ones, it’s not a big deal. Just use iNinja VPN to connect to the required location. Next thing you know, you’re enjoying the game before the majority of players do. All you need to do for this is to turn on a VPN app.
Protect yourself in public places
It’s especially true for mobile gamers. But if you like to travel with your laptop and grab a game session whenever there is a decent WiFi network, this use case for a VPN will work for you, too. There is an issue with public wireless networks — they’re rarely safe because public routers are almost never protected from hackers.
Even if the network is not really public, but it’s not your home WiFi, you should be careful. For example, you rented a flat on Airbnb. You’re the only person living there for a certain period. And it might make you think that the WiFi is safe. But is it really? How do you know if the owner of this flat took care of the security of the router? And how do you know there isn’t someone in the neighboring flat connected to the same network?
That’s why every time you’re connected to an unknown WiFi network, you should use a VPN app. iNinja VPN hides your device from anyone who might be trying to find victims through a compromised router. Then you’ll be able to enjoy gaming without exposing yourself to a potential threat.
A VPN has many uses
As you can see, a VPN app can be useful in many situations. And since we’ve just scraped the surface in this article, we’re sure experienced gamers will find other use cases for this tool. iNinja VPN encrypts your data and hides your IP address thus making your session secure. While doing that, the service doesn’t cut your bandwidth which means you’ll enjoy a speedy connection at all times. You can get the iNinja free VPN app for Windows and Mac, Android, and iOS.
While the gaming community is largely friendly, despite all the nasty in-game flame that happens often, there will always be individuals who are trying to make some profit by threatening or fooling people. A VPN will help you minimize these risks so that you can enjoy gaming without worrying about possible issues.