More people are gaming online than ever before, which means they're connecting to the internet via their devices of choice. In doing so, it means that cybercriminals can target user data, potentially leading to disastrous results. With data privacy of significant importance, it's essential to explore the relationship between it and online gaming and how to ensure privacy doesn't come under threat.

When anything becomes popular where the internet is concerned, it naturally pricks the ears of cyber crooks who are out to get their hands on ill-gotten gains. And this usually comes in the form of data, which is then sold on the dark web. The more popular a game, service or platform is, the more likely it will be a target, such as when the hit game Minecraft was breached in 2018.

In most instances, especially if it is a Microsoft title, the occurrence is rare. However, when venturing into the online world whether it may be for recreational purposes or signing up to any of the popular online casinos, the process should be safe when everything is reputable and above board. A lot of this also comes down to knowing that prominent and respected companies or those with the necessary licenses will have heavily invested in all the right security technology and equipment. While this will help prevent attacks and hacks, it usually serves as a deterrent too.

Unfortunately, there will never be any getting away from cyber criminals, as they will always be out to steal data and so on. But, there are steps that online gamers can take to beef up how secure their data is when playing online, and it won't cost a bomb to put these steps into motion.

One of the first steps to take may appear common sense, but it's one that's often overlooked. Players will have the opportunity to determine what data they share when playing a game or accessing a platform. So, instead of just agreeing to share all data, it's wise to read through and determine which should be shared and which shouldn't. The bare minimum should be considered.

As mentioned above, playing games from respected developers and using platforms that tick the same box should be a minimum requirement. If anyone chooses to do otherwise, they're opening themselves up to potential problems, especially if any downloading is required, as malware and other damaging files could be included.

A lot of online games now encourage in-game purchases or micro-transactions. And this often means linking a payment method to an account. In these situations, it's always best to have a dedicated payment method for online transactions only with limited funds. So, if any problems occur, the potential for harm is much smaller.

The final step to take to guard against any data privacy issues is to consider using a VPN. The better VPNs on the market have a lot of functions that reliably protect a user's privacy. And, having good protection installed on a device, such as anti-virus, anti-malware and anti-spyware, is never a bad idea either.