What is it about the gamers that attracts so much unwanted attention in the online world? Is it our low population relative to the rest of the world? Is it emotional tension? Is it the so-called "reality touch"? Whatever it may be, this attention can quickly spiral out of control and lead to a hostile situation. Here is my story: when I was 12, I played with a group of young gamers on an MMROPG. We had a lot of fun and we spent a lot of time together. However, for some minor reason I can't even remember now, they became upset at me. Back then, I was 12 years old and I wasn't paying much attention to my online safety. I thought, "how can someone from Nigeria affect my life in Siberia"? My carelessness is how they found out my location, and with that they ordered pizzas to my house in great amounts, unpaid, they sent pornographic travel magazines to my mailbox, they sent tons of e-mails about the long lost Nigeria prince spam, and they hacked my social media accounts. For me, I learned a valuable lesson: to protect my anonymousness when I'm online. I never let anyone know even the most minor level of information about my name, my social media, or my location. Don't repeat my mistakes. Here are some ways to stay safe from disgruntled people online. VPN [quote]A VPN? What kind of technobabble is that? Well, it stands for "Voice PIN", and it's the best way to make sure that people are unable to get your IP address from Voice over IP programs like Skype. Basically, when you speak through Skype, the person on the other end receiving the signal is able to locate your IP address from it, which they can get your physical address from. With a VPN, your voice data is encrypted by a PIN number and they are unable to crack your IP address unless they are a very good chinese hacker.[/quote] False Identity [quote]A lot of gamers, when they go online, pretend to be friendly so that they are less likely to harm their teammates and get sucked into drama. This simple solution can be extrampolated to further protect you. Having a false e-mail address to sign up for online services, a false name for your false Skype account, or even a false voice by a voice changer to make yourself sound more like a friendly stranger who can all protect you from people who want to take your online quarrels into your offline life.[/quote] Have the police on speed dial [quote]Ultimately, no matter how many gates you put up around you, a VPN, a false identity, whatever it may be, the most determined people will find a way to get to you. When they do, you need physical protection. This can be in the form of a whistle, air horn, concealed carriage, whatever it may be, but far and away the most reliable physical protection you can have is your local police department. They are literally paid to be your personal bodyguards (but only when it's necessary of course). That's why you want to have them on speed dial, so that with one press of a button you can have them at your side.[/quote] Well, that's all the tips I have for you. Thanks for reading and stay safe out there, gamers!