Regardless of whether casual or diehard, gamers polled in the UK said that they would rather spend their time playing video games than attending a sporting event or concert (72%), going on a date (72%), or reading a book (68 % ).
The 2021 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report: Special Release – Gaming & Cybercrime, undertaken by The Harris Poll among more than 700 UK adults who as of now play online games, discovered that even more than two in five UK gamers (42 percent) have encountered a cyberattack on their gaming account or gadget. Nearly four in five (78 percent) of the those polled say they have been monetarily impacted as a direct consequence, losing an average of £145.
The study also revealed remarkable conclusions about gamer-to-gamer cyber risks as well as the extents gamers would go to win. More than a quarter of British gamers polled (28%) are at least slightly likely to hack into a friend's, family member's, or romantic partner's gaming account if they knew that it would give a competitive benefit in an online video game. This perception is much more pronounced among hardcore gamers, with approximately half of those polled (48 percent) simply stating they are at least somewhat likely, highlighting serious gamers' tenacity to win.
“These findings are jarring, but there are some gamers out there that will do whatever it takes to win,” said BigCheeseKIT, gamer, and Twitch streamer. “I’ve learned that when you’re gaming online, it’s so important to be mindful of who you are friends with online and what information you share when gaming online. While this is especially true for professional gamers who have that public profile, it’s clear this goes for any online gamer.”
The competitive spirit pervades all sorts of gamers, from casual to diehard. If they knew it would give them a competitive advantage, nearly half of UK gamers polled (43 percent) said that they are at least somewhat probable to exploit loopholes or technical problems in a game, and nearly one-third (34 percent) would download cheats to their gaming account or systems, pay to take possession of some other user's gaming account (30 percent), or hack into a spontaneous player's gaming account (29 percent ).
“Scammers know that – for both experienced and casual gamers – cheats, skins, and limited edition items are highly sought after,” said Armin Buescher, Technical Director at NortonLifeLock. “Offering these competitive boosts is a perfect opportunity to share malicious links or trick gamers into downloading malware that, if successful, can rob players of their gaming profile, personal information, or more. Having security that specifically helps protect against these threats can give players peace of mind so they can focus on the enjoyment of the game itself.”
