There was a time when anyone who had a computer would be going onto torrent websites to download music, videos, tv shows, and games.
Even though the internet has changed a great deal in the past couple of decades, torrents are still alive and well. People may not realize that torrents are still used around the world, but finding popular shows, movies, and games on these sites is not hard.
The question is whether downloading the file from the torrent site can get you into trouble. Here is a guide that explains how you can stay safe when you are downloading games from torrent websites.
Hiding Your IP Address
One of the best ways that you can avoid anyone catching you for downloading a game is by keeping your IP address hidden.
Now you may be wondering about the explanation behind hiding an IP address. Think of your IP address as a digital code that someone can use to determine your location and the device you are using.
Even if you are living in a home with a lot of other people, each device has a unique IP address within a network. If you were to download something illegal on your computer you could be traced with ease. There are apps you can download to hide your IP address on your phone, while you can also set up a VPN on a computer or tablet. Using a VPN is the safest way to do anything online, as no one can trace the activity back to your real IP address.
Understand How Torrents Work
The reason why hiding your IP address is so important when you are torrenting is because you must never allow someone to see who is accessing the file that you are downloading.
When you download a torrent, you are not getting the file in question. Say you want to download some online games that you can play on your computer. You would go to a torrent site, download the relevant torrent file and then open that upon your torrent client.
Then you connect to other people who are sharing that file and you eventually get all the files on your computer. The problem is that when you do download in such a way, which is called peer-to-peer sharing, you are exposing your IP address to those people.
Say one of the accounts that are hosting that file is a media company trying to catch people torrenting. They make a note of your IP address and send it to an internet service provider, saying you were downloading a specific file illegally.
Stay Safe Online
Someone who is caught torrenting does not go to jail. There are a few cases of people who do get jail time in relation to torrents, but those cases involve the actual theft of the media files from the relevant companies or the running of a torrent website.
If you were to download a few games online, you are not getting into serious legal trouble. But you could lose access to the internet, as many internet service providers have a three-strike rule. They send you warnings each time you are caught torrenting.
On the third warning, you may lose all access to the internet, which would be devastating for most people in this day and age. Imagine trying to save $20 or $30 on a single game by torrenting it instead.
You would be risking a fine if you are caught, while you may even lose access to the internet. Since there are so many parts of the USA with only a single reliable ISP, your mistake could cost you the ability to use the internet at your home.
Torrenting Online Games
Before you fire up your torrent client with a VPN active, thinking that you can get access to various online games and casino games, think again.
One of the ways that companies are battling piracy is by introducing an online element to all games. If you are playing a game that requires you to be online to connect to the servers, you cannot do so using an illegally obtained copy.
The authentic game where you enter your serial number or product key is the one that will work. If you torrent the game, you can likely open it up on your computer and do things within the game locally. You would not be able to play online.
Any game that involves significant online play is not worth torrenting. You are better off waiting for the game to go on sale in a few weeks or months.
Finding Affordable Games to Play
Rather than continuing to torrent, which can get you into trouble and is starting to become redundant, you should find affordable games legally. There are so many slot games and other online casino games that you can access without paying a single penny.
Even though people think of casinos as places where you spend a lot of cash, online casinos often have free versions of their games. You can play as much as you want without putting in any money.
Torrenting games is not a serious danger in terms of heavy fines or jail time. You can, however, get into trouble with your internet service provider.
Rather than putting your internet access in jeopardy, you are better off finding fun games that you can download and play for free. These games are so much fun and do not involve the hassle of setting up a VPN and then torrenting files.