The Rise of eSports, Blockchain and the Need for DDoS Protection

Securing the Future of Gaming – Shockbyte James Zinn

DDoS has become an excuse in some gaming circles for times that, coincidentally, a player on the opposite team has had a laggy connection while winning very suspiciously. Many players can turn to the excuse, “Oh well, he’s only winning because he DDoSed me,” when they start to lose a game, not fully knowing the massive impact DDoS truly has on gamers worldwide.

In fact, it’s unlikely that in modern multiplayer gaming, players haven’t experienced connection tampering in some form, whether it be the lag switches of the old days or true DDoSing. As much as it holds a definite place in gaming history, that is exactly where we would like it to stay. With the introduction of blockchain technology into the gaming sphere, there is too much real wealth not to consider proper DDoS protection in all things gaming.

What Is DDoS in gaming?

DDoS is an abbreviation for Distributed Denial-of-Service, where an attacker completely clogs an internet gateway, preventing it from accepting incoming connections. Think of an internet connection as a package delivery service. On a clear day, packages regularly slide through the system, making the mail and packages all flow perfectly. During a DDoS attack, thousands upon thousands of packages are sent to the same post office, clogging the very doors of the building itself. Grandma definitely isn’t getting that Christmas gift you sent.

With that in mind, precautions can be taken. With a well-established infrastructure such as OVHcloud's game DDoS protection, advanced DDoS protection is invaluable to your gaming server, no matter how big or small. DDoS attacks frequently appear in gaming, from regular personal attacks to large-scale corporations, such as Jagex RuneScape and Valve Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Why Game Servers Need Protection From DDoS Attacks

DDoS attacks, sadly, aren’t new. During the 2013 Christmas season, many gamers were left scratching their heads as some of their favorite massive gaming corporations were taken offline by a 23-year-old hacker in Utah. The DerpTroll Hacker took down EA Origin, the Sony PlayStation Network, and Valve’s Steam Network through DDoS attacks. This problem has been plaguing gamers for decades, and real solutions must be chosen and implemented wherever possible.

With Jagex RuneScape receiving up to 400 monthly DDoS attacks due to having a real-world value, it became quickly obvious to Barry Zubel, head of IT at Jagex, that DDoS protection was a pertinent priority. Establishing DDoS protection improved gameplay for casual players, guaranteeing reliable servers, fair playing grounds in PvP situations, and more sustainable server uptime.

Can a Gaming Company Truly Prevent DDoS?

Through smart server hosting choices, the answer is yes. Gaming companies aren’t the only ones, though, as young entrepreneurs and game server hosts can both be equipped with DDoS protection to ensure their players are going to have the fairest playing grounds and a quality gaming experience. For games with highly competitive atmospheres like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and even Minecraft, hosting a server with Shockbyte guarantees top-of-the-line DDoS protection provided through OVHcloud’s reliable infrastructure.

This quality connection and stable anti-DDoS protection allow the actual server to create trust with the players, which in turn adds to community retention, player growth, and server monetization. While appearing as a small addition to the massive list of benefits provided by OVHcloud and Shockbyte, DDoS protection cannot be overstated in its global applicability throughout gaming.

Blockchain Gaming and DDoS Concerns

When real-world value becomes attached to gaming, stakes are significantly increased, leading to even higher rates of DDoS attacks at the most pivotal moments in gameplay. This can be seen most prominently in online competitions like Valorant eSports tournaments, where large cash rewards are included as part of what the winners receive. Throughout one Asia-Pacific Counter-Strike: Global Offensive eSports tournament, there were over 856 unique DDoS attacks. And completely unknown to the players, they were all dispelled by strong DDoS protection, allowing a seamless tournament to continue.

Blockchain gaming, or crypto gaming, is much the same, as a strong presence of cash value through in-game items incentivizes players to cheat to make a quick buck, or thousands even on the blockchain. This makes it absolutely critical to have all gameplay interactions be 100 percent genuine and faithful to the intention of the game without DDoS being allowed to have any impact. If even a single DDoS attacker is able to be rewarded with an item on the blockchain, it is highly unlikely anyone, even the developer of the game, will see that money ever again.

(Image credit: Midnight Society / Deadrop)

What Can Game Server Hosts Do?

Initially, there were few options for server hosts, especially on an individual level, as DDoS attacks can be completely overwhelming without the right infrastructure and preparation. Today it is smarter to choose a reliable game server host instead of doing it yourself. Leveraging this opportunity to find one with strong DDoS protection is the smart way to go.

While there are many server hosting providers on the market, not all of them provide DDoS protection, so be sure to investigate all the benefits of choosing that provider prior to purchase. If you want to protect against DDoS attacks, Shockbyte is able to provide 25+ benefits, including 100% uptime and full DDoS protection, thanks to OVHcloud’s global network of reliable server coverage. Having this strength as an individual host can create an unmatched gameplay experience on your server for all players involved, no matter their location or situation.

Interested in learning more about DDoS protection? Check out our partner Shockbyte's insightful blog post on why multiplayer needs DDoS protection in server hosting.

The following was written by Shockbyte PTY. The claims, opinions, and views expressed below are those of Shockbyte and do not necessarily reflect those of OVHcloud US.