Security Issues in Online Gaming: Its Causes and Its Possible Solutions

The rapid growth of online gaming has made it one of the largest digital entertainment industries in the world, but also increased its exposure to cybersecurity threats. In this paper, we have performed an exhaustive analysis of the main causes of cybersecurity problems in online gaming, studied the most important security threats faced by players and gaming platforms, and evaluated the existing and emerging mitigation strategies. The results highlight the key drivers of cybersecurity risks as digital illiteracy, economic value of digital assets, weak regulatory frameworks, security-performance trade-offs and gaming black markets. The study also analyses game server exploits, Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, phishing and social engineering, malware and cheat-driven infections and privacy and behavioural exploitation, highlighting their technical characteristics, impacts and long-term challenges. Comparison of the existing solutions shows that there is no single approach that is enough. But the best way to improve the security, resilience and sustainability of online gaming ecosystems is through a combination of technical safeguards, cybersecurity awareness, industry cooperation, regulatory measures and emerging technologies.