Remember when the biggest cost associated with gaming was the cost of a game?

Video game companies have been under assault, with multiple networks being attacked by hackers looking to gain access to gamers' personal information. (I'm old enough to remember when the biggest cost of player a video game was actually going to a toy store to buy it, and it was usually around $40-$50).

People don't necessarily think of their online gaming accounts as a hub of personal information, but let’s briefly consider the information that a gamer stores there:

• Name
• E-mail
• User Name (online handle)
• Password

That's a lot of information in and of itself, and thieves gaining access to it can have a substantial impact.
For example, we believe that a majority of consumers don't use different password for many of the sites they interact with. Ask yourself this: How many sites do you log in to with the same e-mail/password combination?

• Social networking sites?
• Banking sites?
• Online retailers?

In addition, think of the other information stored in your online gaming account:

• Credit Card Information?
• Date of Birth?
• Address (to verify credit card)?

When you add it up, it's an awful lot of information that a thief can go after, and it's why we believe that gaming destinations have been such a target lately.

Posted by Mike