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Five Tips to Spot Reputable Online Gaming Sites

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Five Tips to Spot Reputable Online Gaming Sites

Online and video games are a source of entertainment that fosters connection and interaction among people. Playing games on consoles, computers, or mobile devices is a beloved pastime for many. However, the competition for entertainment is fierce, not just from other games, but also from streaming and digital platforms. Therefore, when players encounter hacking or cheating, they may be inclined to abandon one game for another.

Nevertheless, online gaming is not without its hazards, particularly regarding dubious and fixed online gaming sites. The use of such sites can lead to severe negative consequences and side effects, including:

  • Malware and viruses
  • Identity theft
  • Data breaches
  • Account takeover
  • Cyber bullying
  • Phishing emails

To minimize such attacks, gamers can protect themselves by confirming a site’s legitimacy before entering any credentials. Also, they should refrain from opening unsolicited emails or text message links from unknown senders. To learn more about how to spot reputable gaming platforms, read on for our top five tips.

Watch for License and Encryption

First things first, online gaming sites that are legitimate put forth significant effort to safeguard your financial and personal data. This commitment starts at the website level, where SSL certificates protect data transmitted between your device and the gaming site’s servers.

In some instances, reputable gaming sites take additional steps to secure all data on their servers, thereby preventing malicious third-party actors from accessing it. An excellent example of such a site is IgnitonCasino.eu, which is licensed under the Curacao eGaming authority. More so, the site’s owners have gone the extra mile to provide added protection features such as SMS and reCaptcha validation, account verification, one account for one user policy, and cryptocurrency, among other measures.

That’s how you need to evaluate any website that captures your interest. At a minimum, you should examine the site’s homepage for licensing and regulation details, or search for a recognized authority’s logo.

Avoid Pirated Games

While we understand that games can be expensive, and times are tough, downloading pirated games is not a viable solution. Hackers often embed malware into “free” copies of popular games, making it incredibly risky to download them. It is always advisable to download games from official stores or safe websites.

Despite the popularity of certain platforms, such as Steam, vulnerabilities can impact users, making it crucial to remain vigilant. In December 2020, critical bugs within the Steam gaming client had to be patched after remote attackers crashed users’ games and, in some cases, even took over their computers. Thus, it is essential to stay alert as security issues can arise on any gaming client, no matter how popular it may be.

Read Online Reviews

In addition to taking precautions such as downloading from safe sites and official stores, it’s important to read online reviews to ensure that you don’t unknowingly download malware or other harmful software.

There are many resources available online where you can find user-generated reviews. As opinions on games can be subjective, it may be helpful to read multiple reviews from regular players in addition to or in place of professional articles. With some research, you’re likely to find discussions about the specific website that you’re interested in.

To further protect yourself, always be cautious about opening or clicking on links from unknown sources, pop-ups, or unsolicited messages. Pay attention to the website address, especially if you were directed to a site. If something feels suspicious or unusual, it’s best to steer clear.

Check Customer Support

Although the saying goes that a good website shouldn’t need customer support, the reality is that sometimes it’s necessary. After all, we’re only human, and issues can arise that we can’t handle on our own. When choosing a gaming site, it’s important to consider the quality of customer support provided.

Trustworthy sites offer responsive and helpful support, with representatives available 24/7 via live chat. These representatives work to resolve players’ issues, compensate for lost games, and give ample warning before suspending or closing an account.

Unfortunately, not all online gaming platforms are created equal. Some less reputable sites will shut down accounts without reason and replace real customer service representatives with bots. As a result, it’s important to do your research before committing to any particular gaming site.

Pay Attention to Details

Lastly, it is essential to be attentive to even the smallest details that may seem odd. Always trust your instincts, and if something seems off, it probably is.

Some unscrupulous gaming operators will repeatedly ask new players to provide sensitive verification documents, and even require them to transfer them through unsecured channels.This is a serious red flag, and you should stay away from such websites at all costs.

The payment options the website accepts are a vital consideration as well. Whether it be by credit and debit cards, bank transfers, e-wallets, or cryptocurrencies, reputable gaming websites must offer secure payment alternatives that are completed in a timely manner. This also holds true for the increasingly well-liked play-to-earn games.

It’s likely that a gaming website is unreliable if it has lengthy payout intervals or demands waiting periods before withdrawing money, especially if it takes three months or longer. As a result, it’s crucial to give gaming websites’ customer care a high priority.

Album Review: Yves Tumor, ‘Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Album Review: Yves Tumor, ‘Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)’

If there is a correct way to say the title of Yves Tumor’s new album, Praise a Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds), it’s without stopping for breath. Try it, and pay attention to the heaviness of the next out-breath, how quick it is to leave your body. You have to before you even consider the meaning behind that long string of words, which tease out some of the album’s themes but shouldn’t be treated as more than a poetic evocation. Hot Between Worlds is the first thing you feel right when it kicks off; people will point out the scream that opens ‘God Is a Circle’, but driving the song is a relentless, mechanical panting – nervous, sinister, eager, or ecstatic, it’s not clear, even as it’s the same sound that loops over. In the lyrics, Tumor drifts between self-conscious introspection (“There’s places in my mind that I can’t go/ There’s people in my life I still don’t know”) and an otherworldly kind of pleasure (“I feel like I’m fluorescent holding you”). This might be their definition of heaven, but it’s no resting place.

Tumor has evolved from experimental sound collagist to glam-rock star, but even as they have become more “hook-focused,” as the artist recently told Courteny Love, the sensual, elusive, and divine qualities of their music remain at its core, interacting in rich and captivating ways. Praise a Lord is not a drastic shift from 2020’s glamorously theatrical Heaven to a Tortured Mind, but it carries its creator’s boundless vision with the same urgency. Tumor is a master of tension and release, and on Praise a Lord, they linger in the space between the two in a way that feels physical more than just explorative. Listening to the record, you’re struck by sounds whose main influence must have been breath – and not just as rhythm, which is natural and common, but in giving texture to guitars (except on ‘Meteora Blues’, where the reference point is clearly just Smashing Pumpkins), direction to vocals (on the gripping ‘Echolalia’), and heat to deconstructed samples (the chaotic, chopped-up dance of ‘Purified by Fire’). Even when it feels out of control, the breath has an almost stubborn way of falling into constancy and comfort, and Tumor channels this palpable tendency to be pure and full into a deeper, more tangled yearning.

No single framework can do justice to the complexity of Tumor’s work, even if Praise a Lord, which was produced by Noah Goldstein and mixed by Alan Moulder, seems more intent on solidifying disparate sounds than stretching them further apart. ‘God Is a Circle’ perfectly encapsulates the liminal state Tumor keeps diving headfirst into, revealing bits of what they find and obfuscating others. By contrast, the following ‘Lovely Sewer’ is less multi-faceted, offering a more a more mundane picture of a relationship while still triggering the imagination: “You cannot start a war/ Just for the feeling/ What if our friends see/ We stared at our ceilings.” Tumor is known primarily as a sonic innovator whose mysterious, abstract lyricism is always in service to their (increasingly approachable) music, but their choice of words is often incisive and powerful more than simply aesthetic. The lyrics on ‘In Spite of War’ are vague but not inscrutable, with lines like “The absence of our isolation can tear our fears away” suggesting a certain longing for communion while betraying an inability to surrender to it.

In the album’s most pivotal moments, Tumor reaches for transcendence as much as they embrace primal desires. The title of ‘Heaven Surrounds Us Like a Hood’ brilliantly describes the feeling, and the song lives up to it. At once heady and anthemic, tender and vicious, it’s a thunderous frenzy that glistens with possibilities, breaking only for Tumor to declare: “This world feels so ugly when life makes a fool of us.” And maybe this explains their strange devotion to beauty, a human construct so fragile and important we’d rip ourselves open for it, like the key to a higher power. Tumor’s music doesn’t ache for any sort of godly destination, but it is transfixed by the potential for transformation, and Praise a Lord proves they’ll harness all the beauty and horror necessary to breathe life into each striking form.

Albums Out Today: Yves Tumor, 100 gecs, M83, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and More

Konstantinos Pappis
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Albums Out Today: Yves Tumor, 100 gecs, M83, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and More

In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on March 17, 2023:

Yves Tumor, Praise a Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)

Yves Tumor is back with a new album, Praise a Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds), out now via Warp Records. Following 2020’s Heaven to a Tortured Mind and 2021’s The Asymptotical World EP, the record was produced by Noah Goldstein, mixed by Alan Moulder, and features contributions from Chris Greatti, Yves Rothman, and Rhys Hastings. Described in a press release as Tumor’s “most intimate and personal statement to date,” the album was previewed by the singles ‘God Is a Circle’, ‘Echolalia’, ‘Parody’, and ‘Heaven Surrounds Us Like a Hood’. Read our review of the album.

100 gecs, 10,000 gecs

100 gecs have followed up their 2020 debut 1000 gecs with 10,000 gecs. The new album, released via Dog Show Records and Atlantic Records, includes the previously shared singles  ‘mememe’, ‘Doritos & Fritos’, and ‘Hollywood Baby’. “When we were making the first album, we were just two friends that wanted to make an album, and it was like, ‘We’ll do the fucking goofiest shit and make it hot and whatever,’” Laura Les said in a recent interview. “And this one, I mean, it’s just a completely different context. We are still two friends that are just trying to make good songs. But I definitely think we’ve matured as people, a bit, since the first one.”

M83, Fantasy

Anthony Gonzalez has returned with the ninth M83 album, Fantasy. Released via their own Other Suns label, the 13-track effort was led by the single ‘Oceans Niagara’, before Gonzalez shared all six songs that make up the first chapter of Fantasy. “I wanted this record to be very impactful live,” he explained in a statement. “The idea was to come back with something closer to the energy of Before the Dawn Heals Us. The combination of guitars and synths is always in my music, but it’s maybe more present on this new record than on the previous ones. I wanted to be more present lyrically and vocally even if that was daunting at first. I thought if I could achieve that, this album will be more personal than those that came before.”

Unknown Mortal Orchestra, V

Unknown Mortal Orchestra have released their latest LP, V, via Jagjaguwar. Bandleader Ruban Nielson was inspired by West Coast AOR, classic hits, off-kilter pop, and Hawaiian hapa haole music during the making of the album, which was conceived during the pandemic in Palm Springs, California, and Hilo, Hawaii. “In Hawaii, everything shifted off of me and my music,” Nielson explained in a statement. “Suddenly, I was spending more time figuring out what others need and what my role is within my family. I also learned that things I thought were true of myself are bigger than I thought. My way of making mischief – that’s not just me – that’s my whole Polynesian side. I thought I was walking away from music to focus on family, but the two ended up connecting.”

deathcrash, Less

London slowcore band deathcrash have issued a new album, Less, which follows their 2022 debut Return. Out now via untitled (recs), the LP was recorded on the island of Great Bernera in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and features the previously released tracks ‘Duffy’s’ and ‘Empty Heavy’. “The mission statement was to be super minimal,” singer Tiernan Banks explained in a press statement. “Just simple and beautiful guitar parts and to be really bare. To be… less.”

Black Honey, A Fistful of Peaches

Black Honey have dropped their new album, A Fistful of Peaches. It marks the third LP by the Brighton four-piece, following 2021’s Written & Directed. “If the vibe of Written & Directed was creating this whole Tarantino world and this safe space of me almost refusing help and saying I was fine, then with this album it’s the opposite,” frontwoman Izzy Phillips explained. “Lockdown had happened, I’d had two years of not writing anything and feeling like my entire purpose had gone down the drain, I’d been in intense therapy which was exhausting, and what came out was just me regurgitating things from my entire life and building my brain cells back to how they should be. I’ve had to be more honest and vulnerable with myself, but I feel like I’d be disservicing anyone who spends their time and passion and energy into this project to not fucking unveil it all.”

Kosaya Gora, Kosogor

Kedr Livanskiy and Flaty have released their debut collaborative album as Kosaya Gora, which means “oblique mountain” in Russian. Spanning 14 tracks, Kosogor was recorded in a mobile studio the pair took through remote villages in their native Russia. “In one place, there was nothing but a forest, a cemetery and [a] ruined church,” Livanskiy recalled. “The wooden house we lived in was 120 years old, and this spirit is imprinted in some songs.” Livanskiy described the mood of the LP as “on the one hand, foggy and gloomy, and on the other hand, light.”

The Lost Days, In the Store

In the Store is the first full-length LP by the Lost Days, the collaborative project of Tony Molina and Sarah Rose Janko. Out now via Speakeasy Studios SF, the follow-up to their 2021 release Lost Demos was preceded by the title track and ‘For Today’. “It was really about an obsession with the first three Bill Fox LPs, and finding a newfound freedom in home recording with Sarah that set the concept in motion,” Molina explained in a statement. “The Lost Days was a collaboration in which we were tapping into our love of traditional songwriting. We felt that recording to cassette at our friend’s house was the best way to capture the songs.”

Other albums out today:

Genevieve Artadi, Forever Forever; EST Gee, Mad; The Van Pelt, Artisans & Merchants; Doug Paisley, Say What You Like; DJ Black Low, Impumelelo; Emiliana Torrini & The Colorist Orchestra, Racing the Storm; Kruelty, Untopia; Lil Keed, Keed Talk to ’Em 2;  T-Pain, On Top of the Covers; Flyying Colours, You Never Know.

Watch De La Soul Perform ‘Stakes Is High’ With the Roots on ‘Fallon’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Watch De La Soul Perform ‘Stakes Is High’ With the Roots on ‘Fallon’

Maseo and Posdnuos, the two surviving members of De La Soul, appeared on last night’s episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, performing ‘Stakes Is High’ with the Roots. They also sat down with Fallon to talk about the long-awaited release of their back catalogue on streaming services, a bittersweet return following the death of Trugoy the Dove at age 54 in February. Watch it below.

The Chemical Brothers Release Video for New Song ‘No Reason’

Konstantinos Pappis
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The Chemical Brothers Release Video for New Song ‘No Reason’

The Chemical Brothers have returned with a new single called ‘No Reason’. The track arrives with an accompanying video directed by Smith & Lyall and choreographed and performed by Gecko Theatre. Watch and listen below.

Back in 2021, the Chemical Brothers released the single ‘The Darkness That You Fear’. Their last album was 2019’s No Geography.

Doechii Releases New Song ‘What It Is (Block Boy)’ Featuring Kodak Black

Konstantinos Pappis
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Doechii Releases New Song ‘What It Is (Block Boy)’ Featuring Kodak Black

Tampa rapper and singer Doechii has dropped her first single of 2023. It’s called ‘What It Is (Block Boy)’, and it features Kodak Black. Give it a listen below.

“This song is a fusion of nostalgia and pop vibes,” Doechii said of the new song in a statement. “I feel like I’m showing off a side of my vocal range with this one that my fans haven’t really seen yet. I love using the old samples of ‘No Scrubs’ and ‘Some Cut’ to mix in some playful energy as well.”

Doechii released her latest EP, she / her / black bitch, last year.

Donald Glover and KIRBY Release ‘Swarm’ Series EP Soundtrack

Konstantinos Pappis
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Donald Glover and KIRBY Release ‘Swarm’ Series EP Soundtrack

Donald Glover has released a new EP accompanying his new Amazon Prime Video series Swarm, which is also out today. The six-track EP features original music by the show’s fictional pop star Ni’jah, who is voiced by KIRBY. Childish Gambino is credited as an executive producer on the EP along with Michael Uzowuru. Check it out below.

“KIRBY has such a versatile sound and songwriting ability, she was able to elevate and amplify every moment she was a part of,” Glover said in a press release. “It’s been a pleasure to collaborate together, to bring this story to life sonically and I couldn’t imagine what this would sound like without her involvement.

“I fell in love with the idea of becoming the Ni’jah character,” KIRBY added. “What would she say in this scene? What would she sound like? It was liberating to go in and write & sing without any rules. There are people who are called ‘genius’ and people who truly are. After working with Donald, Michael, Fam & Riley I truly know the difference.”

Swarm follows a young woman named Dre  (Dominique Fishback) who is obsessed with one of the world’s biggest pop stars. Billie Eilish and Chlöe Bailey also appear in the series.

Skrillex, Four Tet, and Fred Again.. Release New Song ‘Baby Again..’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Skrillex, Four Tet, and Fred Again.. Release New Song ‘Baby Again..’

Following their five-hour b2b live performance at Madison Square Garden last month, Skrillex, Four Tet, and Fred Again.. have teamed up for a new song called ‘Baby Again..’. Check it out below.

Earlier this year, Skrillex returned with two new albums, Don’t Get Too Close and Quest for Fire, which featured contributions from both Fred Again.. and Four Tet. Fred Again.. released his latest album, Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022), last October.

Taylor Swift Shares Four Previously Unreleased Tracks

Konstantinos Pappis
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Taylor Swift Shares Four Previously Unreleased Tracks

Taylor Swift’s the Eras Tour kicks off tonight (March 17) in Glendale, Arizona, and to celebrate, she’s shared four previously unreleased tracks. Three of them are re-recorded Taylor’s Versions of songs from across her catalog: ‘Eyes Open’, ‘Safe & Sound’, and ‘If This Was A Movie’. There’s also a brand new song called ‘All Of The Girls You Loved Before’, an outtake from her 2019 album Lover that Swift co-produced with Louis Bell and Frank Dukes. Listen below.

‘Eyes Open’ and ‘Safe and Sound’ were both contributions to the 2012 soundtrack to The Hunger Games. Joy Williams and John Paul White, who collaborated with Swift on ‘Safe and Sound’ as the Civil Wars, are individually credited on the new version. ‘If This Was a Movie’ appeared on the deluxe edition of 2010’s Speak Now.

Eloise Unveils New Single ‘Therapist’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Eloise Unveils New Single ‘Therapist’

London-based singer-songwriter Eloise has unveiled a new single called ‘Therapist’. It’s set to appear on her forthcoming debut album Drunk on a Flight, which is out April 14 and has already been previewed with the song ‘Giant Feelings’ and the title track. Check it out below.

“Ending a long-term relationship at 23, you feel such a loss of time and adolescence and that can make you so frustrated,” Eloise explained in a statement about ‘Therapist’. “What have I learned from all of this? And what am I stuck with at the end of all of this? My songwriting has always been honest, but this feels raw – like I’m exploring all the shades of emotion.”

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