Patching is an activity that’s as common to MMORPGs like changing baits is to fishing. As an MMORPG player, you’ll find that you’ll have to regularly patch up your installation if you’re playing a client-based title like Skyforge or Piercing Blow.

Although it’s a routine activity, it is also a matter of consternation for some MMO players. That’s because patches can be very big – some could even go up to over a gigabyte in file size. Even with a fast Internet connection, you’ll find that patching can still take a considerable amount of time! However, you cannot just go and say, “I’m not patching this game!”

That’s because patching is very important. But why is that so?

For starters, patches are applied updates to any game. When you’re downloading a patch, you are essentially downloading a new version of the game’s executable file. This means that, by patching, you are downloading new portions of the game that have been made available by the game’s developers. By contrast, by avoiding patches, you are actually leaving yourself out of the excitement because you’re not able to experience the new things that the developers have in store for you and other gamers.

In other situations, patches are made in order to address security vulnerabilities that other gamers have spotted from previous versions of the title. That’s why they say earlier versions of a game are vulnerable; technology has made it possible for unscrupulous individuals to hack a game for their own advantage, which is unfair for other players. Hence, developers are always on the lookout for security issues that can affect the quality of players’ gaming experience.

In this case, if you’re not patching, then you’re exposing yourself to threats. Other hackers are not content to simply hacking the system so that their characters are more powerful than others without even leveling up, or to make their characters’ gear more powerful without actually farming the game’s open world for it. There are other hackers, however, that will want to invade your system using a backdoor and steal valuable information about you including your browsing behavior.

If you happen to have some “curious” habits when browsing the Internet, then you should think about your security. You can install anti-malware and anti-virus software, for instance. If you’re into gaming, you should always keep yourself updated on the latest patches. This can save you from a lot of headaches that you might get later on.

How about the amount of time it needs to download patches? Well, you could say that it’s a necessary setback that you should not be minding at all in the first place. After all, as you may probably realize now after reading this post, patching will have a lot of benefits for you as the player. You can be secure in your gaming, and not worry about any threat at all that the developers and other players have spotted.

For the amount of time it takes you to download the latest game version, you get a more enjoyable experience in return. That’s quite a fair exchange if you take a good look at it.