According to the game, my NAT rating was “strict”. Because of this, I could not be matched with other players correctly. What did “NAT” mean, and why did this have to get in the way of enjoying my game? Well, I spent the entire rest of the night looking up networking guides and troubleshooting in agony to find out.
To make a long story short, I found out that the problem had to do with a new Internet modem that my father and I had recently installed. Our new modem had a built-in router that could wirelessly connect to computers, game systems, and other electronics. This built-in router had a firewall that automatically blocked certain ports. From what I understand, these ports are points in my home network that are used to send information to and from the Internet. The ports that my video game uses to connect with other players are some of the ports that the new firewall kept closed.
I eventually found out how to configure the new router and lower the security of the firewall so that the necessary ports were open and could transfer information completely. After doing so, the NAT circle in my game went green, and I was able to play without further interruptions.
After thinking things over, it makes sense that the firewall behaved the way that it did. Most people only use their computers to browse the Web and do everyday tasks. For them, it would not make sense to keep open a port that only video games really use, since doing so can leave them vulnerable to hackers. In the end, learning about ports and how software, such as games, interacts with them reminds me of the networking security that some of us take for granted.
