Theft is never a good thing. It doesn’t matter if your equipment is stolen when you’re at home or travelling, it’s always annoying, and leaves you wondering how someone could do something like that to you. Sadly, it happens. Luckily it doesn’t happen that often, so it only takes tenth spot.

When you’re gaming, it’s easy to forget to drink enough, so it’s always good to have something to drink nearby. What isn’t good is when your energy drink ends up all over your keyboard, mouse or controller instead of in your mouth. It happens, but not as often as you might think.

Now we don’t want to start playing the blame game, but sometimes flatmates can be a little bit careless when they use your gaming equipment, dropping controllers because of jump scares (yes, zombies can be pretty horrifying), using a keyboard as a fly swatter or being a bit heavy-handed with the cables. It happens, but not all that often.

It’s not just other people who can be a little clumsy. Tripping over a cable is a sure-fire way to send your mouse, keyboard or monitor crashing to the floor. If you’re lucky, your equipment will survive with just a few scratches. These trip-wire accidents happen pretty often, but usually don’t result in a K.O. for your peripherals.

Coffee is either the gamer’s drink of choice or it’s simply much more of a danger to your hardware than soft drinks. Could be something to do with the heat. If you pick up a cup of hot coffee when you’re distracted by the game you’re playing, you might have forgotten just how hot that cup is. The automatic reaction is to let it go, which can have disastrous results for your equipment. It’s not just peripherals like keyboards, mice and headsets – your gaming chair can also end up damaged or covered in horrible stains.

Well, what can we say. It happens. We all lose stuff. Some tend to lose things more often than others. Where was I? Damn, I forgot what I was saying.

Sometimes, when we want to treat our equipment to a well-earned clean, we end up doing more harm than good. Cleaning products that are too aggressive, worn out sticky pads on your duster or just too much water – all killers for your gaming equipment. Doesn’t everyone want a used look these days anyway? Works for us.

Sure, you might have destroyed your computer, but anyone who has managed to game so hard their computer exploded gets our respect. All jokes aside, this is one way in which too much gaming really can hurt your eyes. Nobody wants bits of their console flying towards their face when they’re trying to enjoy a relaxing gaming session. For one thing, it will end your chances of levelling up. Unbelievable. It might sound unlikely, but it seems to happen to you guys more often than we thought.

It’s not always the equipment that explodes – sometimes it’s the player. Every gamer has reached the point at which something has to be punished for their ... lack of success ... at least once. More often than not, it’s the first thing they can lay their hands on – or already have in their hands. Smashed controllers, snapped keyboards and flying mice have all fallen victim to rage quits. Unnecessary perhaps, but understandable. It happens pretty often. Oh dear.

Actually it’s just a cat. Yes, a cat. The top end boss for your gaming equipment is the cute little guy who just wants to eat, sleep and be stroked. Obviously cats love playing with mice. Whether it’s a daring jump onto your desk that results in your monitor taking a tumble or a battle to the death with your mouse, cats are often the culprit when your gaming gear is damaged.