Thank you so much for your input. If I must go to the internet for updates to the games I download or if I want to download mods, is there a way to change my internet settings so it has full fledged protection? I am VERY paranoid about this and I just want to make sure I don't corrupt my Mac!
Google around and you'll find that the standard practice, widely recommended, is to have MULTIPLE anti-malware apps running under Windows, not just one. Since I like free, I went with the following:
* Windows Defender from Microsoft (you'll have to allow Microsoft "Genuine Advantage" spyware on your machine in order to use this... but then again, MS won't even give you security patches anymore if you don't allow that, IIRC).
* AVG Free antivirus
* ZoneAlarm
* Spybot Search & Destroy
Unfortunately, any time I'm away from Windows for a while (which is often--I seldom use it), these apps go NUTS on next startup and bog the machine down for ages, making me click things and going through misc. dialogs and notices until I want to scream. (Screaming doesn't help, FYI.)
And the FREE versions of these apps are even more burdensome--you can't customize how they run and how often. So they end up running more than you need, requiring a manual cancel. And when your system bogs down you have to peer at the little system tray icons to try to figure out why. Left-click the icons for more info--except in cases where it's right-click, or cases where no more info is available
And enjoy the "false positives" where legitimate activities throw up warnings. Better answer each warning correctly--THINK about it, don't click blindly when your anti-malware apps cry wolf. If you make the wrong call, you can block an important activity, or allow risky activity.
So it's best to read up on current Windows security issues--at least keep an eye on the Windows security headlines every week or so in case something important comes up. (Like an anti-malware app that accidentally CAUSES a security hole, which has happened.) Spend the time to stay educated and you are safest. Don't be discouraged--time and effort is all it takes and you can gain the same level of know-how as the people who have used Windows for years and say it's easy to secure. Remember, everything seems hard at first, but it's simple when it becomes second nature. (I hope Windows security practices never become second nature to me

)
And when it's time to game, resist the temptation to shut down all firewalls. You won't have Leopard's easy app firewall, you'll have to deal with Windows' firewall. But do it--look up the ports and open just what you need. Don't turn off all protection just for multiplayer gaming.
But that's Windows for you. And you DO need extra protection even for gaming, because a) Windows itself has flaws from time to time that don't need a browser or email, and b) if you game, you also use other Internet apps: communication software to schedule matches or communicate with your team, browsers to download patches/mods and look up strategies, etc.
And if you don't do all this... or if you do some of it... or if you try, but don't know everything and don't do it in the best way... you might be safe anyway. There's some luck involved. Is "probably safe" good enough? That's a personal call. Lots of Windows gamers use "probably safe" practices and do just fine. Until they don't...
More in my earlier post:
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/5440903/