I honestly don't game or do anything intensive (like video conversion) without a cooling pad. You may not notice big sudden drops, it may just never get to it's full potential. Running hot won't necessarily break things; your computer will shut down before it actually damages things catastrophically but it's also not the best for your computer. Plus it'll get too hot to touch on a lot of models.

Given how expensive it is to replace a laptop if a part burns out due to heat or stress versus a cooling pad being like $25 USD (this is just an example), I would buy one and use it under your laptop any time it's near a source of heat like your lap or a heater, flat on a desk, or when you're doing anything that makes the fans audible. I use my laptop mainly on my desk and leave it resting on it without it running all day because it helps get airflow underneath to where the heat gets trapped.

When I have one like the one I linked instead of one that just stays flat, I'm going to use it to raise my screen to a more ergonomic height as well.