All checklists

List 0 · Before anything

Before you start the course

• I have written down which computer I would install on and whether it runs Windows, macOS or Linux.
• I have written down which email address I would use, and confirmed I can still sign in to it.
• I have decided the most I would spend in a year, in Australian dollars, including zero.
• I have written down who else uses that computer, and whether any of them is under eighteen.

List 1 · Step 1

Step 1 — What free-to-play actually asks of you

• I can say in one sentence how a game with no purchase price earns money.
• I can name the four shapes: appearance, time, access, subscription.
• I have written down a maximum amount in Australian dollars I would spend in a year, including the option of zero.
• I have written down how many evenings a week I would realistically give a game.
• I know whether anyone under eighteen uses the computer in question.
• I understand that a randomised purchase has a known cost and an unknown reward.
• I know that the Australian Classification Board publishes classification decisions, and that I will search it in Step 3.
• I have not installed anything yet, and I know that nothing in this course asks me to.

Read Step 1

List 2 · Step 2

Step 2 — Will your computer run it?

• I have written down my operating system and its version.
• I have written down my processor exactly as the system screen shows it, model number included.
• I have written down my installed memory in gigabytes.
• I have written down my graphics hardware, and I know whether it is a separate card or built into the processor.
• I have written down the free space on the drive I would install to.
• I have checked my internet plan's data allowance, or confirmed there is no cap.
• I found the vendor's own requirements page rather than a third-party copy of it.
• I have marked each of the five lines as a pass, a fail or a question mark.
• I did not install any tool to tell me my own specifications.
• If my computer runs Linux, I know the example used in this course is not published for it.

Read Step 2

List 3 · Step 3

Step 3 — Terms, ratings and the in-game shop

• I found the account agreement on the vendor's own site, not a copy elsewhere.
• I read the paragraphs containing "terminate", "refund", "virtual", "age", "change" and "governing law".
• I wrote one sentence each on what can close my account and what happens to purchases if it closes.
• I searched the Australian Classification Board site for the title and wrote down the classification and consumer advice.
• I checked the date on the classification entry I read.
• I found the in-game price list and worked out what one Australian dollar buys in the game's own currency.
• I checked whether prices are shown in Australian dollars or another currency.
• I identified any recurring charge and found its cancellation instructions.
• I noted whether any purchase gives a randomised reward rather than a named item.
• I opened the vendor's privacy policy and answered who else receives my data and whether the account can be deleted.
• I know that consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law cannot be excluded by an agreement's wording.

Read Step 3

List 4 · Step 4

Step 4 — Making an account and installing

• I started from the vendor's own address and confirmed the domain in the browser bar.
• I did not use any site offering a modified, patched or repackaged copy.
• I was not asked to disable security software, and I would have stopped if I had been.
• I re-checked the vendor's current requirements against my Step 2 sheet.
• I confirmed free disk space of the published size plus half again.
• I used an email address I can still sign in to and will keep.
• I used a password unique to this account, stored in a password manager.
• I turned on two-factor authentication, or confirmed the vendor does not offer it.
• I did not add a payment method during setup.
• I read every installer screen and unticked every extra program offered.
• I chose the install location deliberately.
• I ran the large download at a time that suited the household and my data allowance.
• I decided, with anyone else who uses the computer, whose account this is.
• I stopped at the settings screen rather than playing immediately.

Read Step 4

List 5 · Step 5

Step 5 — The first month and your own limits

• I set picture quality in line with my Step 2 sheet rather than leaving the default.
• I reviewed chat and voice settings and chose who can contact me.
• I know how to mute, block and report another player.
• I turned off promotional notifications in the game and on the vendor's account page.
• I switched on purchase confirmation, or confirmed the game does not offer it.
• I either left no payment method on the account, or loaded a prepaid card with my annual figure.
• I put any recurring renewal date in a calendar with a reminder a week before.
• I wrote my first purchase, if any, on my sheet with its date and Australian dollar amount.
• I checked hours played against my Step 1 figure at the end of week one.
• I checked spending against a bank statement, not memory, at the end of month one.
• I agreed four sentences with the household: who plays, who spends, who holds the account, what happens if a rule breaks.
• I know that cancelling a recurring charge comes before uninstalling.
• I know where to look if I decide to delete the account rather than leave it dormant.
• I know that the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858 exists if spending stops feeling like a choice.

Read Step 5

List 6 · Shared computer

If the computer is shared

• Everyone who uses the computer knows the game is being installed.
• One named person holds the account, with the password in a password manager.
• Separate user accounts on the computer have been considered, and a decision made either way.
• The classification and consumer advice from Step 3 have been shared with the adults in the household.
• Whether randomised purchases exist in this game has been established and discussed.
• Who may play, and when, is written down in one sentence.
• Who may spend, and up to what amount, is written down in one sentence.
• What happens if a rule is broken was decided before it was broken.
• Chat and voice settings were reviewed with any player under eighteen present, not on their behalf.
• Everyone knows how to mute, block and report, and that reporting is normal rather than dramatic.

List 7 · Leaving

If you decide to stop

• I cancelled every recurring charge before uninstalling anything.
• I confirmed the cancellation in writing, by screenshot or by the vendor's confirmation email.
• I removed any stored payment method from the account page.
• I uninstalled the game through the operating system's applications list rather than deleting the folder.
• I uninstalled the launcher as well as the game.
• I decided whether to leave the account dormant or ask for it to be deleted.
• I unsubscribed from the vendor's remaining promotional email.
• I checked one further bank statement after cancelling, to confirm nothing recurred.