Faintnode
PN 06-0

All checklists

Every checklist from the five steps, gathered in order and laid out to print on plain paper without the menu, the colours or the links.

How to use them

These are the condensed form of the course, not a replacement for it. Each line is a thing to confirm rather than a thing to learn, so a line that does not make sense is a sign to go back to the step it came from and read the section around it. The step each list belongs to is named in its heading.

Work through them in order. The order is not arbitrary: the pre-course list produces figures that Step 2 compares against, Step 3 finds documents that Step 5 refers back to, and Step 4 assumes you already know what outcome Step 2 put you in. Jumping to Step 4 and setting up an account without the earlier lists is possible, and it is how most people do it, but you will find yourself answering the earlier questions anyway and in a worse order.

Nothing on this page is stored. There is no login, no cookie and no browser storage of any kind on this website, so a tick made on screen would vanish the moment you left. That is why the boxes are printed rather than interactive. The intended use is paper: print the page, put it beside the computer, and mark the boxes with a pen as you go. A printed list also survives the thing a browser tab does not, which is being closed by somebody else.

Treat any line you cannot honestly tick as the next thing to do, not as a failure. Several of the lines — a quarterly spending figure, two-factor authentication on your email, a saved copy of the terms — are worth having whether or not you ever install a game. If you work through the whole set and then decide against the hobby entirely, the lists have still done their job, and nothing here asks you to buy anything in order to complete them.

One honest note about the course they come from: Faintnode is funded by affiliate commission, explained in full on the Affiliate Disclosure page. No line on this page exists to move you toward a purchase, and every list can be completed without following any link on this site.

PN 06-1

Checklist 0 — Before you look at any game

  • Write down, on paper, the maximum amount in AUD you are willing to spend on this hobby in the next three months. Zero is a normal answer.
  • Check that the computer you plan to use is a desktop or laptop running Windows, macOS or Linux, and note which one and which version.
  • Create or identify an email address you are happy to use for game accounts, and make sure you know its password.
  • Check that your email account itself has two-factor authentication turned on.
  • Decide who else uses this computer, and whether any of them is under 18.
  • Note roughly how much free storage space the computer has, in gigabytes.

Checklist 1 — Understanding the model (Step 1)

  • I can say, in one sentence, how a game with no purchase price makes money.
  • I have decided which of the four revenue routes I would find acceptable and which I would not.
  • I know the difference between a cosmetic item and one that changes how the game plays.
  • I understand that my progress lives on the publisher's server, not on my computer.
  • I know that my account is the part I cannot replace.
  • I have read, or bookmarked, the Australian Cyber Security Centre's guidance on passwords and two-factor authentication.
  • I have written down a three-month spending figure in AUD, even if it is zero.
  • I understand that nothing in this course requires me to buy anything.

Checklist 2 — Your machine against the list (Step 2)

  • I have written down my processor's full model name.
  • I have written down my installed memory in gigabytes.
  • I have written down my graphics hardware, and I know whether it is separate or built into the processor.
  • I have written down my free storage in gigabytes.
  • I have noted my operating system and its version.
  • I have found the requirements list on the vendor's own website, not a copy of it elsewhere.
  • I have compared all four of my figures against both columns, line by line.
  • I have decided which of the three outcomes I am in, and what that means I should expect.
  • I have not installed any tool that offered to scan my computer for me.
  • I understand that a latency problem is not solved by buying hardware.

Checklist 3 — The three documents (Step 3)

  • I have searched the Australian Classification Board database for the title and read the consumer advice.
  • I have found the clause about who may use the account and whether it can be shared.
  • I have found the clause about what buying an in-game item actually gives me.
  • I have found the clause about suspension and termination, and what happens to purchases.
  • I have found the clause about changes to the terms and to the service.
  • I have found the minimum age and the arrangement for anyone younger.
  • I have found the publisher's refund policy and read the ACCC's guidance on consumer guarantees.
  • I have found the governing law clause and noted which jurisdiction it names.
  • I can answer all five privacy questions from the notice itself: what, why, who, where, how to get it back.
  • I have saved dated copies of the terms and the privacy notice.
  • If anyone under 18 will use this account, I have read the eSafety Commissioner's guidance for parents and carers.

Checklist 4 — Account and first session (Step 4)

  • My email account has two-factor authentication turned on.
  • I reached the sign-up page by typing the address myself.
  • My password for this account is long and used nowhere else.
  • I filled in only the required fields.
  • I read the consent tick boxes before ticking any of them.
  • I activated the account from the message in my own inbox.
  • Two-factor authentication is turned on for the game account, using the strongest form offered.
  • My recovery codes are written down and stored away from the computer.
  • I downloaded the client from the publisher's own website.
  • I let the download finish completely before judging performance.
  • I tried lowering the graphics settings before concluding anything about my hardware.
  • I know that I will never log in through a link in a message.

Checklist 5 — Spending, time and the long run (Step 5)

  • My quarterly figure in AUD is written down somewhere the household can see it.
  • No payment method is stored on the game account, or I have decided deliberately that one should be.
  • I keep my own running list of dates and amounts spent, in dollars rather than tokens.
  • I check my bank or card statement monthly for recurring charges.
  • I have decided whether randomised purchases are inside my budget at all, and if so, at what separate cap.
  • If anyone under 18 uses this account, payment methods are off it and platform spending controls are on.
  • I have asked myself whether I am playing by choice or by schedule, at least once in the last month.
  • I check free storage occasionally, because patches grow the install.
  • I have dated copies of the terms and privacy notice to compare against future versions.
  • I know to contact the publisher in writing first and keep a copy.
  • I know which Australian body covers consumer guarantees, which covers privacy, and which covers online safety.
  • I know how I would cancel a recurring charge and how I would close the account.