Step 3 of 5

Step 3: Accounts, terms, ratings and privacy

Almost every online game asks you to create an account. A few careful choices at this point protect your progress, your money and your personal information for as long as you play. This step goes through them in the order you will meet them.

Before you create an account

Creating a game account is usually quick: an email address, a password, a display name and perhaps your date of birth and country. Because it is quick, people tend to rush it. The habits below take ten extra minutes and save a great deal of trouble later.

Make sure you are on the game's genuine website before you type anything. Check the address in your browser's address bar, and be wary of pages reached through unexpected messages or advertisements that promise in-game rewards for signing in. Those are a common way of collecting passwords.

Choosing the email address

The email address you use becomes the key to the account. Password resets, purchase receipts and security warnings are sent there. Choose an address you check regularly and expect to keep for years.

Some people prefer to use a separate address just for games and online shopping. That keeps promotional messages out of their main inbox, and it limits the damage if a game's records are ever exposed. Either approach is fine, as long as the address is one you can sign in to and that has its own strong password.

When the game asks whether you want to receive marketing emails, you are entitled to say no. Untick any box that signs you up to newsletters or offers unless you actively want them.

A password used nowhere else

The single most useful thing you can do for any online account is to give it a password you use nowhere else. If one website is breached and its passwords are leaked, criminals routinely try the same email and password on other sites. A unique password stops that from working.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre recommends long passphrases: several random words strung together, which are easier to remember than a jumble of symbols and harder to guess. It also explains how password managers work. A password manager is a program that remembers your passwords for you, so that you only need to remember one strong passphrase to open it.

Avoid passwords built from things others can find out, such as your name, a pet's name, your street or your favourite team. Do not reuse your email password for a game.

Two-step sign-in

Two-step sign-in, also called multi-factor authentication, means that signing in needs something in addition to your password, usually a code from an app on your phone or a code sent by text or email. Even if someone learns your password, they cannot sign in without that second step.

Most major games and game stores offer it, though it is often switched off by default. Look in the account's security settings after you sign up. If you are offered a choice, an authenticator app is generally considered more secure than codes sent by text message. The ACSC's guidance on multi-factor authentication explains the options.

When you turn on two-step sign-in, you are often given a set of backup codes. These let you in if you lose your phone. Print them or write them down and keep them somewhere safe at home, not in the same place as your phone.

The activation email

Many games send an email after you sign up, asking you to confirm your address by following a link. This is called activating the account. Until you do, some features may be limited, or the account may not work at all.

Activation emails are also a favourite disguise for scams. A genuine one arrives within minutes of you signing up, from the domain of the game you signed up for. If you receive an "activate your account" message for a game you have not signed up to, or long after you signed up, do not follow its link. Delete it, or report it through Scamwatch if it seems part of a wider scam.

Reading the terms without reading all of them

Game terms of service are long, and few people read them from beginning to end. You do not need to. Instead, search the document for a handful of topics and read those sections. Most browsers let you search a page by pressing Ctrl and F together, or Command and F on a Mac.

• Age. What minimum age does the game set for having an account, and does it require a parent's permission below a certain age?
• Ownership. Most games say you receive a licence to use in-game items rather than owning them. That affects what happens if the game closes or your account is suspended.
• Refunds. What does the publisher say about refunds for purchases? Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law apply regardless of what the terms say; the ACCC explains consumer guarantees, including for digital products.
• Suspension. What behaviour can lead to an account being suspended or closed? Selling or sharing accounts is commonly prohibited.
• Region. Is the account tied to a particular region or server? Some games keep regions separate, so changing later is not always possible.
• Closing the account. Is there a stated way to close the account and delete your data? You will need this in Step 5 if you decide to stop.

Write a line or two about each in your notes. If you cannot find a topic at all, note that too.

Classifications in Australia

Computer games sold or made available in Australia are generally classified under the National Classification Scheme. The Australian Classification Board website explains the categories and lets you search for a particular game's classification along with its consumer advice, which is the short description of why it received that rating.

Looking up a game takes a minute and is worth doing whether or not children are involved. The consumer advice tells you in plain words what the game contains. If you cannot find a game in the database, check its official website or store page for an Australian classification marking, and note that you could not confirm it.

Two further points are worth keeping in mind. First, in an online game, much of what you encounter comes from other players: what they type or say, and the names they choose. That part of the experience is shaped by people, not by the publisher's design, so it can be rougher than the classification suggests. Second, if a game sells randomised items for real money, or contains anything resembling gambling, treat it as unsuitable for children. Check the classification and its consumer advice carefully before allowing anyone under eighteen to play, and see the eSafety Commissioner's guidance for parents and carers.

Your privacy settings

Online games collect some information as a matter of course: your account details, your play history and technical details about your computer. Their privacy policy should explain what is collected, why, and with whom it is shared. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner explains your privacy rights in Australia, including how to ask an organisation for the information it holds about you.

After signing up, open the game's privacy or social settings and look for these:

1. Display name. Choose one that does not include your real name, age, suburb or anything that would let a stranger find you.
2. Profile visibility. Set your profile, friends list and play history to private or friends-only if the game allows it.
3. Friend requests and messages. Limit these to people you have already accepted, at least while you are learning.
4. Voice chat. Note where it is turned on and off; Step 4 suggests starting with it off.
5. Marketing and data sharing. Turn off anything you did not choose, such as personalised advertising or sharing data with partners.

An example: creating a World of Tanks account

This section uses World of Tanks to show how the advice above applies to a real sign-up. We are paid a commission when readers create and activate an account through our link, so treat this as one example among many, not a recommendation; the Affiliate Disclosure explains the arrangement.

From the vendor's description, using the game involves signing up, then signing in to the game. Before signing up, you would look up its classification on the Classification Board's site, check the system requirements on the vendor's website against the notes you made in Step 2, and read the terms for the topics listed above. The summary we work from does not state the game's price structure, minimum age or Australian classification, so those are the things to confirm first.

When signing up, you would use a unique passphrase, turn on two-step sign-in if it is offered, and only follow an activation link that arrives promptly from the game's own domain. The link below is intended for desktop computers.