PRIVACY POLICY

Last Updated: September 7, 2026 • Effective Date: September 7, 2026

Overview: Makecade (makecade.com) is an independent retro pixel-art gaming platform engineered by ROSS. We are committed to transparency, player privacy, and compliance with global data privacy regulations, including GDPR, CCPA, and Google AdSense program policies.

1. Information We Collect

Makecade is designed to provide instantaneous, friction-free browser entertainment without mandatory user accounts, passwords, or credit card collection. We collect only the minimum data required to power real-time leaderboards and sustain our free hosting operations:

Gameplay & Scoreboard Data: When you finish a game (such as Space Ninja, Skyward Beat, or Invert) and elect to submit your score, our game clients transmit your chosen 3-to-12 character player pseudonym, your numerical score or time in centiseconds, the stage/level reached, and a Unix timestamp to our Cloud Firestore database.
Local Browser Storage: We store non-identifying operational preferences in your browser's localStorage, including your active cabinet theme (light vs. dark mode), your sound volume state, and your cookie consent settings (pixelate_arcade_cookie_consent).
Server Log Information: Like virtually all web servers, Cloudflare edge servers automatically record standard HTTP request logs when you access Makecade. This may include your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, and access timestamps to detect security threats, DDoS attacks, and API abuse.

2. Google AdSense & Advertising Cookies

Mandatory AdSense Disclosure: Makecade partners with Google AdSense (Publisher ID: ca-pub-5605412363416280) to serve digital advertisements that support and subsidize our free indie game development, server bandwidth, and infrastructure costs.

Please review how advertising cookies and third-party vendors operate on Makecade:

Third-Party Vendors & Google Cookies: Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to Makecade (makecade.com) and/or other websites on the Internet.
DoubleClick DART Cookie: Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve targeted, relevant advertisements to our visitors based on their visit to our site and/or other sites across the World Wide Web.
Personalized Advertising Opt-Out: Users may opt out of personalized advertising at any time by visiting Google Ads Settings (https://adssettings.google.com).
Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) / DAA Opt-Out: Alternatively, users may opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting the Digital Advertising Alliance Consumer Choice tool at www.aboutads.info/choices or the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA) choice page at youronlinechoices.eu.

3. Cloud Firestore Leaderboard Infrastructure

Our real-time global scoreboards operate via Google Cloud Firebase (Cloud Firestore):

Leaderboard collections (such as space-ninja-scores, skyward-beat-scores, and pixel-fighter-scores) store player handles and metrics public to all arcade visitors.
We never ask for, collect, or store email addresses, real names, physical addresses, or passwords for leaderboard participation.
Leaderboard submissions undergo client-side and server-side validation to prevent profanity, SQL injection, script injection, and artificial score tampering.

4. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We classify cookies and local data storage into three distinct categories:

Strictly Necessary Storage: Essential for site functionality, remembering your visual theme (dark or light cabinet), sound mute status, and storing your consent preferences.
Functional Analytics: Non-personally identifiable metrics to help us understand which arcade games are most played and optimize frame rates and rendering engines.
Marketing & Advertising Cookies: Deployed by Google AdSense and authorized partners to display contextual or personalized advertisements and prevent ad repetition.

5. Your Data Protection Rights (GDPR & CCPA)

Depending on your geographic jurisdiction (such as the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or California), you are entitled to specific statutory rights regarding your data:

Right to Access: You may request confirmation of whether any data relating to your player pseudonym is stored in our database.
Right to Rectification & Deletion: You may request the modification or permanent deletion of any scoreboard record bearing your handle. Contact us at the support email below with your handle and game name, and we will purge the record within 72 hours.
Do Not Sell My Personal Information (CCPA): Makecade does not sell, rent, or trade personal information to third parties. Ad networks serve ads strictly in accordance with Google's partner guidelines.

6. Children's Online Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

Makecade is intended for general retro gaming audiences of all ages. We do not knowingly collect personal identifiable information from children under the age of 13. If you believe that a child has submitted personal details on our scoreboards, please contact us immediately, and we will delete the corresponding record.

7. Data Controller & Contact Information

If you have any questions, inquiries, or data requests regarding this Privacy Policy or Makecade's privacy practices, please contact the developer directly:

Data Controller: ROSS (Makecade Lead Developer)
Email: ross.kan@gmail.com
Website: https://makecade.com/arcade/
Location: London, United Kingdom