Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Game Design Academy LLC ("Game Design Academy," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and protects information in connection with Pixel Game Lab (the "Service"), our game-design creation app. Because Pixel Game Lab is used by children, including children under the age of 13, we have designed this policy to comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and to collect as little personal information as possible.

2. Information We Collect

We collect only the information needed to run the Service:

• Account information. For students enrolled through a school or program, an administrator or teacher creates a username and password (and may add a class code and school details such as grade); students do not enter personal details themselves. For personal adult accounts (18 or older), we store a username, password, email address, and date of birth. For a personal account belonging to someone under 18, we store only a username and password (plus a date of birth used to confirm age), we do not collect a name or email address from a child who signs up on their own.
• Date of birth. Collected once at sign-up to determine whether an account belongs to a child and to apply the right protections. We use it only for age screening.
• Creations and content. Concept art, pixel art, levels, and games that a user makes within the Service, along with related project metadata.
• Limited technical and security data. Basic information needed to keep accounts secure and prevent abuse, such as authentication session data and IP addresses used for security, rate-limiting, and bot protection at sign-up. We do not use this data to build advertising or behavioral profiles.

We do not require students, or children using a personal account, to provide an email address, phone number, real name, or any personal details beyond what is described above.

3. How We Use Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve the Service;
• Save, display, and let users return to their creations;
• Allow teachers and administrators to manage classes, assign tasks, and review student work;
• Send important account emails, such as email verification and password resets, through our email delivery provider;
• Keep accounts secure and prevent misuse of the Service.

We do not use children's information for advertising, behavioral profiling, or any purpose unrelated to operating the Service. We do not use any third-party analytics or advertising trackers in the Service.

4. Children's Privacy (COPPA)

Pixel Game Lab is used by children in two ways, and we protect their information in both.

School and program use. Student accounts are created only by an authorized administrator or teacher, children do not sign up themselves. Schools and programs that enroll students confirm they have the authority to consent on behalf of parents for the educational use of the Service.

Personal (home) use. A person may create a free account directly. Any account for someone under 18 is automatically placed on a limited, free "Demo" plan and is username-only: we do not collect a name, email, or other contact information from the child. To unlock additional features, an adult parent or guardian must connect to the child's account and buy a license, and that adult must verify their email address first, so a parent knowingly enables and controls a child's paid account. Every purchase on a child's account requires a parent or guardian: on the website only a verified adult can buy or manage a subscription or license, and in our apps any purchase must be completed through a parental gate and, where enabled, the device family's purchase-approval controls.

Parental consent. For school use, consent is handled through the school or program (and, where applicable, at booking or enrollment). For personal use, a child remains on the no-personal-information Demo unless a verified adult connects to the account and consents.

Data minimization. We intentionally collect the smallest amount of information necessary for a child to use the Service, and we do not condition participation on a child disclosing more information than is reasonably necessary.

No messaging between users. The Service has no chat, direct messaging, voice, or video features of any kind. The only way two users interact is by playing a game together, which involves no communication between them.

No third-party advertising or tracking. We do not serve advertisements, and we do not allow third-party advertising networks or behavioral tracking technologies within the children's experience.

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information. We do not share children's information with advertisers. We share information only:

• With service providers who help us operate the Service (for example, secure hosting, database, and file-storage providers; an email delivery provider for account emails; payment and in-app-purchase processors for paid subscriptions, including the subscription platform used by our mobile apps; and a privacy-focused bot-check on our sign-up page), under agreements that limit their use of the information to providing services to us;
• With the school, teacher, or program administrator responsible for a student's account;
• When required by law, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of our users or Game Design Academy LLC.

Community and friend features (optional). Accounts with a paid subscription can choose to share art they made to the in-app community, publish a game to the public games catalog, add friends, and play a level together (co-op). These features are turned OFF for free "Demo" accounts. They are available to paid accounts without an age restriction — a paid subscription for a child is purchased and controlled by their parent — because they are designed to be safe for children by design, with the following safeguards:

• No chat or messaging of any kind. There is no way for one user to send another a message, image, voice, or video. The only interaction is playing a game together.
• No unmoderated content reaches other users. Every item shared to the community and every game published to the public catalog is reviewed and approved by an administrator before it becomes visible to anyone else.
• Friends can only be added by exact username. There is no browsing, suggestion, or discovery of other users — to send a friend request you must already know the other person's exact, full username, which is a self-chosen handle (never the child's real name). Users can block others and limit who may send them requests.
• A username (never a real name) is the only identity shown to other users, and children's accounts never display or collect a real name.

When a user chooses to share, the shared item and the user's username (not their real name) become visible to other users. Art shared to the community may be downloaded and reused by other users in their own creations; those copies remain with the user who downloaded them even if the original is later removed. Sharing is always optional and off by default. Co-op play connects the two players' devices directly over the internet, which involves sharing network address information between the two devices to establish the connection; there is no chat or messaging during play.

6. Data Retention

We retain account information and creations for as long as the account is active or as needed to provide the Service. When an account is removed, we delete or anonymize the associated personal information within a reasonable period, except where we must retain it to comply with legal obligations or resolve disputes. Parents and administrators may request deletion at any time (see Parental Rights below).

7. Parental Rights

Parents and legal guardians have the right to review the personal information we have collected from their child, to request that we delete it, and to refuse to permit further collection or use of their child's information. To exercise these rights, please contact us using the details in the Contact section below, and we will respond after verifying the request. You may also contact your child's school or program administrator.

A parent who has connected a child's personal account can also permanently delete that child's account and all of its data directly in Settings at any time. Deleting an account erases the child's login, their creations, and their files. Art the child had shared to the community that other users already downloaded stays with those users, but is no longer attributed to the child.

8. Deleting Your Account & Data

You can delete an account and its data at any time. Inside the app, open Settings → Delete account (a parent can delete a connected child's account from their own Settings). If you can't access the app, you can request deletion, and read exactly what gets removed, here:

pixelgamelab.com/data-deletion

9. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect information against unauthorized access, loss, or misuse, including encrypted connections and access controls. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect information consistent with industry standards.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, provide additional notice. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to review or delete a child's information, contact:

Game Design Academy LLC
Email: info@gamedesignacademy.com