Metadata Games is a small, independent games site with no user accounts, no comments and no newsletter. This page explains the little data that does get handled when you visit, why it is handled, and what control you have over it.
The short version
- You cannot create an account here, so we never ask for your name, email address or password.
- There are no comment boxes or forms that store your words on our servers.
- Our web server and Cloudflare keep standard technical logs, mainly IP addresses and request details, to keep the site running and block abuse.
- The site uses essential cookies only. If we add analytics, it will be a privacy-friendly tool that does not build profiles of individual visitors.
- The “Can I Run It” checker and the release countdowns run entirely in your browser. The hardware you pick and your time zone never leave your device.
What we do not collect
Because there is nothing to sign up for, there is nothing to store about you as a person. We do not collect:
- Names, email addresses or phone numbers
- Payment details
- Account passwords or login history
- Comments, reviews or messages posted through the site
- Precise location data
If that ever changes (for example, if we add a newsletter), this policy will be updated before the feature goes live.
Server logs
Like almost every website, the server that delivers Metadata Games writes a log line for each request. A typical entry contains:
- The IP address the request came from
- The date and time
- The page or file requested
- The browser and operating system reported by your device (the “user agent” string)
- The page that linked you here, if your browser sends it
We use these logs to spot errors, fix broken pages and notice unusual traffic such as scraping or attack attempts. We do not use them to identify individual readers, and nobody looks at them unless something is going wrong.
Cloudflare
Metadata Games sits behind Cloudflare, which acts as a content delivery network and security layer. Every request to the site passes through Cloudflare’s network before it reaches our server.
To do its job, Cloudflare processes your IP address, request headers and related connection details. It uses that information to cache pages so they load faster, filter out bots and automated attacks, and occasionally show a verification challenge if a connection looks suspicious. Cloudflare may also set a technical cookie as part of its bot protection. We do not control the content of those cookies, but they are used for security rather than tracking you across the web.
Cloudflare is an independent company with its own privacy policy, and it acts as a processor on our behalf for these security and performance functions.
Cookies
The site uses essential cookies only. “Essential” means the cookie is needed for the site or its security layer to work, not for advertising or cross-site tracking. In practice that is limited to:
- Security cookies set by Cloudflare during bot checks
- Any cookie needed to remember a basic display preference, if we add one
There is no cookie banner because there is nothing here that requires consent under cookie rules. We do not run advertising networks, retargeting pixels or social media trackers.
Analytics
Right now the site is new and we are relying on server logs to understand roughly how many people visit and which pages are popular.
We may add a privacy-friendly analytics tool in future. If we do, it will meet these conditions:
- No cookies or persistent identifiers that follow you between visits
- No collection of your full IP address
- Only aggregate data: page views, referring sites, broad country and device type
- No sharing of that data with advertisers or data brokers
If analytics are added, this page will be updated to name the tool and describe exactly what it records.
The “Can I Run It” checker
The hardware checker on this site compares the components you select (CPU, graphics card, RAM, storage and so on) against a game’s listed minimum and recommended requirements.
Everything about that comparison happens inside your browser. The page downloads the requirement data and the matching logic, and your browser does the work locally. The hardware you choose is not sent to our servers, not logged and not stored anywhere we can see. If you close the tab, that selection is gone unless your browser keeps it in its own local storage for convenience, which you can clear at any time through your browser settings.
We built it this way on purpose. There is no reason for a games site to keep a record of what PC you own.
Countdown time zones
Release countdowns and launch timers on Metadata Games display times based on the time zone your browser reports. That value comes from your device’s clock settings and is read locally by the page script. It is not transmitted to us, and we do not keep a list of which time zones visitors are in.
If a countdown looks wrong, check the time zone set on your computer or phone, since that is what the timer is using.
Retention
Technical data is kept only as long as it is useful:
- Server logs are kept for a short rolling period, typically a matter of weeks, and then deleted or rotated automatically.
- Cloudflare retains its own logs according to its published retention schedules, which we do not control.
- If we introduce aggregate analytics, those totals contain no personal data and may be kept indefinitely for comparing traffic over time.
Nothing you enter into the hardware checker or countdown pages is retained by us at all, because it never reaches us.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, data protection laws such as the GDPR in the EU and UK, or state privacy laws in the US, give you rights over personal data that an organisation holds about you. These can include the right to access it, correct it, have it deleted, or object to how it is used.
In practice, the only personal data we might hold is an IP address in a server log. If you want to ask about that, or exercise any other right, contact us using the contact details published on this site and we will respond within the time required by the applicable law. You also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority if you believe we have mishandled your data.
Children
Metadata Games is a general-audience site about video games and board games. It is not aimed at children under 13, and because there are no accounts or forms, we do not knowingly collect any personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe a child has somehow provided personal data to us, get in touch and we will remove it.
Links to other sites
Articles here link out to storefronts, publishers, developer pages and other sources. Those sites have their own privacy policies and their own cookies. Once you leave Metadata Games, this policy no longer applies, so check the destination site’s policy if you are concerned.
Changes to this policy
We will revise this policy when the site changes in a way that affects how data is handled, for example adding analytics, a contact form or a newsletter. Significant changes will be noted on this page so returning readers can see what is different. Continued use of the site after a change means you accept the updated policy.
Contact
Questions about this policy, or about how the site handles data, can be sent through the contact details listed on this site. We read everything, even if it takes a few days to reply.
