To take full advantage of all the features on this site, you need:

• Unity Web Plugin v1.6+
• Unity3D Web Plugin v2.1+
• Adobe Flash v9.0+
• Adobe Shockwave Plugin v11.0+

• Safari v3+
• Firefox v3+

A: You will be unable to play games made with Unity unless you install the required plugin. If you have an older version of Flash or Shockwave (which most browsers have) you should be able to play most Flash or Shockwave games on the site, but if you try to load a game made in a newer version, it may not play correctly. You will normally be notified on the game page if you are missing a required plugin - but you can save yourself the hassle and upgrade now.

A: Most browsers have Cookies enabled. This site uses browser cookies to enable security features, such as keeping users logged in, and to provide custom content on web pages. Deleting or disabling them prevents you from staying logged in and may stop you from being able to use other site functions or viewing certain pages. By changing the time or date on your computer, you may cause the cookies to expire.
To find out how to turn cookies on, please visit:
http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35851

A: Most browsers have Javascript enabled. If it has been disabled for some reason, then critical site features – such as login and sign-up forms, game pages, ratings and other user options – will not work. You can check your browser's settings to make sure Javascript is enabled.
To find out how to turn javascript on, please visit:
http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=23852

A: You can become a member by completing a sign-up form. (Click here to sign up.)
When we have received your details, we will send you an e-mail with a validation link. Your account will be enabled when you visit this link.
(For more information on accounts, please read our Terms.)

A: You should receive your validation email shortly after successfully signing up. If you do not receive your validation email, please check your email account's spam folder.

A: Membership allows you to rate games, leave comments, create lists of favourites and friends, send private messages to other members, upload and edit your games and score gamers' points.

A: If you develop a game and you have an account on our site, then you can upload your game.

A: If you are logged into the site, click on the 'Upload' link, in the 'Developers' menu at the top of the page, to open a game upload form. Simply fill out and send the form and once your game has uploaded, we will review it to verify its suitability for inclusion on our site. Your game will appear on the site once we have validated it. (If we decide not to validate your game, we will contact you to let you know you why.)
We have several guidelines for submitting games:

• We do not feature games that are racist, excessively violent or pornographic. Our membership includes under-age persons and if we find that you have uploaded a 'nasty', we will remove it and suspend your account.
• We do not feature non-functional game "demos". If you have a working demo then you should upload it as a prototype. If we find multiple entries, such as Demo 0.2, Demo 0.4, we will delete them. Instead we ask that you use our game editing options to replace your old game file.
• We do not feature files that auto-redirect or auto-spawn windows to other sites. You may include a link to your own site if you wish, but you must allow users to choose whether or not to go there.
• When you upload a game to our site, you are making a legal claim that it is your original work. (You must not upload a game that is not yours.)

A: If you are logged in, you can manage your games by clicking the My Games-Edit option, above your Profile page or by clicking the My Games shortcut at the top of the page. On the Manage Games page you will find a list of your games, displaying their status on our system with options to edit validated games. You can use the Edit option to change information about your game, replace the game file or update the thumbnail image. Some updates require validation before appearing in your game; others take place immediately.

A: If you want us to remove your game from our site, you can make a Removal Request from your Manage Games page, by clicking the Remove link. Once you have completed the Removal Request, your game will be removed from the site.

A: You can rate games by clicking the star-rater on the Player Options panel on the game page. Each member is allowed one vote per game. You can change the value of your vote by choosing a new star rating. These changes do not count as new votes, but as changes to your original vote.

A: You can leave comments about a game by clicking the Add Comment link on the game page. You can find this link by scrolling down to the bottom of the Comments panel.

To send a public comment to another member, either select the Add Comment link on the member's Profile page or the Comment link on the member's entry on the Members page.
We require that all members abide by the following guidelines when leaving comments.

Violating these guidelines may result in the removal of the offending comments and the suspension of your account. Repeat offenses may result in the cancellation of your account and depending on the severity of the offense, your ISP or the authorities may also be notified.

• Stay on topic - (eg if you're commenting about a game, keep your comments relevant to the game).
• Do not make cutting or insulting remarks toward the developer. We regard personal attacks as a threat to our online community and users caught doing this, will be banned from the site.
• Do not trash a developer's work. Tell them how they can improve it, instead. If you find a game which you believe violates our Terms, use the Report link on the Player Options panel to report the offense or e-mail us to bring it to our attention.
• Do not flood the title or body of your comments (for example, using long unbroken strings of characters, posting images made from text and characters or repeating words or phrases again and again.
• Do not post empty or irrelevant comments just to gain points. Not only is it lame, it will also result in the comments being removed, along with the points that came with them. Comments found to offer no benefit to the developer may be deleted.
• Do not post unrelated links or try to solicit business or internet traffic in your comments. Posting links to sites that reward you for generating hits will result in the cancellation of your account.
• If you believe a game to be stolen, do not mention this in the comments (not even as a question); we use another method to deal with this. Besides, if you are wrong, you could mislead others into unfairly reviewing or reporting the game. Instead use the Report link on the Player Options panel, to report the game as stolen or otherwise e-mail us with as much information as you can about the game, including the details of its rightful owner.

If you see other users violating these terms you can bring them to our attention by clicking the Report link on the upper-right of the comment.

A: All members can earn points. You can earn points by uploading, playing and rating games and leaving comments.

A: Whenever you score points, you improve your ranking across the site. All members can contend for a place among our most highly-ranked users and we will be offering rewards and privileges for members who attain certain scores and rankings, when we finalise what these rewards will be.

A: Report links are small triangular 'alert' icons (unless otherwise labled), displayed with games, comments and messages, that allow users to help police site content. If you find a comment, message or game that you find offensive or that you believe violates our Terms, you can select the accompanying report link to inform us of the offending material. We investigate all such reports, so while we seek to address legitimate claims quickly, we also take note of and, where required, deal with users who repeatedly submit inaccurate reports or abuse the system in a vexatious manner.

A: Click the Members button in the Main Menu and select the member you wish to view from the members list. If you are logged in, you can view your own profile by selecting the My Profile link at the top of the screen.

A: If you are logged in, you will be able to see a row of links under the Main Menu on your profile page, with pencil icons next to them. If you click the pencil icon next to the My Profile link, you can update your profile details, contact information and passwords. The other links in this row will allow you to manage other features of your account.

A: You must be logged in as a registered member, to create a favourites list. If you scroll down a game page, you will find the Player Options panel below the game. You can add the game to your favourites list by clicking the Add to Favourites link, on this panel. If the game is already a favourite, you can remove it from your list by clicking the Remove from Favourites link, which will appear on the panel instead. To view and edit your entire favourites list, you can select Edit Favourites on the Player Options panel or the Favourites link at the top of the page.

A: On a member's Profile page, near their profile image is an Add to Friends link. If you are logged in and click this link, a Friend Request will be sent to the member. The member may then decide to accept or ignore your request. If your request is accepted, the member will be added to your friends list and you will be added to the member's friends list.

A: If you are logged in, you can manage your Friends list by selecting the Friends link at the top of the page or by clicking the pencil icon next to the Friends link on your profile page.

Any member can use our Private Messaging (PM) system. PMs enable members to communicate directly while protecting their privacy.

A: We keep our members' e-mail addresses private. The preferred method of contact is Private Messaging.

A: On a member's Profile page, next to their avatar image, you will find a link to send them a private message. If you are logged into the site, selecting this link will take you to the Private Messaging section and begin a new message to that member. You can also create a message by selecting the PM link on the member's entry on the Members page.

A: If you are logged into the site, you can select the Messages link at the top of the page or from the Submenu on your profile page. This link will take you to your Inbox where you can read, compose and manage your messages.

A: As a member, you can PM any other member registered at Big-Game Arcade.

A: Your message boxes can hold up to 300 messages.

A: If your account has reached its limit, you will be unable to send or receive PMs; instead, an error message will be displayed indicating that your message boxes are full.

A: At the top-right of every message is a Report link, which you can use to refer the offending message(s) to us. We will then investigate and deal with the matter.