All checklists from the course
Every checklist in the five steps, gathered here in one sheet. The boxes are printed marks rather than controls: nothing on this page remembers what you have ticked, because the site stores nothing at all in your browser. Print it, or keep the tab open beside the step you are working on.
How to use
How to work through these
The six lists below run in the order of the course, and they are meant to be used one at a time rather than all at once. Checklist 0 belongs before you read anything; the rest belong at the end of their own step, as a way of confirming that the step actually changed something rather than merely passing in front of your eyes.
Nothing here is a test, and there is no mark at the end. A line you cannot tick is simply a line to come back to. Several of them — the ones about data allowances, household agreements and written spending rules — depend on other people, so they may sit unticked for a few days while a conversation happens. That is the normal pace of this, not a failure.
If you print the page, the step headings and the boxes are laid out to sit on white paper without the navigation, the read-out panels or the links. Pen on paper works well for the hardware figures in Checklist 2, because those six lines are worth keeping somewhere that does not depend on a particular computer still working.
Two of the lists are useful more than once. Checklist 2, the hardware record, applies to any game you consider in future, so keep the completed copy. Checklist 5, about money and control, is worth re-reading after a month of play, when the question has changed from "will I spend anything" to "what have I spent".
You can complete every line without paying for anything. Where a step mentions a particular product, that mention is an example rather than an instruction, and the Affiliate Disclosure explains the commercial arrangement behind those mentions.
Checklist 0 — Before you start
Belongs before Step 1.
- Decide which computer this will happen on, and whether you are allowed to install software on it.
- Check that the computer is a desktop or laptop running Windows, macOS or Linux, since the game described in this course runs on those systems only.
- Find out roughly how much free space the drive has, and note the number.
- Work out whether your internet connection has a monthly data limit, and how much of it is left.
- Choose the email address the account will use, and make sure you can read it today.
- Agree with anyone else in the household on who is allowed to spend money on this, if anyone.
Checklist 1 — Understanding what you are installing
From Step 1.
- I can say in one sentence what the game is and how its makers are paid.
- I have found the system requirements page and confirmed my type of computer is listed.
- I have found the page that describes what is sold inside the game, or confirmed that nothing is.
- I have confirmed the terms of service and privacy policy are published and dated.
- I have found a support contact or help centre for the game.
- I have checked the classification for the title on the Australian Classification Board's site if age suitability matters in my household.
- I understand that free to install does not mean nothing is sold afterwards.
- I have noted whether any purchases are made with an invented in-game currency.
Checklist 2 — Checking your computer
From Step 2.
- I have written down my operating system and its version.
- I have written down the full processor line, model number included.
- I have written down the installed memory in gigabytes.
- I have noted whether the graphics are a separate card or integrated.
- I have noted the free space on the drive where programs are installed.
- I have confirmed the computer is a desktop or laptop running Windows, macOS or Linux.
- I have compared my six lines against the published requirements and formed a view.
- I know how much of my monthly data allowance remains, or that there is no limit.
- I have planned the first large download for a time that suits the household.
Checklist 3 — Account and email
From Step 3.
- I used an email address I control and will still be reading in five years.
- I gave only the information the sign-up form actually required.
- My password is unique to this account and stored in a password manager or written somewhere safe.
- I followed the confirmation link and the account is fully active.
- I have turned on a second login step if the service offers one.
- I have saved any recovery codes the service gave me.
- My display name reveals nothing about where I live, work or study.
- I know where the mute, block and report controls are.
- I know never to follow account links from unexpected messages, and to open the service directly instead.
Checklist 4 — The first session
From Step 4.
- I obtained the installer from the publisher's own site or a platform the publisher names.
- I let the installation and the first launcher update finish without interrupting them.
- I logged in with the confirmed account from Step 3.
- I set the resolution and display mode deliberately.
- I chose a quality preset that matches what Step 2 told me about this computer.
- I adjusted mouse sensitivity and audio levels.
- I turned on the accessibility options that make the screen easier to read.
- I finished the tutorial rather than skipping it.
- I found the pause or menu key, and the mute and report controls.
- I stopped at a sensible time instead of playing until something hurt.
Checklist 5 — Money and control
From Step 5.
- I can name what the game sells: appearance, convenience or access.
- I have worked out the cost of one unit of in-game currency in AUD.
- I have multiplied that out for the item I was considering, and decided with the real figure in front of me.
- I have decided my household's position on randomised purchases, and it is "no" if anyone under 18 plays.
- I have checked the title's entry with the Australian Classification Board if age suitability matters here.
- No payment card is stored on the game account.
- Bank notifications are on, and receipts are kept in one folder.
- A written household rule about spending exists, where the computer is.
- I know to contact the seller first, then the ACCC or my state consumer agency, if a purchase goes wrong.
- I will not buy currency, items or accounts from third parties.
- I have decided roughly how long a session runs before starting one.
- I know how to uninstall, how to ask for the account to be closed, and to remove payment methods on the way out.