Terms of Service

Welcome to HokuGames.com. By using the Service, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service. These Terms apply to everyone who uses Hoku, with or without an account. Our Privacy Policy is part of how we run the Service and explains how we handle your information.

Each chapter starts with key points in simple words. They help you understand the rules, but the full text of each chapter is what applies.

Anyone can play games on Hoku without an account. To create an account, you must be at least 13 years old, or older if your country requires a higher minimum age for online services. If you are under that age, you may still play games but may not register an account, and you should only use the Service with the involvement of a parent or guardian.

The Kids Zone is a selection of games for younger players, and Kids Mode lets a parent lock a device to it with a PIN and a daily time limit. These controls are stored only on that device. They help, but they are not a guarantee, so please keep an eye on how young children use the internet.

• Provide accurate information and keep your password, magic phrase and recovery code secure. You are responsible for activity under your account.
• A magic phrase account has no email address. If you lose your phrase and your recovery code, we may not be able to give the account back to you.
• One account per person. Don't impersonate others or use offensive, infringing or misleading usernames. Pick a made-up name, not your real one.
• Tell us promptly if you believe your account has been accessed without your permission.
• You can delete your account at any time from your profile. This erases it and everything linked to it, including your Stars and progress, and can't be undone.

"Stars" are a free, in-game virtual currency with no real-world monetary value. You earn them by playing, daily streaks and spins, quests, achievements, invites, accepted bug reports, accepted ideas and other features, and you can spend them on items in the Star Shop, on unlocking games and on some features. Stars:

• cannot be purchased, sold, exchanged for cash, or transferred outside the Service;
• are a limited license to use a feature of the Service, not your property, and are non-refundable;
• may be earned, adjusted, reduced or removed by us, for example to keep the game fair, to correct errors or abuse, or as described in features (such as bonuses that are taken back if you turn a feature off);
• may change in value, expire or be discontinued at any time, and have no value when an account is closed.

Rewards have their own rules shown in the feature itself. For example, an invite reward only counts once the invited player has really played, rewards for bug reports and ideas are given only for ones we accept, and we decide whether to accept them and how many Stars (50 to 1,000) to give. The install bonus and the notifications bonus are held: they are paid while the app is installed on your device and while notifications are on, and taken back when you remove the app or turn notifications off, even if you already spent them, in which case your balance goes below zero until Stars you earn bring it back up. Installing again or turning notifications back on pays them again.

You agree not to:

• cheat, exploit bugs, use bots or automation, or manipulate Stars, scores, streaks, invites or leaderboards;
• create extra accounts to get more rewards, or invite yourself;
• harass, bully, abuse or harm other users, or post unlawful, offensive or infringing content, for example in your username or bio;
• share someone else's personal information, or try to find out personal information about other players;
• send spam, for example with friend requests or shared games;
• attempt to break, overload, hack, scrape or reverse-engineer the Service, or bypass its security;
• use the Service for any illegal purpose or in violation of these Terms.

If you find a bug, please report it instead of using it. If someone breaks these rules, use "Report player" on their profile or tell us at support@hokugames.com.

The games on Hoku are provided by third-party game providers and load from their servers inside an embedded frame. We do not own or control these games and are not responsible for their content, availability, or any data they collect, which is governed by the relevant third party's own terms and privacy policy. Games are provided "as is". We may add, hide or remove games at any time, for example when a game stops working.

Hoku shows ads from Google so that it can stay free. Ads are chosen and shown by Google, and we are not responsible for what advertisers offer. Please ask a parent or guardian before you click an ad or buy anything. How ads use data is explained in our Privacy Policy.

If you have an account, you can turn on reminders (push notifications) about streaks, spins, quests, friends and news. They are optional, and you can turn them off at any time on your profile or in your browser.

If you submit content, such as a username, bio, bug report (with screenshots or videos) or a report about a game, you grant us a non-exclusive license to display it as part of the Service and to use it to run and improve the Service, for example to fix the bug you reported. You are responsible for what you submit: only send things you are allowed to share, and please don't include personal information. We may remove content that violates these Terms.

Ideas. When you send an idea (for example a new game or feature), you give it to us for free: we may use, change or combine it, or not use it, without paying you or naming you. Ideas are not treated as confidential, and others may have had the same idea. If we accept your idea, you get the Stars we choose (50 to 1,000), which is the only reward. Please only send ideas that are your own.

The HokuGames name, logo, design and site content are owned by us or our licensors and may not be copied or used without permission. Games and their content belong to their respective owners. Your browser may automatically store copies of pages to show the site; that is fine.

If you believe something on Hoku infringes your copyright or other rights, email support@hokugames.com with the details, and we will look into it.

We may suspend or terminate your access at any time if you violate these Terms, or to protect the Service or other users. Depending on what happened, we may send you a warning that you must read before you continue, correct or reset your Stars or streaks, ban your account for a set time or permanently, or block the IP address used for abuse. A person decides on these steps; our security tools only flag unusual activity.

When we warn or ban you, the warning or the ban message tells you why. If you think we got it wrong, email support@hokugames.com and a person will look at it again.

You may stop using the Service or delete your account at any time.

Your browser lets you install Hoku on your device so it opens in its own window. This is the same Service, not separate software, and these Terms apply to it in the same way. You can remove it like any other app.

Using the Service needs an internet connection. Your internet or mobile data provider may charge for it, and those charges are your responsibility (or the responsibility of whoever pays for the connection), not ours.

The Service may contain links to, or show content from, other websites, including game providers and advertisers. We do not control them and are not responsible for their content, products, services or privacy practices. Your use of other websites is subject to their own terms.

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free or secure, or that games will always be available.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, HokuGames will not be liable for any indirect, incidental or consequential damages, or for loss of data, Stars or progress, arising from your use of the Service. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.

We may change, add or remove features, and we may update these Terms. We will update the "last updated" date and, for significant changes, give more prominent notice. Continued use after changes means you accept the updated Terms.

These Terms are governed by the laws applicable where the operator of HokuGames is established. Nothing in this section removes any mandatory consumer-protection rights you have under the laws of your own country of residence, and where local law allows, you may bring proceedings in your home country. If any part of these Terms can't be enforced, the rest still applies.