Privacy Policy

1. Overview

Gearlight Arcade is an editorial website about video games. We keep data collection minimal and practical. We do not ask for phone numbers, physical addresses, government identifiers, payment details, or unnecessary personal information. Contact with the site is handled through web forms and email-style communication.

2. Information you provide

When you use the contact form, we may receive your name, email address, selected topic, optional subject, message text, date of submission, and basic technical information such as an IP address if PHP hosting is enabled. When you subscribe to the newsletter, we receive the email address you enter and the date of signup.

3. How information is used

Information is used to reply to messages, manage reader requests, process review pitches, maintain a newsletter list, improve editorial planning, and protect the site from spam or abuse. We do not sell personal information and do not use submitted form content for unrelated advertising profiles.

4. Local storage and forms

The site includes JavaScript that can store form submissions in the visitor’s browser during local preview mode or if a PHP request fails. This is designed so forms remain usable while the website is being tested. On a normal PHP hosting setup, newsletter and contact submissions are stored in private CSV files inside the site’s protected private directory.

5. Newsletter choices

If you subscribe to the Gearlight dispatch, your email address is used to send gaming updates, new articles, reviews, guide notes, and editorial highlights. You can request removal from the list by contacting us through the form and using the same email address.

6. Cookies and preferences

We use essential cookies and local preferences to remember cookie choices and support form behavior. Details are described in the Cookie Policy. The site is designed to work without invasive tracking or unnecessary behavioral profiling.

7. Data retention

Messages and newsletter records may be retained for as long as needed to answer requests, maintain editorial records, manage subscriptions, and protect the website. Old records can be reviewed and removed periodically when they are no longer useful.

8. Security

We use reasonable technical measures such as private storage folders, input validation, and simple spam-resistant form handling. No online system can be guaranteed perfectly secure, so users should avoid sending confidential personal or financial information through the forms.

9. Your rights

You may request access, correction, or deletion of information you submitted by contacting us through the contact form. To protect privacy, we may ask for enough information to confirm that the request relates to your own message or newsletter address.

10. Updates

This policy may be updated when the site changes, legal requirements evolve, or new features are added. The latest version published on this page applies to site use from the date it appears.