Step 1 of 5

What a desktop game actually asks of you

Before you look at any particular game, it helps to know what kind of commitment the word "install" covers. This step separates the four things a game asks for — space on your computer, time, money, and an account — so that the rest of the course has something to measure against.

What "a desktop game" means here

A desktop game is a program you install on a computer that runs Windows, macOS or Linux — a laptop counts — rather than on a phone, a tablet or a console. That distinction matters more than it sounds, because the same title can exist in several versions that differ in content, in price and in what they need from the hardware.

This course is written for the desktop version of things, and the one game it names by way of example, Raid: Shadow Legends, is offered through its affiliate programme for desktop computers only: Windows, macOS and Linux. If you were planning to play on a phone, most of the thinking here still applies, but the specific checks will not.

Within desktop games there is a wide spread. Some are a single purchase that you install once and play offline forever. Some are connected games that need an internet connection every time, update themselves regularly, and keep your progress on the publisher's servers rather than on your machine. The second kind is much more common now, and it is the kind this course assumes, because it asks the most questions of a beginner.

The four things a game asks for

Whatever the game, the request it makes of you breaks into four parts. People usually think about the fourth one — money — and skip the first three, which is backwards, because the first three are the ones that decide whether the game works at all.

Space: what lands on your drive

When you install a game, several separate things usually arrive. There is the installer itself, a file you download and then run. There is the game, unpacked into a folder, which is normally much larger than the installer because the installer is compressed. And in many cases there is a launcher — a small program whose job is to keep the game updated and to sign you in. The launcher often stays on your computer and starts with it unless you tell it not to.

The number a game publishes as its storage requirement is usually the unpacked size, and usually the size on the day it was published. Connected games grow as content is added. It is reasonable to assume you will need more room in six months than you need on day one, which is why Step 2 asks you to look at free space rather than just at whether the requirement fits today.

A download also consumes data on your internet connection. If your home or mobile plan has a data allowance, a large first download and a steady series of updates both count towards it. Whether that matters to you depends on your plan, and your plan is something only your provider can tell you.

Time: sessions, progress and live games

Different games want different shapes of time, and the shape matters more than the total. A game built around short, self-contained rounds can be put down after ten minutes with nothing lost. A game built around long missions wants an uninterrupted hour. Neither is better; they just suit different lives, and knowing which one you are looking at prevents a lot of frustration.

Connected games often add a third shape: the daily cycle. These are tasks, rewards or events that reset on a timer, so that logging in each day gives you something you would otherwise miss. Many role-playing and collection games are built this way, including the kind of battle collection game that the one named example in this course belongs to. It is a legitimate design, and plenty of people enjoy it, but it is worth noticing before you start rather than three weeks in, because it converts an occasional hobby into a daily appointment.

A useful question to ask yourself at this stage: if you could only play once a week, would this game still make sense? If the answer is no, you have learned something important about the commitment, and you can decide knowingly rather than by drift. Step 5 comes back to this with a practical way of setting your own limits.

Money: the shapes a game's cost can take

Desktop games are sold in several different ways, and the words used on a game's page tell you which one you are looking at. The three common shapes are a single purchase, a recurring subscription, and a game you can install and play without an up-front payment that sells optional items inside it. Mixtures of these exist too.

That last point deserves a sentence of its own, because it is the one that most often surprises people. Some games sell items whose contents are randomised, so that you pay a known amount for an unknown result and may need to pay repeatedly to get a particular thing. In Australia, games carrying that kind of purchase are addressed in the national classification arrangements; the Australian Classification Board publishes the ratings and consumer advice that apply to games here, and its site is the place to check what a given title carries rather than relying on a summary anywhere else, including this one.

We do not state the cost structure of the one game named in this course. The vendor's description supplied to us covers what the game is and what the affiliate programme pays on; it does not state a price or a purchase model, so we do not either. Step 3 shows you where on a vendor's own page that information is normally found.

The account and what you agree to

Most connected games require an account. Creating one means handing over at least an email address, agreeing to a set of terms, and accepting a privacy notice that describes what the publisher collects while you play. That is an ordinary arrangement, and it is also a real decision, because an account is where your progress, your purchases and your identity in the game all live.

Two practical consequences follow. The first is that the email address you use becomes the key to the account, so a shared household address is a poor choice if more than one person plays. The second is that the publisher's privacy notice, not this site and not the game's advertising, is the document that tells you what is collected. In Australia, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner is the regulator for privacy and publishes general guidance on what a privacy notice should tell you.

If the game is being installed on a computer that other people use, the account question becomes a household question as well. Step 3 includes a short conversation to have before, rather than after.