Yahoo Games Safety Guide
Basics of the Games community
- Players of all ages are welcome to play single-player games.
- Players 13 and over can engage in multiplayer games.
Important Note: Yahoo Games hosts games developed both by Yahoo and by other companies. Know that these companies may provide unique opportunities to create a gamer name or profile for use on their specific platform. All players using Yahoo Games are subject to the Yahoo Terms of Service as well as any specific terms for any third-party game company (as applicable). To know which terms apply to a particular game, review the Game Info section on each page of the game you are interested in playing.
You on Games
Yahoo ID: For most games on Yahoo Games, you will be prompted to sign in with your Yahoo ID and password. Not all games may require sign in but if you don’t have one and need it, you’ll be prompted to register for a Yahoo account.
Yahoo branded games
- Gamer Name. For Yahoo branded games (the games Yahoo has created directly for you), if you do not wish to have your Yahoo ID display as your identity in Games, upon entering a game, you can sometimes select a gamer name. If you do not select a gamer name when prompted, your profile with automatically populate with your Yahoo ID. Note: These names are not unique. Steer clear of including personal information.
- Picture from Yahoo profile. The picture that displays for your Yahoo Games profile comes from your Yahoo profile. If your profile is hidden or there is no image available, a stock gray silhouette will populate. To adjust this setting, visit Yahoo Profile and follow the steps to personalize your profile image. As your Yahoo profile is public, remember that the photo that you select can be publicly viewed by the Yahoo community.
What you should know
Yahoo branded games vs. Third-party games: Yahoo Games highlights both Yahoo branded games (developed by Yahoo directly) and partner games developed by third-party companies to bring you a wide variety to enjoy. To determine which you are playing:
- Hover over any game and click on Game Info
- Look for the company name just below the brief description:
- Yahoo Games is a Yahoo branded game (created by Yahoo)
- [Other Company Name] is a third-party game (owned by another company)
Note: If you are playing a third-party game, know that you may have options to create a gamer name through their company, chat through their interface, and do much more through them specifically. As you are subject to both the Yahoo Terms and the terms of these third-party companies when playing their game, be sure to review the companies specific Terms of Use.
Third-party games offer their own support: If you are playing one of the games from our third-party partners and need help, each game is supported by that company directly to ensure that you reach the experts if you need help. If you need assistance, read the Game Info section for details and learn how to engage the right support team.
Multiplayer games vs. single-player games: Multiplayer games have an element of community. Many of them offer the ability to chat with players, but all of them have other players in the gaming experience with you. Gamers under the age of 13 are not able to access these types of games. Single-player games, where the player interacts only with the game, are accessible to all ages.
Chat may be available: Chat is available in some Yahoo branded games such as Yahoo Pool and Yahoo Poker, to provide a more interactive game-playing experience. Chat may also be available in other non-Yahoo branded games and not all chat features will work the same. As always, be careful not give out any personal information, and be courteous to other players. If you decide that you do not want to interact with a particular individual, use available Mute features.
To mute a player in a Yahoo branded game, simply Click the person's screen name to mute future chats. This action blocks you from seeing contributions from that individual in that particular chat experience.
Play with Friends vs. Quick Play on Yahoo branded games: Play with Friends lets gamers play with other gamers that they have already added as friends in Yahoo Games. When selecting this option, gamers are presented with their list of friends to invite to the game. To add new friends, simply send the game-specific link in an email to the people you want to join. You can also click Add Friend on a gamer profile to send a request to be friends on Yahoo Games. Quick Play is a random selection of other players to join in the fun. Remember to be careful about the information you share with strangers in a Quick Play game.
In-app purchasing is available: Many Yahoo Games are free, but you can make purchases within the mobile gaming experience of certain games. If you purchase a game or credits and have a credit card on file, be careful who you let play — you don't want anyone making purchases for you. Parents with kids will want to be especially aware of this when they let children play games on their mobile devices.
Games safety: best practices
Protect personal information: As a general rule, keep your personal information private.
Block or report abusive players: If another player bothers you, you can block the person's chat so that you no longer see the person's contributions in the chat window.
- Click the player's profile picture.
- Click Block.
You can also report a chat if you find it offensive. The Report button will generate an abuse report for us to review.
- In the right-hand corner of the chat window, click Report.
- Then you'll get a message in the chat window saying, "This chat has been reported."
For more information about Yahoo Games, visit Yahoo Help or the Yahoo Games Help Community.