Who is responsible
Open Heart Gaming (OHG) is an unincorporated gaming community. It is the name under which we operate our community infrastructure. In this policy, OHG, we and us refer to Open Heart Gaming. This policy explains how we handle personal information through openheartgaming.com and the connected community systems described below, including membership, support, moderation and game-server activity.
For privacy questions, requests or concerns, contact OHG at openheartgamers@gmail.com. This address also handles general community, support and terms questions.
Important things to know
- Signing in connects your Discord identity to a website account. Linking Steam, applying for membership or using whitelist features can connect your gaming identities and community records.
- Playing on our connected game servers can generate activity, chat and moderation records even if you never sign in to the website or become a member.
- Some member information and ban records are public. Reports, applications, support requests and appeals also use staff case workflows in Discord. The sections below explain these differences.
Information we collect and why
Website accounts and linked identities
When you sign in with Discord, we receive your Discord user ID and profile information, including your username and display name, and associate them with a website account identifier. We use this information to sign you in, recognize your account, apply permissions and connect your community records. We do not collect or store your email address or password through Steam or Discord sign-in. Our authentication provider maintains account identifiers and session credentials to manage sign-in.
If you link Steam, we use Steam's sign-in verification to confirm ownership of your SteamID64. We retain the verified identifier and linking details, including the associated account and relevant timestamps, to connect game activity and administer membership or server benefits.
If you email us or include contact information in a form or message, we receive and may retain that information and the correspondence to handle your enquiry.
Applications and community administration
Membership applications collect your preferred display name, SteamID64, stated game experience, reason for applying, any optional recruitment source, confirmation that you are at least 18 and agreement to the rules. Advancement applications can also include previous community and leadership experience, preferred role or track, availability, time zone and notes. We use these details to review applications, arrange community participation and administer roles and progression.
Reports, support and appeals
When you submit a player report, support request or appeal, we collect the account identity attached to the submission and the information you provide. This can include player or member identities, SteamID64, the issue or rule involved, incident details, dates and times, game or location, reproduction steps, your explanation and links to evidence. We use this information to investigate, respond, enforce rules and review decisions.
Evidence fields accept links rather than direct file uploads. The linked material remains with its hosting service, but staff may review it when handling the case. Do not submit passwords, payment details or personal information unrelated to the issue. Share information about other people only where it is relevant and you are permitted to do so.
Game activity and moderation
Connected game-server systems collect player identifiers such as SteamID64 and, where supplied by the game, an Epic Online Services identifier. Records can include player names and aliases, team and squad assignments, roles, leadership status, connection and session times, playtime, seeding participation, combat events, text chat, game-system messages, requests for an administrator and moderation actions.
We use these records to operate servers, investigate problems and misconduct, enforce rules, calculate activity and seeding credit, and administer recognition, membership and server access. Some records are summarized into cumulative statistics associated with a player. Detailed activity tools are available to staff with the relevant permissions; selected member summaries are public as described below.
Whitelists and server access
Whitelist records can include SteamID64, an optional label, the responsible member or Discord identity, eligibility and expiry information. We use these records to manage server access, including access earned through seeding. Removing an entry from an active whitelist does not itself erase the underlying record.
Cookies, browser storage and technical records
We use cookies to maintain sign-in sessions and carry you through sign-in and application steps. The sign-in routing cookie lasts up to 10 minutes and the application-routing cookie up to one hour. Account-related dashboard and whitelist information can be saved in your browser's local storage so those features can load efficiently. Public directory results are also cached in the browser. Some local storage can remain between visits until it is replaced, invalidated or cleared. Your browser lets you block cookies or clear site data, although doing so may sign you out or stop some features working. On a shared device, sign out and clear site data when you finish.
Our hosting and security systems process technical request information, such as IP addresses, browser information, requested addresses, timestamps, response status and diagnostic errors, to deliver the service, investigate faults and prevent abuse. Our application uses hashed identifiers for rate limiting. Provider operational records and security data are separate from the game-activity records described above.
Information visible to other people
Public community pages display member names, ranks, units or assignments, membership status, total playtime and current-week seeding statistics. Profiles can also show rank history, awards with dates and citations, an optional leadership biography, and game-by-game time including recent activity. Status information can include leave or suspension. Public event listings can include an organizer's name, event description, time, location supplied for the event, image and source-message link. These pages are accessible without signing in.
Public ban records can include player name, SteamID64, the stated reason, duration and dates, and the issuing administrator or source. Evidence is included where it is designated for public display. Public ban feeds also make selected identifiers and enforcement details available for game-server use. Public information can be copied, indexed or reused by others, and linking a gaming identifier to a moderation record can affect how others view that account.
If you believe a public profile or moderation record is inaccurate, email openheartgamers@gmail.com with the page and the correction you are requesting. We will review the request and explain the outcome or any limits on what we can change. For an OHG ban appeal, use https://openheartgaming.com/appeals. An external Community Ban List record may also require correction through that service or the originating administrator.
Who receives information
OHG staff use account, application, activity and case information according to their assigned responsibilities and access permissions. Applications, reports, support requests and appeals can be copied into private Discord case threads for review and discussion. These records are not confined to the website database.
- We use third-party providers for website and game-server hosting, authentication, database storage, and integrations between our website, Discord and game servers. They process the account, website and game-server information needed to deliver those services.
- Discord supports sign-in, community activity, staff case handling and automated community functions. Steam verifies linked gaming identities. Their own services are also governed by their privacy policies.
- Community Ban List receives Steam identifiers used to check external cheating or ban records. We use the results in server moderation.
- Game-server systems receive identifiers and eligibility or enforcement information needed to apply whitelist access and bans. The protected whitelist feed includes SteamID64 and relevant display names or labels. Public ban records and feeds have the wider audience explained above.
- Automation and backup-storage providers run our scheduled backup process and store encrypted database and source backup copies. These backups support recovery of our systems.
We may disclose information where required or permitted by applicable law, such as responding to a valid legal demand or addressing a serious threat to safety or the security of our services. Any disclosure must have a lawful basis and be appropriate to its purpose.
Where information is processed
Our primary database is hosted in Canada. Website application processing also takes place in the United States, and delivery, logging, support and other provider operations can involve additional countries. A Canadian database location does not mean all information stays in Canada. Information processed outside Canada may be accessible to courts, law enforcement or other authorities under the laws of those countries. Contact openheartgamers@gmail.com for more information about our service providers, including their identities and how they process information.
How long records are kept
Our scheduled database cleanup normally removes raw server chat after seven days and completed connection records seven days after disconnect. Detailed combat records are normally removed after three days once summarized, and round history after seven days. Cumulative statistics remain linked to players after the underlying detail is removed.
Stale live-player entries are cleared after five minutes without an update. Completed Discord synchronization queue records and combat-summary diagnostic records are cleared after 30 days, and inactive rate-limit records after two days. Cleanup runs periodically, so these periods are scheduled thresholds rather than exact deletion times.
Our scheduled backup copies are encrypted and retained for seven days. Active-database cleanup does not instantly remove a record from an earlier backup, a Discord case thread, an evidence host or copies already made from public pages. Service providers may also keep their own operational or recovery records under their applicable policies; the periods above do not describe every provider-held copy.
The cleanup schedules above do not cover every account, membership, application, case, moderation or whitelist record. Some of these records and cumulative player statistics currently have no fixed expiry and can remain indefinitely unless separately removed. They support community administration, enforcement, security, dispute handling and historical records. Leaving the community, ending a session or removing a whitelist entry does not automatically delete them. You can ask us to review their continued retention or request deletion using the contact below.
Your choices and requests
You can browse public website pages without creating an account. Optional fields are identified in the relevant form. If you choose not to provide information needed for an application, case review or linked-account benefit, we may be unable to provide that feature. Playing on a connected server can still generate the game records described above.
Email openheartgamers@gmail.com to ask what personal information we hold about you, request access or correction, raise a privacy concern, or ask about withdrawing consent or deleting information. Include the relevant gaming or website account identifier, or a link to the page, and describe what you are requesting. Never send your password. Do not send identity documents unless we explain why additional verification is needed and provide an appropriate way to supply them.
We may need to verify your identity using no more information than necessary. We will review your request, respond within any applicable legal time limits, and explain the outcome or any restriction. Lawful limits can include protecting another person's information or retaining records needed for an unresolved case or legal obligation. A request does not automatically remove a ban or delete records held independently by another provider.
Changing or revoking a connection in Discord or Steam can affect access or benefits, but does not automatically delete OHG's records. Requests about a third party's own account or records should also be directed to that provider. If a concern remains unresolved, you may contact the privacy regulator with jurisdiction over it.
Security
The website uses sign-in and staff permission controls for restricted functions. No online service can guarantee complete security. Protect your linked accounts and avoid sharing sensitive information in public channels or evidence links.
Age requirements
OHG community membership is limited to people aged 18 and over. Applicants must confirm they are at least 18. We rely on their honest declaration and do not request identity documents for membership age verification. This rule supports an age-appropriate social environment for adults; it is not an adult-content designation.
Public game-server participation is different from community membership. We cannot guarantee that every player is 18 or older, and the game records described in this policy may include information about younger players. A parent, guardian or player with a concern about a child's information can contact openheartgamers@gmail.com.
Changes and contact
We will update this policy when our practices change and show the effective date above. For a material change, we will post a notice on the website explaining what is changing and when it applies. Where applicable law requires additional notice or consent, we will provide that notice or obtain that consent before relying on the change. For questions or requests, contact OHG at openheartgamers@gmail.com.