Play our games, enjoy them, don't try to break or resell them. The stories are ours; your account is yours. Tips are optional and final. We provide the games as-is and do our best to keep them running.
These Terms govern your use of the text adventure games and related services ("Games") provided by Shortwave Games ("Shortwave", "we", "us"). By playing, you agree to these Terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the Games. Because the Games run inside Telegram, you also agree to Telegram's terms; Shortwave is independent of and not endorsed by Telegram.
You must be old enough to use Telegram in your country, and at least 13. Several of our Games carry mature themes and are intended for older teens and adults. Content notes appear on each Game's page.
We grant you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to play the Games for your own enjoyment. You may not copy, scrape, resell, reverse-engineer, or redistribute the Games or their writing, or attempt to disrupt or gain unauthorised access to our systems.
All stories, text, characters, artwork, names, and the Shortwave brand are owned by Shortwave or our collaborators and are protected by copyright and other laws. Playing a Game does not give you any ownership of its content. You may share brief quotes and screenshots to talk about the Games — we love that — but not republish substantial portions.
Your progress is tied to your Telegram account. You're responsible for keeping that account secure. We may store and restore your saved progress as described in our Privacy Policy, but we can't recover a story for an account we can't verify is yours.
The Games are free to play in full. You may choose to leave an optional tip through Telegram's payment system. Tips are voluntary, do not unlock any content, and are generally non-refundable except where required by law. If something goes wrong with a payment, contact us and we'll help sort it out.
When using support channels or any community spaces, please be decent. Don't harass others, post unlawful content, impersonate us, or attempt to exploit bugs for an unfair purpose. We may suspend access for serious or repeated misuse.
We work to keep the Games available and saved progress intact, but we provide them on an "as available" basis. We may update, add, pause, or retire Games and features over time. We'll try to give reasonable notice of significant changes within the Games.
The Games are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, to the fullest extent permitted by law. We don't guarantee the Games will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that progress will never be lost, though we work hard to prevent that.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, Shortwave will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Games. Since the Games are offered free of charge, our total liability to you is limited to any amount you have actually paid us (for example, a tip) in the twelve months before the claim.
You can stop playing at any time. We may suspend or end your access if you materially breach these Terms. Sections that by their nature should survive — such as content ownership and liability — will continue to apply.
These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which Shortwave is established, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Insert your governing jurisdiction here before publishing.
Questions about these Terms? Reach us at [email protected] or on Telegram.