Cookie Policy

Introduction

This Cookie Policy explains how Epic Joysticks (operated by epicjoysticks.com) uses cookies and similar tracking technologies when you visit our visual novel game portal. We are committed to transparency about our data practices and want you to understand how cookies enhance your experience on our platform.

This policy covers all cookies and tracking technologies used across our website, including our game catalog, community features, recommendation systems, and user account functionality. The effective date of this Cookie Policy is December 15, 2024, and it should be read alongside our Privacy Policy for complete information about our data practices.

By continuing to use our website, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this policy. You can control your cookie preferences through your browser settings or our cookie management tools at any time.

What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile) when you visit websites. They contain information that is transferred to your device's hard drive and allow the website to recognize your browser and remember certain information about your preferences or past actions.

Cookies work by storing data about your interactions with our website, such as your gaming preferences, language settings, items in your wishlist, and browsing patterns. When you return to our site, cookies help us remember your choices and provide a more personalized experience tailored to your interests in visual novels and interactive storytelling.

We also use local storage and similar technologies that function like cookies but can store larger amounts of data on your device. These technologies help us save your game progress, reading preferences, and other settings that enhance your user experience on our visual novel portal.

Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can modify your browser settings to decline cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent. However, please note that disabling cookies may limit your ability to use certain features of our website.

Types of Cookies We Use

Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for our website to function properly and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually set in response to actions you take, such as setting privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms. Essential cookies enable core functionality like security, network management, and accessibility features. Without these cookies, services you've asked for cannot be provided.

Performance and Analytics Cookies

Performance cookies collect information about how visitors use our website, such as which pages are visited most often, how long users spend on different sections, and any error messages they encounter. This data helps us understand user behavior, improve our website's performance, and optimize our visual novel recommendations. All information collected by these cookies is aggregated and therefore anonymous.

Functional Cookies

Functional cookies allow our website to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, more personalized features. For example, these cookies remember your preferred language, regional settings, gaming preferences, and visual novel genres you enjoy. They may also be used to provide services you've requested, such as saving your reading progress or remembering items in your wishlist.

Marketing and Advertising Cookies

These cookies track your browsing habits across our site to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant content and advertisements. They are used to deliver personalized game recommendations, targeted promotional content, and newsletters that match your gaming preferences. Marketing cookies also help us measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns and improve our promotional efforts.

Third-Party Cookies and Services

We work with trusted third-party service providers who may set cookies on your device when you visit our website. These partners help us provide essential services such as website analytics, payment processing, content delivery, and personalized recommendations for visual novels.

Analytics Providers: We use services like Google Analytics to understand how users interact with our website, which pages are most popular, and how we can improve the user experience. These cookies collect anonymous data about your browsing patterns and help us optimize our game catalog and recommendation algorithms.

Content Delivery Networks: We use CDN services to deliver website content efficiently and improve loading times. These services may set performance cookies to optimize content delivery based on your geographic location and device type.

Email Marketing Services: If you subscribe to our newsletters or marketing communications, we use email service providers that may set cookies to track engagement with our communications and personalize future content based on your interests in visual novels and interactive storytelling.

Managing Your Cookie Preferences

You have several options for controlling how cookies are used on your device. Most web browsers allow you to manage cookie settings through their preferences or settings menus. You can typically choose to block all cookies, allow only certain types, or receive notifications when cookies are being set.

Browser-Level Controls: In your browser settings, you can delete existing cookies, prevent cookies from being set in the future, or set up notifications before cookies are stored. Each browser has different options for managing cookies, which you can usually find in the "Privacy" or "Security" sections of your browser's settings.

On-Site Preference Tools: We provide cookie preference controls directly on our website through our cookie consent banner and settings page. You can choose to accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or customize your preferences for different types of cookies based on your comfort level and desired user experience.

Opt-Out Mechanisms: For third-party advertising and analytics cookies, you can opt out through industry opt-out pages or directly through the third-party providers. Please note that opting out of cookies may limit some functionality and personalization features of our visual novel portal.

Data Retention and Expiration

Different types of cookies have different lifespans, ranging from session cookies that expire when you close your browser to persistent cookies that remain on your device for extended periods. We design our cookie retention periods to balance functionality with privacy protection.

Session Cookies: These temporary cookies are deleted when you close your web browser. They help maintain your session while browsing our site, such as keeping you logged in or remembering items in your shopping cart during a single visit.

Persistent Cookies: These cookies remain on your device for a predetermined period or until you manually delete them. Essential functional cookies may persist for up to one year to remember your preferences and settings. Analytics cookies typically expire after two years, while marketing cookies may have shorter retention periods.

We regularly review and update our cookie retention practices to ensure they align with data protection regulations and best practices. You can delete cookies manually through your browser settings at any time, regardless of their set expiration dates.

Legal Bases for Cookie Use

We use cookies based on different legal grounds depending on their purpose and function. Essential cookies are necessary for providing the services you request and are based on our legitimate interest in operating a functional website. Other cookies require your consent, which we obtain through our cookie consent mechanisms.

Consent: For non-essential cookies such as marketing, analytics, and certain functional cookies, we rely on your explicit consent. You provide this consent when you accept our cookie policy through our consent banner or cookie preference center.

Legitimate Interests: For essential cookies and certain performance cookies necessary for website functionality, we rely on our legitimate interest in providing you with a working website and improving our services based on usage patterns.

In jurisdictions with specific cookie regulations (such as GDPR in Europe), we ensure our cookie practices comply with local requirements and provide appropriate consent mechanisms and opt-out options for users in those regions.

Your Rights and Choices

You have important rights regarding cookies and how they're used to collect information about your online activities. We respect these rights and provide tools to help you exercise them effectively on our visual novel portal.

Right to Information: You have the right to know what cookies are being used, why they're being used, and how long they will remain on your device. This Cookie Policy provides detailed information about our cookie practices to ensure transparency.

Right to Control: You can control which cookies are set on your device through browser settings, our cookie preference center, or by declining cookies when prompted. You can change these preferences at any time, though some changes may affect website functionality.

Right to Delete: You can delete cookies that have already been set through your browser's settings or by using our cookie management tools. This allows you to remove tracking data and start fresh with your cookie preferences.

Right to Withdraw Consent: If you have previously consented to non-essential cookies, you can withdraw that consent at any time through our cookie settings. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal but will prevent future cookie-based tracking.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy periodically to reflect changes in our cookie practices, new technologies, legal requirements, or improvements to our visual novel portal. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy and provide appropriate notice to users.

For significant changes that may affect your privacy rights or how we use cookies, we will provide additional notice through email notifications to registered users, prominent website banners, or other appropriate communication methods as required by applicable laws.

We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies and similar technologies. Your continued use of our website after any changes to this policy constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

Contact Information

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies and tracking technologies, please don't hesitate to contact us. We are committed to addressing your inquiries promptly and helping you understand and control your cookie preferences.