What Actually Happens When You Visit

Your browser and our website exchange small bits of data. Think of these as digital sticky notes that remember things like whether you've logged in or which Python tutorial you were halfway through. Without them, every page refresh would feel like meeting us for the first time.

Some of these notes stick around for a few minutes. Others hang out until you manually clear them. We'll explain which is which and why we chose to set things up this way.

The Technical Breakdown

Here's the straightforward part. Different tracking elements serve different purposes. We've categorized them so you can understand what's collecting information and why.

Managing Your Browser Settings

Every major browser gives you control over data storage. The exact steps vary, but the concept stays the same across platforms.

What Happens If You Block Everything

You'll still be able to read our blog posts and view course descriptions. But you won't be able to log in, save progress, or access student-only materials. Interactive code examples might not work properly. Video preferences will reset every time.

For visitors just researching Python game development education, that's probably fine. For enrolled students trying to complete coursework, it'll be frustrating.

Specific Technologies We Use

Beyond standard browser storage, we use a few specific tools worth mentioning:

Local Storage Elements

Your browser's local storage holds larger chunks of data than traditional methods. We use this for caching code examples you've worked on and storing draft responses to quiz questions. This information never leaves your device unless you explicitly submit something through our platform.

Session Tokens

When you log in, we generate a unique session identifier. This proves you're the same person who entered the correct password five minutes ago. These tokens expire after 24 hours of inactivity or when you log out.

Analytics Tracking

We collect anonymous usage patterns—things like how many people viewed a particular tutorial or where students typically pause video lessons. This information is aggregated and doesn't identify individual users. It helps us figure out which content works well and which needs improvement.

Data Retention Reality

Different types of information stick around for different lengths of time. Session data disappears when you close your browser. Learning progress stays in our database as long as you have an active student account. Anonymous analytics get aggregated into reports and then the individual records are deleted after 90 days.

If you delete your account, we remove all personally identifiable information within 30 days. Aggregated analytics might still exist in our reports, but there's no way to trace that data back to you specifically.

Why This Approach Makes Sense

We could build the site to work entirely without any browser storage. But then you'd have to log in for every single page. Your progress wouldn't save. Video playback would start from the beginning every time you clicked away and came back.

The trade-off between privacy and functionality is real. We've tried to strike a reasonable balance where essential features work smoothly while giving you control over less critical tracking.

Updates to This Policy

Technology changes. Regulations evolve. We update this document when we add new tracking features or change how existing systems work. Major changes get announced through email to enrolled students. Minor clarifications happen quietly—check the date at the top to see when we last revised anything.

We're not in the habit of making surprise changes to data collection practices. If we decide to start gathering some new type of information, students will hear about it beforehand.