• How do I get a badge?

Members may be awarded another badge such as Awesome, Wizard, or Ninja at Administrator discretion. Members can be awarded these special badges based upon their contributions to the community. Members who regularly post quality and helpful posts can get recognized by staff members, which can ultimately lead to being awarded with a special badge.

There are no special powers, no special privileges, and no special accesses that come with this badge. This is just a way for you to stand out from the rest of the members as a "Top Quality" member who contributes continually and does it just because he cares about the community.

If you are awarded with a special badge, you are expected to conduct yourself professionally. Flaming, spamming, harassment, etc. will not be tolerated and will lose the badge for you instantly.

Members who wear special badges awarded by the staff are considered to be very special members of the community and are supposed to be looked at as role model members and will be held to very high expectations.

• What are the size requirements for my avatar?

Only one image can be displayed at a time, its width can be no greater than 100 pixels, it's height no greater than 100 pixels, and it's file size no more than 100 Kb. If you select an avatar that is not this size, it will then be automatically re-sized to 100 x 100 and may look much different than before.

• What are the size requirements for my banner?

Banners must be 468 pixels x 60 pixels and it's file size no more than 200 Kb. If you select a banner that is not this size, it will then be automatically re-sized to 468 x 60 and may look much different than before.

• How do I view my Reputation?

When you are viewing your account page, there will be a tab near the bottom that will say "Reputation." By clicking this tab, it will show you all of the current Reputation Points you have given to other users and have received from other users.

• How can I change my avatar?

When you are viewing your account page, click the icon. This will take your "Storage Management" this is where you can add avatars, signatures, and banners via image URL or by uploading them from your PC. Pressing "Default" will allow you to change from one avatar to another.

• How can I change my signature?

When you are viewing your account page, click the icon. This will take your "Storage Management" this is where you can add avatars, signatures, and banners via image URL or by uploading them from your PC. Pressing "Default" will allow you to change from one avatar to another.

• How many warnings do I have?

You can check how many warnings you have by going to your profile page and scrolling down. If you have been issued any warnings you will have a tab called "Warnings", if you have not recieved any warnings then you will not see this tab.

• I was issued a warning, what does this mean?

If you were issued a warning, this generally means that you failed to follow the rules of the TTG Forums. The staff members here on TTG are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure a safe and fun environment for our members. When a member fails to follow the rules, they're given a warning for their infraction.

• How many warnings can I have before I get banned?

This all depends on the severity of the warning. For instance, someone who gets a warning for "spamming" will not get the same punishment as someone posting nudity, making racist comments, posting viruses, etc. This will be a case by case basis with each incident. If you read and follow the rules, you will never have to worry about warnings becoming an issue.

• How do I change my settings?

All your settings (if you are registered) are stored in the database. To alter them click the Profile link (generally shown at the top of pages but this may not be the case). This will allow you to change all your settings

• What is the image below my username?

There may be two images below a username when viewing posts. The first is an image associated with your rank, generally these take the form of stars or blocks indicating how many posts you have made or your status on the forums. Below this may be a larger image known as an avatar, this is generally unique or personal to each user. It is up to the board administrator to enable avatars and they have a choice over the way in which avatars can be made available. If you are unable to use avatars then this is the decision of the board admin, you should ask them their reasons (we're sure they'll be good!)

• Can I change my password? If so, how?

Yes, you can change your password. When you are viewing your profile, on the right hand side, you will click "Update Your Profile". Once you click that buttom, it will bring up a section at the top of the page that says "Login Information". The second box down from the top is labeled "Password" and you will type in the new password that you want here. Alternatively, you can use the Password Generator to generate a random password for you. Then, you will have to retype the password in the "Retype Password" box. Once this is completed, scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and select the "Save Changes" button.

• What is a status?

Status is the message that people will see anytime that they visit your profile. You can use this to update friendly messages, milestones, accomplishments, messages to people, etc. Some members will put their Gamertags, some will put milestone or accomplishments on their status for people to see, etc.

• How do I add a YouTube video to my profile?

When you are viewing your profile, click the icon. On the left hand side, click "Extra Information". You will then see a text box labeled "Favorite YouTube Video". You can paste the YouTube link in the text box. Please ensure that you add the http:// in front of the web address.

• How do I restore the privilege to use reputation and/or a motto?

Actually, you cannot restore this option. One of the Administrators for the site felt that you were unable to properly handle having these and therefore has taken them away. You will not get them back until the Administration team feels that you can properly handle them and have shown that you have learned from your mistake.

• I have been banned for _X_ hours/days/years. How do I dispute this?

You cannot dispute this. The staff members here will not issue a ban without proper justification. All bans/suspensions are final.

Note: If you were permanently banned, you can open up a ban appeal by sending an email to [email protected] with as much information as possible (Username, Email linked to the account). The more information you provide, the easier it will be.

• I have been banned forever. Can I get my account back? Can I make a new account?

No, this is considered ban evasion. If you are caught doing this, your other account and your account will instantly be banned again from the site.

Note: We are beginning to accept ban appeals. To submit your appeal, send an email to [email protected] with as much information as you can (Username, Email linked to the account). The more information you provide, the easier it will be.

• How do I change my email address?

Go to your Account page and click the icon. Enter a new email address and press save/submit to save your profile information. Check the new email address for a confirmation link to approve your changes.

• What is Two-step Verification?

This feature will keep your account even safer in the event someone gets to know your master password. That way, that person will not be able to access your account unless he or she also has a hold on the device you set up Two-step Verification with. Of course, this means that you must always have access to that device (or the panic code that we offer when activating Two-step Verification!)

• How to use Two-step Verification?

In order to use Two-step Verification, you first need to install a Two-step Verification app on your Android, iOS or Blackberry device. You can install either Authy, Google Authenticator or FreeOTP (We recommend Authy)

Two-step Verification is a strong protection and consists in a 6-digit security code that changes every 30 seconds inside the Two-step Verification app. That way, each code is only valid for a very short time, and you can be sure that no one will ever be able to find it without having your device in front of them.

Note that you need both a computer and your mobile device at the same time to activate this feature. In a nutshell, the computer displays a QR code that you have to scan inside the app using the camera of your device.

This will add a new entry in your Two-step Verification app and this entry will start generating valid 6-digit codes for your TTG account, and only for your TTG account.

If you do not have any camera on your phone or tablet, a secret key will also be displayed on the computer screen. Copy it into the Two-step Verification app to create a new TTG entry and start generating valid 6-digit codes.

Once you have an entry named TheTechGame in your Two-step Verification app, simply copy the current 6-digit code from the Two-step Verification app to TTG when it is required at login.

• How to enable Two-step Verification step-by-step on TheTechGame?

Note: In order to enable Two-step Verification you will you first need to install a Two-step Verification app on your Android, iOS or Blackberry device. You can install either Authy, Google Authenticator or FreeOTP (We recommend Authy)

1) Go to your account → Click the icon → Login Information Tab → Two-step Verification Switch to Enabled.

2) Now it is time to use your Two-step Verification app! We are going to use Authy Note: You will need to link Authy to your phone number before the next step, but all Two-step Verification apps normally work like this. Open the Two-step Verification app on your mobile device and tap on the + Add Account to add a new entry.

3) Tap on Scan a Barcode if your mobile device has a camera. If your mobile doesn’t have one, choose Manual Entry and add the secret key we provide above the QR code.

For devices with a camera scan the QR bar code that is currently displayed by TheTechGame.

4) A 6-digit security code will appear in your Two-step Verification app. Copy this number into the box provided and verify the code to link your mobile device to your TTG account. Don't worry: if you take more than 30 seconds to type it in to TheTechGame, a new 6-digit code will be generated by the Two-step Verification app. Simply copy the code that is currently displayed into TheTechGame!

5)TheTechGame will then offer you a back-up solution in case you lose your mobile device or cannot use it anymore this is called a 'TTG Panic code' you must keep this code safe because if you lose your device and access to Authy this will be the only way back into your account.

Note: Authy will sync your Two-step Verification details to the cloud so you can restore it to a new device if you lose your device.

• How to sign-in to your TTG account if Two-step Verification is enabled?

1) Login to TheTechGame like normal with your username and password.

2) When prompted enter the 6-digit security code that has just been generated by your Two-step Verification app on your mobile device and click on verify if the code was correctly entered you will be logged in.

Note: If your security code does not work, make sure it is still valid in the application and that you do all this quickly enough, as new codes are generated every 30 seconds by your Two-step Verification app.

• I've lost my Two-step Verification Device and TTG Panic Code.

TheTechGame has a strict policy of never switching off Two-step Verification on accounts that have it enabled this means if you've lost both your Two-step Verification app and the Panic code, TTG admins will not under any circumstances alter or disable the accounts security details.

If the account has an active paid subscription with correct details, we may close an active subscription but we will still not under any circumstances alter or disable the accounts security details.

Note: If you're using the Two-step Verification app Authy and you've lost your device, Authy keeps a cloud backup of your Two-step Verification details and these can be restored by following the steps Authy gives you when installing the App.