GameFAQs Help: Registering for GameFAQs

To view GameFAQs and read most message boards, no sign-up or registration is required. In order to post messages on the boards, adjust your display settings, or contribute, you must first register for a GameFAQs account if you do not have one, or if you don't have an account at any other CNET Networks Entertainment site (including GameSpot, MP3.com, and TV.com). A valid e-mail address is required, as a confirmation mail will be sent to the address your provide.

Yes. GameFAQs does not charge any fees of any type for any content or services on the site.

Thanks to COPPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, we cannot collect information (such as an e-mail address) from any user under the age of 13 without a parent's permission. The amount of paperwork and tracking required to prove the identity of the parents is substantial, and could increase costs so much as to cause the site to shut down. You'll find that most video game sites, and indeed, most web sites in general, have the exact same restriction.

When you register, you'll have to enter a valid e-mail address that you can receive mail from. An activation key is then mailed to that address, and you'll have to either click on the link in the mail or type it in manually. Registration ensures that each account can be tracked back to the owner of an e-mail account, and allows you to recover your password should you forget it.

Whenever you sign up for the GameFAQs message boards, you must use a valid, working e-mail address that you can receive mail from. If you don't receive your activation key after signing up, there are several likely reasons why this has happened:

• You didn't provide your correct e-mail address. 90% of the bounced confirmation notices we receive are due to people providing invalid or non-working addresses. Remember, your e-mail will look something like "yourname@domain.com", and your address very probably does not begin with "www.".
• You're blocking external mail. If you use AOL in particular, you can set up your mail filters to block all external mail, which means that your confirmation key will never get to you. Change your settings to accept mail from non-AOL sites in order to receive your confirmation e-mail.
• Your mailbox is full, or your mail server is having problems. You need to make sure you can receive mail before signing up.

When you log in with an inactive account, you'll be presented with a link that allows you to re-sent the e-mail and reset the address.