← ACARA Digital Technologies Years 5–6

App and game use adds to your footprint

Apps and games record what you do, like scores, chats, purchases and play time. This record adds to your digital footprint.

Part of: ACARA Digital Technologies Years 5–6 — Digital Footprints — Module 6

Understanding App and game use adds to your footprint in ACARA Digital Technologies Years 5–6

What it does: Buying items inside a game creates a record of what you bought. That record is part of your footprint. Many apps and games track play time. This data adds to your digital footprint. Deleting an app from a device does not always delete the data the company has saved about you.

Common mistakes: A single = stores a value in a variable. == only compares two values. The line should be footprint = [] to start an empty list of recorded activity. Variable names cannot contain spaces. It should be minutes_played = 45 so the play time is stored and matches the name used on line 3.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 174–225) and word search (Modules 137–225).

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Learning
Duo
You play an online game and chat with other players. What happens to your game chat?
The game can record it, and it adds to your digital footprintIt disappears and adds nothing to your digital footprint
Matches
if gameChat == "private": footprint = none
↓
Wrong: game chat is not free of footprint just because it feels private. The game still records your messages.
Applying
Meanings
Term
app activity data
Meaning
Apps and games record what you do, like scores, chats, purchases and play time. This record adds to your digital footprint.
Practice
game ← "Block Quest"
Testing
Gaps
playTime = playTime 15
Check Answer
Spots
1footprint == []
2footprint.append("score: 120")

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Quick Questions

1. You play an online game and chat with other players. What happens to your game chat?
A. The game can record it, and it adds to your digital footprint ✓
B. It disappears and adds nothing to your digital footprint
Game chat can be saved by the game. Messages you send become part of your digital footprint.
2. Which of these is a record that an app or game might keep about you?
A. Your scores and how long you play ✓
B. Only the colour of your device
Apps and games often record scores, play time, chats and purchases. All of these add to your footprint.
3. You buy extra coins inside a game. What does this do?
A. Nothing is recorded because it was only a game
B. The in-app purchase is recorded and adds to your footprint ✓
In-app purchases are saved by the app or game, so they become part of your digital footprint.
4. Which statement about play time is true?
A. Apps cannot tell how long you play
B. Apps can record how long you play, and this is part of your footprint ✓
Many apps and games track play time. This data adds to your digital footprint.
5. You delete a game from your tablet. What is true about your game footprint?
A. Some records, like your account and scores, may still be stored by the game company ✓
B. Every record about you is wiped instantly
Deleting an app from a device does not always delete the data the company has saved about you.

Match the Pairs

playTime = 95 → The game records how many minutes you played, which adds to your footprint
chat.send("gg, good game!") → A game chat message is saved, so it adds to your footprint
An in-app purchase is recorded in your account history and adds to your footprint → purchase.add("gem pack")
A game saves your score on your account, which adds to your footprint → saveScore(player, 4200)
if gameChat == "private": footprint = none → Wrong: game chat is not free of footprint just because it feels private. The game still records your messages.
deleteApp("Racer"); footprint = 0 → Wrong: deleting an app from your phone does not remove your footprint. The company may still hold your scores and purchases.

Key Term

app activity data
Apps and games record what you do, like scores, chats, purchases and play time. This record adds to your digital footprint.

Fill in the Blanks

1. playTime = playTime + 15
Hint: Type the operator that adds 15 more minutes to the total play time.
2. if item_bought == True: footprint.add("purchase")
Hint: Type the keyword that checks a condition before the app records an in-app purchase.
3. chatLog.append("hello team!")
Hint: Type the list method that adds a new game chat message to the end of the log.
4. for app in phone_apps: footprint.add(app.activity)
Hint: Type the keyword that repeats the step for each app on the phone.
5. footprint = [] score = 250 footprint.append(score)
Hint: Type the variable name that holds the result of the game.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A footprint == []
B footprint.append("score: 120")
C footprint.append("chat: hi")
D print(len(footprint))
Line A — A single = stores a value in a variable. == only compares two values. The line should be footprint = [] to start an empty list of recorded activity.
Question 2
A game = "Cosmo Quest"
B minutes played = 45
C print(game, minutes_played)
Line B — Variable names cannot contain spaces. It should be minutes_played = 45 so the play time is stored and matches the name used on line 3.
Question 3
A total = 0
B price = 4.99
C total = total + price
D print("Spent:", totl)
Line D — The variable name is misspelled. The total was stored as total, so it should be print("Spent:", total) to show the in-app purchase record.
Question 4
A score = 0
B score = score + 50
C print("Score saved:" score)
D print("Part of my footprint")
Line C — A comma is missing between the text and the variable. It should be print("Score saved:", score).
Question 5
A chat_log = []
B message = "GG team!
C chat_log.append(message)
D print(chat_log)
Line B — The string is missing its closing quote. It should be message = "GG team!" so the game chat message is stored correctly.

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