1. What Are Cookies
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or other device when you visit a website. They are widely used across the internet to make websites function more efficiently, provide a better browsing experience, and supply information to the website operators. Cookies allow websites to recognize your device and remember certain information about your visit, such as your preferred language, font size, and other display preferences. At ThunderBlast (thunderblastgaming.com), we use cookies and similar technologies, including localStorage (with the prefix tb_), to enhance your experience on our free social entertainment platform. Cookies can be "session cookies" that are deleted when you close your browser, or "persistent cookies" that remain on your device for a set period of time or until you manually delete them. First-party cookies are set by the website you are visiting, while third-party cookies are set by a domain other than the one you are visiting. This Cookie Policy explains what cookies we use, why we use them, and how you can manage your cookie preferences.
2. Types of Cookies We Use
The following table provides a detailed overview of the cookies and local storage items used on thunderblastgaming.com, including their names, purposes, and durations.
| Cookie / Storage Name |
Purpose |
Duration |
| tb_age_verified |
Remembers that the user has confirmed they are 19 or older, preventing the age verification modal from appearing on every visit |
365 days |
| tb_cookie_consent |
Stores the user's cookie consent preference (accepted or declined) |
365 days |
| tb_session_id |
Maintains the user's session state while browsing the platform |
Session (deleted when browser closes) |
| tb_preferences |
Stores user display preferences such as theme and layout settings |
180 days |
| _ga / _gid |
Google Analytics cookies used to distinguish unique users and track page views |
_ga: 2 years / _gid: 24 hours |
| _gat |
Google Analytics cookie used to throttle the request rate |
1 minute |
3. Essential Cookies
Essential cookies are strictly necessary for the operation of thunderblastgaming.com. Without these cookies, the core features of our platform cannot function properly. Essential cookies include those that maintain your session as you navigate between pages, store your age verification status to ensure compliance with our 19+ age requirement, and remember your cookie consent choice so that the cookie banner does not reappear every time you visit. These cookies do not collect personal information for marketing purposes and cannot be disabled without significantly impacting your ability to use our platform. Because these cookies are essential to the functionality of our site, they are set automatically when you access ThunderBlast and do not require your explicit consent. However, you can still block them through your browser settings, though doing so may prevent certain features of our platform from functioning correctly.
4. Analytics Cookies
Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors interact with thunderblastgaming.com by collecting and reporting information about usage patterns. These cookies allow us to measure the number of visitors to our platform, identify which pages are the most and least popular, and see how visitors navigate through our site. The data collected by analytics cookies is aggregated and anonymized, meaning it does not identify you personally. We use Google Analytics as our primary analytics service, which sets cookies such as _ga, _gid, and _gat on your device. This information helps us continuously improve the design, content, and functionality of our platform to better serve our community of arcade enthusiasts. Analytics cookies are only set if you have given your consent through our cookie consent banner. You can withdraw your consent at any time by adjusting your cookie preferences or by managing cookies through your browser settings as described in Section 6 of this policy.
5. Preference Cookies
Preference cookies, also known as functionality cookies, enable our platform to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, personalized features. These cookies may remember your display preferences, such as visual theme selections and layout configurations, allowing us to deliver a tailored experience each time you return to ThunderBlast. Preference cookies stored via localStorage use the tb_ prefix to ensure they are easily identifiable and managed. These cookies are not essential for the basic operation of our platform, but they significantly enhance your user experience by eliminating the need to reconfigure your preferences on each visit. Like analytics cookies, preference cookies are set only with your consent and can be managed through the methods described in Section 6 of this policy. If you choose to decline preference cookies, our platform will still function, but you may need to re-enter your preferences each time you visit.
6. How to Manage Cookies
You have several options for managing cookies on your device. You can adjust your settings through our cookie consent banner that appears when you first visit ThunderBlast, or you can manage cookies directly through your browser. Below are instructions for the most popular browsers:
Google Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three-dot menu in the upper right corner. Go to Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Cookies and other site data. From here, you can choose to block all cookies, block third-party cookies, or clear existing cookies. You can also add specific sites to the allow or block list.
Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three-line menu button. Go to Settings, then Privacy & Security. Under the Cookies and Site Data section, you can manage your cookie preferences, clear stored data, and configure exceptions for specific websites including thunderblastgaming.com.
Safari
Open Safari and go to Preferences (or Settings on newer versions). Click the Privacy tab. Here you can choose to block all cookies, prevent cross-site tracking, and manage stored website data. You can also view and remove cookies from specific sites.
Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three-dot menu. Go to Settings, then Cookies and site permissions, then Manage and delete cookies and site data. You can choose to block or allow cookies, block third-party cookies, and manage site-specific permissions.
Please note that to clear localStorage items (those with the tb_ prefix), you may need to use your browser's developer tools. In most browsers, you can access developer tools by pressing F12, then navigating to the Application or Storage tab to view and delete localStorage entries.
7. Impact of Disabling Cookies
If you choose to disable or block cookies on thunderblastgaming.com, please be aware that certain features and functionalities of our platform may be affected. Disabling essential cookies may prevent you from accessing core features of our site, and you may be prompted to verify your age each time you visit. Without analytics cookies, we will be unable to gather usage data that helps us improve our platform, though your personal browsing experience will not be directly affected. Disabling preference cookies means your display settings and other customizations will not be saved between sessions, requiring you to reconfigure them each time you visit. While ThunderBlast will still be accessible with cookies disabled, we recommend keeping essential cookies enabled for the optimal experience. We are committed to respecting your privacy choices and will honor whatever cookie preferences you set through our consent banner or your browser settings.
8. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about our use of cookies and similar technologies, or if you need assistance managing your cookie preferences, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our team is here to help you understand how cookies work on our platform and to assist you with any privacy-related inquiries.
For more information about how we collect, use, and protect your personal information, please review our Privacy Policy. We are committed to transparency and will always strive to keep you informed about our data practices.