FAIRNESS OF PLAY

1.Purpose

This document explains how Deku Studios contests work, how outcomes are determined, and what measures we take to ensure every contest is fair. We believe transparency is essential to player trust, and we want you to understand exactly how our games and contests operate before you play.

These Fairness of Play Disclosures are incorporated into and form part of the Terms of Service. Capitalized terms not defined here have the meanings given in the Terms of Service.

2.Core Fairness Principles

Every contest on the Deku Studios Platform is built on four principles:

Skill determines outcomes. Contest results are determined by the skill of the participants. There are no chance-based mechanics that affect scoring or contest placement.

All participants start equal. Every participant in a contest receives identical starting conditions. No participant has a random advantage over any other.

Scoring is deterministic. Scores are calculated using fixed rules that are applied uniformly. There are no hidden modifiers, random bonuses, or variable multipliers.

Results are verifiable. All gameplay data is recorded server-side. Contest results can be audited and verified.

3.Game-Specific Disclosures: Glyphs

3.1Game Description

Glyphs is a competitive word-finding game. Players are presented with a 5x5 grid of letters and have two (2) minutes to find as many valid words as possible by tracing paths through adjacent letters. Words are formed by swiping across horizontally, vertically, or diagonally adjacent tiles. Each tile may be used only once per word. The minimum word length is three (3) letters.

3.2How the Grid is Generated

Each contest uses a single seed value to generate the letter grid. The seed determines the exact placement of all 25 letters. Every participant in the same contest receives the identical grid generated from the same seed.

The grid generation process works as follows:

1. A seed value is generated for the contest when it is created.
2. The seed is used to determine letter placement according to a weighted distribution based on English letter frequency (similar to standard letter distributions used in word games).
3. The generated grid is validated to ensure it contains a minimum number of findable words (at least 40 valid words of 3 or more letters). Grids that do not meet this threshold are discarded and regenerated with a new seed.
4. The validated grid is stored server-side and served to each participant when they begin their game.

The seed is not disclosed to participants before or during gameplay.

3.3Word Validation

Words are validated against a comprehensive English dictionary. Proper nouns, abbreviations, and slang are excluded.

Validation occurs at two levels:

• Client-side (instant feedback): A compact word list is embedded in the game client to provide immediate visual feedback (green flash for valid, red flash for invalid) when you complete a swipe. This is for user experience only and is not authoritative.
• Server-side (authoritative): All submitted words are validated server-side against the full dictionary and the contest grid. The server confirms that each word exists in the dictionary, follows a valid adjacency path on the grid, meets the minimum length requirement, and has not already been submitted by the same player. Server-side validation is the sole authority for scoring.

3.4Scoring Rules

Scores are calculated using the following fixed rules:

Base Word Score. Points are awarded based on word length:

Final Score Calculation. Your total score is the sum of base scores for each valid word you found. There are no other scoring modifiers. There are no random bonuses, streak multipliers, power-ups, or any other mechanic that introduces variability beyond the player's own word-finding performance.

3.5Tie-Breaking Rules

In the event of a tied total score, ties are resolved using the following sequential tiebreakers:

1. Longest word found. The participant who found the longest single word wins the tie.
2. Total number of words found. The participant who found more total words wins the tie.

Tiebreakers are applied in order. If the first tiebreaker resolves the tie, the second is not considered. If neither tiebreaker resolves the tie, the tied participants receive the same placement and split the combined prize money for their positions equally.

4.Contest Structure and Economics

4.1How Contests Work

1. Entry. You select an entry fee tier and join a contest. Your entry fee is deducted from your wallet.
2. Matchmaking. You are placed into the most recent open contest at your chosen tier that has available slots. If no open contest exists, a new one is created.
3. Gameplay. You play your two-minute game immediately. You do not wait for other participants before playing.
4. Contest window. Other participants may join and play the same contest within a fifteen (15) minute window from when the first participant joined.
5. Adjudication. When the contest window expires or all participants have completed their games, the system computes final scores, ranks participants, and distributes prizes.
6. Results. You see the final leaderboard, your rank, your prize (if any), and a breakdown of your scoring.

4.2Platform Fee (Rake)

A portion of the total entry fees is retained by Deku Studios as a platform fee. The current platform fee is between 10% and 15% of total entry fees collected for a contest. The remainder forms the prize pool.

Example (10 participants, $5 entry fee, 12% platform fee):

4.3Prize Distribution

Prizes are distributed to the top three finishers in each contest:

When fewer than 10 participants join a contest, the prize pool is proportionally smaller (fewer entry fees collected), but the distribution percentages remain the same.

If a contest does not reach the minimum number of participants (currently 3), the contest is cancelled and all entry fees are refunded in full.

4.4Pre-Contest Disclosure

Before you enter any contest, the following information is displayed: entry fee amount, total number of participants, and prize pool amount (total of entry fees less platform fee). You can review all of this information before committing your entry fee.

5.Anti-Cheat and Integrity Measures

5.1What We Monitor

To maintain fair competition, we monitor gameplay data for anomalies. Monitored signals include words submitted per minute, input timing and patterns, score distribution relative to historical performance, and device and network characteristics.

5.2Input Replay Recording

Your touch inputs during gameplay (positions, swipe paths, and timestamps) may be recorded for anti-cheat review purposes. These recordings allow our trust and safety team to visually replay a game session and assess whether inputs are consistent with human play. Input replay data is stored securely and used only for integrity purposes.

5.3Enforcement

If our systems detect anomalous activity, the gameplay session is flagged for human review. We do not take adverse action (account suspension, prize forfeiture, or contest voiding) based solely on automated detection. All enforcement actions are reviewed by a member of our team.

5.4Seeded Randomness and Fair Play

Because all participants receive the same grid, the only variable in a contest is the skill of the participants. There is no mechanism by which the Platform can favor one participant over another. The grid generation seed is determined before any participant joins, and the same grid is served to every participant without modification.

6.Server Authority and Data Integrity

6.1Server-Side Adjudication

All contest adjudication occurs server-side. The client application (your phone) sends your gameplay data to the server, and the server independently validates your submissions, calculates your score, and determines contest results. The client cannot fabricate or alter results.

6.2Data Retention

All contest data, including grids, submitted words, scores, input replay data (when recorded), and results, is retained for a minimum of seven (7) years for regulatory compliance, dispute resolution, and audit purposes.

6.3Result Finality

Contest results are final once posted, subject only to review for suspected cheating or verified technical errors. If a review results in a change to contest results (for example, disqualification of a participant found to be cheating), affected participants will be notified and prizes will be adjusted.

7.Dispute Resolution

If you believe a contest result is incorrect or that another participant engaged in unfair play, you may contact support@deku.net. Please include the contest identifier (available in your contest history), a description of your concern, and any supporting information. We will investigate and respond within fourteen (14) business days.

8.Future Games

As Deku Studios adds new games to the Platform, this document will be updated with game-specific disclosures for each title. Each game will include a description of gameplay mechanics, an explanation of how starting conditions are generated and shared, the complete scoring rules, tie-breaking procedures, and any game-specific fairness measures. Updated disclosures will be published before the game is made available for cash-entry contests.

9.Contact

If you have questions about how our games or contests work, please contact us:

Support: support@deku.net

Legal: legal@deku.net

Mail: Deku Studios LLC, 418 Broadway #11209, Albany, NY 12207

Website: https://deku.net