Terms of service

Effective 2 November 2026

1. Who we are

Background World is an AI game lab. We make games that are generated while you play. Background World is run by Kyle Smith in Ontario, Canada ("we", "us"). You can reach us at support@bgworldlab.com.

These terms cover bgworldlab.com and every game we publish on it (together, "the service"). By using the service you agree to these terms, our privacy policy and our runs and refunds policy.

2. Who can use the service

• You must be at least 13 years old.
• If you are under 18, or under the age of majority where you live, you need a parent or guardian's permission to buy runs. They agree to these terms for you.
• You can't use the service if the law where you live doesn't allow it, or if we have closed your account before.

3. Your account

You sign in with a link we email you. There are no passwords. Your account belongs to one person, so keep your email inbox secure, and tell us if you think someone else has used your account. You can delete your account at any time by emailing us. When you do, we refund unused paid runs from packs bought in the last 180 days.

4. Live runs

A live run is one mission or session in which the game is generated by AI as you play. Each live run uses one run from your balance. Offline play, which uses content we made ahead of time, is always free.

• Without an account you can play one live mission free in each browser. New accounts get 3 free runs, one set per person.
• The game shows the cost and your balance before a run is used. Once started, a live mission stays open for up to 2 hours.
• You can buy runs in packs. The price is shown before you pay. Payments are handled by Stripe. You must be 18 or older to buy, or have a parent or guardian's permission.
• Runs never expire while your account is open.
• Runs work across every Background World release on this site. They have no cash value, and you can't sell, transfer or swap them.
• If a live run fails on our side before it finishes, we return the run.
• Daily limits may pause new live runs. They never stop a mission that's already running, and a refused attempt never uses a run.
• We may change pack prices. A change never affects runs you've already bought.

Refunds are covered in the runs and refunds policy.

5. AI-generated content

Our games use AI models from Anthropic to generate scenes, text and events while you play. That content is fiction. It can be inaccurate, odd or occasionally offensive despite our filters. Any resemblance to real people is not intended. Don't treat anything the game generates as fact or advice. More on how we handle this is on our AI and safety page.

6. What you can and can't do

Please don't:

• try to make the AI produce sexual content involving minors, sexual content of any kind, hate, harassment, threats, or content that impersonates or makes claims about real people;
• use the service to break the law or to harm anyone;
• make extra accounts to collect free runs, or use bots, scripts or scrapers;
• call our game servers or AI endpoints outside the game, probe them for weaknesses, or try to get around run limits or payments;
• copy, resell or republish our games, code or art, except for sharing screenshots and clips as described below;
• file a chargeback for a purchase you made and received, instead of asking us for a refund.

You may share screenshots and short clips of your play, including on social media and streams, as long as you don't present them as real events.

7. What you type into the game

Some games let you type or choose things. You keep any rights you have in what you type. You give us a free, worldwide licence to use it to run the game for you, keep the service safe, and improve our games. Don't type personal information about yourself or anyone else.

8. Our games and content

We own the service, the games, their code, art and design, and the content they generate, to the extent anyone can own it. These terms don't give you any rights to them except to play and to share as described in section 6.

9. When we can suspend or close an account

We may suspend or close an account that breaks these terms, puts other people at risk, or uses payment fraud. Where we can, we tell you why first. If we close your account and you didn't break these terms, we refund your unused paid runs.

10. A lab, not a utility

We're a small lab and our games change. We may change, pause or retire a game, including moving it off air into our archive. Live runs may be paused for a while if we hit our daily AI limits or something breaks. Offline play keeps working whenever the site is up. If we shut down the whole service, we'll give at least 30 days' notice and refund unused paid runs.

11. Disclaimers and limits on our liability

We provide the service as it is and as available. To the extent the law allows, we don't promise that it will always be available, error-free or suitable for any purpose.

To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, and our total liability to you for any claim about the service is limited to the greater of what you paid us in the 12 months before the claim and US$20.

Nothing in these terms limits rights you have as a consumer that can't be limited by contract where you live.

12. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. If a change is material, we'll tell you by email or on the site at least 14 days before it takes effect. If you keep using the service after that, the new terms apply. If you don't agree, you can stop using the service and ask for a refund of unused paid runs.

13. Law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada that apply there. Please email us first so we can try to fix the problem. If we can't, disputes go to the courts of Ontario, unless the law where you live gives you the right to bring a claim in your local courts.

14. Contact

support@bgworldlab.com. We reply within 2 business days.