The short version
- Shoulders of Giants is a free history card game for classrooms.
- Teachers must be adults (18+) and have their school's permission to use it with students.
- Use it to learn and teach. Don't break it, copy it to sell, or misuse other people's accounts.
- We work hard to keep it running and accurate, but it's provided as it is, without guarantees.
- How we handle data is explained on the privacy page.
Who we are
Shoulders of Giants ("we", "us") is made and run by an independent developer who is also a history teacher. You can reach us at hello@playshouldersofgiants.com. By using the game or the website, you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, please don't use them.
Who can use it
- Students use Shoulders of Giants through a teacher's class, or as a guest without an account. Students under 13 use it with their school's or a parent's permission, which teachers confirm when they sign up.
- Teachers and other adults who create an account must be 18 or older. By signing up, you confirm that you have your school's permission to use the game with students, or that you're the student's parent or guardian.
- The game is free. If we ever add paid features, we'll say so clearly first, and we'll never charge anyone without their agreement.
What teachers agree to
- Use the game with students in line with your school's rules.
- Keep your sign-in, your class codes and your students' login cards private. Give each student only their own login.
- Remind students not to type their real names or other personal information anywhere in the game, including the Feedback form.
- Tell us at hello@playshouldersofgiants.com if you think an account has been misused, or if a student or class needs to be deleted.
Using the game fairly
Please don't:
- Try to get into accounts, classes or data that aren't yours.
- Hack, overload, scrape or reverse-engineer the game or its servers, or use bots or scripts to play it.
- Use the game to bother, bully or deceive other people.
- Copy, sell or republish the game, its cards, art or text, or pass it off as your own.
We may pause or remove an account that breaks these rules. For a student account, we'll contact the teacher first unless something urgent requires otherwise.
Who owns what
The game, including its cards, art, characters, writing, music and code, belongs to Shoulders of Giants. Teachers are welcome to use it in their own classrooms: show it on a projector, print login cards, and share screenshots for teaching. Materials bought on Teachers Pay Teachers follow that site's license.
If you send us ideas or feedback, we may use them to improve the game, with no obligation to you. Thank you for them.
About the history
Shoulders of Giants teaches history through a game, so some events and people are simplified to make the game playable. We aim to be accurate, but we can get things wrong. If you spot a mistake, please tell us at hello@playshouldersofgiants.com. The game is a teaching aid, not a replacement for a teacher or the curriculum.
Your data
The privacy page explains what we collect, who can see it, how long we keep it, and how to have it deleted.
Schools and districts
If a school or district has signed a separate agreement with us, such as a student data privacy agreement, that agreement takes priority over these terms wherever the two differ.
Changes to the game
We're always improving Shoulders of Giants, so features, cards and content will change. We may also need to pause or end the service. If we ever plan to shut it down, we'll give teachers notice by email where we can.
No guarantees
We do our best to keep the game working, safe and accurate, but it's provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, to the extent the law allows. We can't promise it will always be available or free of errors, or that saved progress will never be lost. Guest progress lives only in the browser, so clearing site data erases it.
Limits on liability
To the extent the law allows, Shoulders of Giants isn't responsible for indirect or unexpected losses from using the game, such as lost progress or lost class time, and our total responsibility for any claim is limited to $50. Some places don't allow these limits, so they may not apply to you.
The law that applies
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, USA. If a disagreement can't be worked out by talking with us first, it will be handled in the courts of San Diego County, California, unless the law where you live says otherwise.
Changes and questions
If these terms change, we'll update this page and the date at the top. For bigger changes, we'll tell teachers by email or in the game. Questions: hello@playshouldersofgiants.com.