Dark Patterns: Are Your Games Playing You?

Dark Patterns are everywhere in modern games, from login streaks to time-gated events and manipulative monetisation. In this video, I explain how these systems work, why they’re so effective, and how they impact both players and the industry. References: https://www.darkpattern.games https://www.gamedesignknowledge.com/blog-post/the-ethics-of-dark-patterns-in-game-design https://gurusability.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/what-is-a-dark-pattern-in-video-games https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/how-big-games-use-appointment-mechanics-to-get-gamers-keep-coming-back https://www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/fair-trading/dark-patterns 0:00 Introduction 0:21 What are Dark Patterns? 1:00 Dark Patterns in Games 1:53 Deceptive User Interfaces 3:19 Daily Rewards 4:29 Social Obligation 5:21 Playing by Appointment 6:04 Artificial Scarcity 6:35 Premium Currency Tricks 7:01 Time-limited Events 7:20 Endowed Progress Effect 7:51 Why Use Dark Patterns? 9:59 What are their Benefits? 11:49 Harm from Dark Patterns 13:03 My Personal Opinion 15:16 What Should Developers Do? 16:17 Conclusion