Deceptiveness? In MY videogame? It’s more likely than you think

Deceptive (or dark) patterns are design elements that use psychological mechanisms to trick users into actions they would not have done and from which they do not benefit. While being researched for a decade in the HCI field and other areas, like videogames, there is a struggle to find standards to define which patterns count as deceptive. This, added to an investor-focused industry and lack of regulations, leads to a substandard quality in gaming experience. For this reason, after a scenario analysis on why AAA videogame companies use deceptive patterns, see what regulatory approaches are currently available and a scan on players’ reviews on multiple online videogame stores, the following thesis will try to name the most responsible parties on the matter. The thesis will then propose a project as a potential solution to this issue: a website that can provide all the necessary information to allow everyone to learn about deceptive patterns and take part in their discovery.