First Contact with Dark Patterns and Deceptive Designs in Chinese and Japanese Free-to-Play Mobile Games

TL;DR

This study investigates deceptive design patterns in Chinese and Japanese free-to-play mobile games, identifying unique patterns, their combinations, and developing an ontology to categorize these manipulative techniques, contributing to ethical game design research.

Contribution

It introduces a novel ontology for categorizing deceptive game design patterns and highlights cultural differences in their usage in Chinese and Japanese mobile games.

Findings

Identified several unique deceptive patterns in Chinese and Japanese games.

Developed an ontology for classifying deceptive design patterns.

Found that developers often combine multiple DPs and use enhancers to increase manipulation.

Abstract

Mobile games have gained immense popularity due to their accessibility, allowing people to play anywhere, anytime. Dark patterns and deceptive designs (DPs) have been found in these and other gaming platforms within certain cultural contexts. Here, we explored DPs in the onboarding experiences of free-to-play mobile games from China and Japan. We identified several unique patterns and mapped their relative prevalence. We also found that game developers often employ combinations of DPs as a strategy ("DP Combos") and use elements that, while not inherently manipulative, can enhance the impact of known patterns ("DP Enhancers"). Guided by these findings, we then developed an enriched ontology for categorizing deceptive game design patterns into classes and subclasses. This research contributes to understanding deceptive game design patterns and offers insights for future studies on cultural dimensions and ethical game design in general.