Dark Patterns!

A dark pattern is “a type of user interface that has been carefully crafted to trick users into doing things against their best interest” (Brignull, 2010). It is set in place to use human psychology into tricking people to using real money to purchase something or to create a recurring bill for the user. If a game has a dark pattern it does not mean it’s a bad game, it means that the creator designed a game that influences players to use real money to either create an advantage for themself or continuing the story. Bad games are things with reoccurring errors, lazy programming and all-around bad gameplay, graphics and any other aspect of the game.

Figure 1 - Creating Dark Patterns

So why do designers create these dark patterns, why would they join the “dark side” and intentionally create scenarios where players need to pay money to play a game? The answer is based on a receipt of a few things. The creator needs to be in an aggressive environment, they need to be in competition and they would need to create higher profit from the game. There would have to be a huge emphasis on metrics and it would also need social proof, people would need to accept that what they are doing is adequate for them. Another factor a designer needs to take a look at is creating an easy in and difficult out situation. This is where it is easy to get into the paying option but very difficult to get out of the payment option. An example of this is allowing people to pay for a service for life and say that you have 24 hour customer service but when the customer wants to opt out they must instead call an insurance company. So instead of 24 hour service the customer would get Monday – Friday from 8am to 4pm. This is a great way to make people stay on the program because if a person calls on a Friday night they must wait at least 2 full days before they can call again, this might encourage them to give up or forget about discontinuing the services. 

Figure 2 - 24 Hour Service does not always mean around the clock help!

If a designer wanted to create a dark pattern he/she would have to consider player expectations. Players will not pay for something they do not care about. The designer must first create an appeal that attracts a large target audience. Then they must create a hook, something that continuously draws players back to continue to play. Once these factors are acknowledged by the player the dark pattern can be instituted and players are forced into paying for something because they are already committed to the game. 

Figure 3 - Expectations

Game designers must also take into consideration what types of experiences the player will receive from the game. Dark patterns are usually seen in social games, this is because player experience is linked with other people, such as friends and family. If their friends are purchasing stuff to make their social game better than yours, then you would have to purchase things in order to keep up. The game becomes more of a competition and players do not even realize that they are caught in a dark pattern.

Figure 4 - Social Games

Questions to Consider

Should video game designers have a set of code of ethics?

What would make you play a game that makes pay to play?

References

http://darkpatterns.org/

Figure 1 - http://d.alistapart.com/_made/d/ALA338_darkpatterns_300_960_407_60.jpg

Figure 2 -  http://www.norwoodcanada.com/images/pages/about_24_hour/24_hour_logo_big.png

Figure 3 - https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQdV-Yz68qQ9YpnyJp40BM81nyG86rbnp4_SbHj0tEDbdIQVcBPnw

Figure 4 - http://www.insidesocialgames.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Social-City.jpg

Interaction Devices

In the past we had basic experiences, back in the day games were limited to either side-scrolling or top-down interactions.

Perceived affordances – perceived properties of the object that suggests how one could use it. On a controller the gamepad is elevated so that players know they are press able and triggers on the back so players perceive it to flick it with their finger. The joystick is used to rotate, it controls direction. There are a lot of moving and timing in games. Back in the day when Nintendo was out, their control was very boring. It had four direction buttons and two action buttons. It was an inexpensive way to produce a controller, now controllers cost $60. Nintendo later came out with a gun type controller. It created the trigger button. It changed the display and it increased the frames, it was faster than the eye could detect. Now buttons aren’t buttons anymore they are a rich set of interactions. There are many buttons with triggers (face and directional), there is also dual analog sticks that are used for three dimensional play (it dictates the camera modes).        

Figure 1 - PS3 Controller with Keypad

Interactions with controllers allows for players to feel more immersed inside the game. Analog gives reasonable mapping to 3D environments. There are many buttons and this allows for different timing tasks. There are also special or mode switch actions on the face buttons. When a player plays video games with a controller it is found that when the game gets harder the player exerts more pressure on the buttons. When I play Mario Kart Wii with friends I find that I tend to press the buttons very hard when it is the last lap and I need to catch up. Game designers can use this information to create a new controller that is sensitive to button pressure. If a player wants to run faster he/she would have to press the button harder. This gives players more of an in-depth feel to the game. If a player wants something he/she will have to work harder for it. 

Figure 2 - People aggressively playing the Wii

 

Each controller has different affordances. A keyboard is for typing, a mouse is used for targeting, and the gamepad is used for combos. Buttons are also used for rhythmic games, but when playing a game like Guitar Hero a game designer needs to take into factor affordance vs. suspension of disbelief. Sometimes a player rather feels more in the game than achieving the best score. A player could use a controller to beat the game efficiently but sometimes they rather use a controller that feels more realistic so that they are immersed into the game (Guitar Hero, Mario Kart Wii Wheel, and Gran Turismo Wheel).

Figure 3 - Gran Turismo 5 Wheel

The Xbox 360 Kinect is a gaming controller. It allows for the actual gamer to become the controller. There would be a lost affordance as the player would have to figure what each thing does. However there would be affordances as well because it’ll feel like doing something in reality. An example of this is if you are playing a fighting game a player would know how to punch and kick but they are used to creating combos from the gamepad. The PS3 also uses the player’s motion; it deals with accelerometer, gyros and compass. It has a balance though because it has motion but it also has standard buttons that players are used to. 

Figure 4 - PS3 Move Controller

Questions to Consider

What types of input devices will come from the new generation of consoles?

Will the Wii controller be an inspiration to new devices or will it be a fresh look and feel?

Is it possible to have gesture recognition in gaming consoles/controllers?

References

Figure 1 -  http://www.sonyinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/ps3-keypad-1.jpg

Figure 2 - http://paranerds.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/nintendo-wii.jpg

Figure 3 - http://ps3.mmgn.com/Lib/Images/Articles/Normal/Gran-Turismo-5-Racing-wheels-comparison-1061484.jpg

Figure 4 - http://www.nintendoeverything.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/playstation_move.jpg