this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2025
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Gaming
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For example "Reciprocity". Unless it's something I've never seen in gaming I don't see how that's a dark pattern. Giving other players stuff is not a dark pattern, the "dark pattern" is when the person feels like they should contribute back. How can a game make a player NOT feel like they should contribute back? There is nothing a game can do to fix this which is why I don't see how that can be a dark pattern for games.
This one is a fair point.
Some games do create a need to depend on some. For example, in Old School Runescape, you make a decision in a quest and rely on someone who made a different decision. You cannot change it and you do depend on them. So they may feel obliged to reciprocate. The obligation is created due to a game design decision rather than because of an intrinsic decision of players.
Some games are set in such a way where you cannot of progress without assistance. New players can get locked out of progression. Maybe this could be relevent in those cases.