Advertisements
Forced to watch ads or given rewards for watching ads.
Many games, especially free-to-play games, contain advertising. Instead of paying for the game with money, you pay for it with your attention. People are more willing to part with their attention than with their money, and often aren't aware of how much time they are giving to these in-game advertisements.
Advertisements by themselves are not necessarily a Dark Pattern, but they can become one if they are made too intrusive and interrupt normal gameplay too frequently. For example:
1) Ads that cannot be skipped.
2) Giving rewards for watching ads.
3) Tricking you into clicking on an ad by placing it in a place where you might accidentally click on it.
3) Disguising an ad to make it look like part of the game.
Games can sometimes treat watching an ad as a form of in-app currency to enable other dark patterns. For example, some games allow you to replenish your energy by watching an ad. This is a form of Pay to Skip where you are paying with your attention instead of money.
Advertisements by themselves are not necessarily a Dark Pattern, but they can become one if they are made too intrusive and interrupt normal gameplay too frequently. For example:
1) Ads that cannot be skipped.
2) Giving rewards for watching ads.
3) Tricking you into clicking on an ad by placing it in a place where you might accidentally click on it.
3) Disguising an ad to make it look like part of the game.
Games can sometimes treat watching an ad as a form of in-app currency to enable other dark patterns. For example, some games allow you to replenish your energy by watching an ad. This is a form of Pay to Skip where you are paying with your attention instead of money.
Examples
Smurfs' Village"Video hut is essentially a watch-ad-to-earn-smurfberry. Traveler smurf also allow player to watch an ad for a randomized reward, with 1/4 rate of earn the premium currency"
Drilla: Idle Gold Miner Game"Ads are spammed everywhere! Well not everywhere but in front of a reward. But most rewards are locked behind ads."
My Talking Tom Friends"2 ways, 1 is exactly what it sounds like and 2, the characters have dreams (see my review on wait to play for context) about games made by outfit7. (outfit7 is the one who made this game)"
Talking Tom Hero Dash"when you lose, you have 4 seconds to keep your progress by watching an ad"
Beatstar"Intrusive ads only pop up until a player's first purchase from the store."
Beatstar - Touch Your Music"Intrusive ads only pop up until a player's first purchase from the store."
Grim Quest - Old School RPG"ad play before the start of every level, a level requires 1-5 minutes to complete"
MONOPOLY GO!"Dozens of pop-ups as soon as you open the game"
Space Arena: Build & Fight MMO"forced ads unless you pay, ads for rewards"
Drive Ahead!"yes as it does give you a double reward for an add or even just an add without the double reward"