Dark Patterns: Are Your Games Playing You?

Chris Wilson
4 HN recommenders · recommended in 2 months, 2025–2026
YouTube
250K views · 11 months ago · talk · evergreen

A talk by Chris Wilson on dark patterns in games. It goes through the manipulative design techniques that make games keep players spending time and money.

HN people share it as a helpful, easy-to-digest reminder of how games use dark patterns.

“the video is a helpful and easy to digest, reminder of them”
Design ethics & dark patternsGame design
#darkpatterns#games#monetization#manipulativedesign#playerretention

4 comments from Hacker News

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@lordleft2026 · in “Dark Patterns: Are Your Games Playing You? – Chris Wilson [video]”
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@swi2025 · in “Dark Pattern Games”
Chris Wilson released a video on this topic yesterday - "Dark Patterns: Are Your Games Playing You?". He has an interesting perspective having been the lead of Path of Exile. A free to play, decade long, popular, action role playing game. While opinions vary on the correct use of these patterns, the video is a helpful and easy to digest, reminder of them. The video description contains additional links. --- "Dark Patterns: Are Your Games Playing You?" - ▶ this video
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@ericzawo2025 · in “Dark Patterns: Are your games playing you?”
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@skilled2025 · in “Dark Patterns: Are Your Games Playing You? [video]”
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