“Powerless” Australian gamers are being regularly exploited by an “exploitative” industry that uses “deceptive and manipulative designs” to extract money from players who feel they have no recourse, according to a new study that found so-called ‘dark patterns’ are ubiquitous in today’s games.

Fully 95 per cent of Australian gamers said they had encountered some kind of dark game pattern — which include ‘freemium’ games, hidden costs, redirections, and popups – over the past 12 months, the joint Monash University and Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) study found.

Entitled Playing the Player, the study of 800 Australian gamers – all of whom participated in gaming via console, desktop, and/or mobile devices at least weekly – found most reported encountering “harmful” practices such as trick questions, confusing language, and disguised ads.

Many said they regularly encountered gambling-like game elements such as loot boxes, battle passes, and skin betting – dark patterns that “are design choices that manipulate, confuse, and seek to extract money from our pockets”, Monash University associate professor Brady Robards said.

“Exploitative design practices can come with serious harms, as they are generally not in the best interests of users.”

Dark patterns were commonly observed by respondents, 58 per cent of whom said they had encountered over 10 different types of dark game patterns in the past 12 months.

This included manipulative practices targeted towards children, and layers of in-game currencies that “mask or distort real-world monetary costs” by peppering users with demands for microtransactions that seem nominal in the heat of the moment but add up over time.

Fully 46 per cent of users experienced “financial detriment” from digital gaming, such as spending more money than intended, while 52 per cent reported “privacy harm” such as accidentally signing up to something, creating an unwanted account, or oversharing personal information.


Losses and consequences from digital gaming in past 12 months. Image: Monash University / CPRC

No more fun and games

A recent Parliamentary inquiry identified dark patterns as problematic and restricted them in 2023, with new government guidelines coming into effect last September.

The Monash University and CPRC findings suggest little has changed as a result, with 42 per cent of respondents conceding they did not complain or seek support even when they lost money or time as a result of game developers’ manipulative behaviour.

The study made numerous recommendations, including establishing a duty of care to protect children and vulnerable consumers through “thorough testing of choice architecture” and standardising the way in-game features, purchases, and gambling elements are disclosed.

Unfair should be made “illegal” with an unfair trading prohibition that prevents businesses from “unfairly exploit[ing] their customers,” the CPRC said, with a statutory Digital Ombudsman established to provide “clear pathways for dispute resolution” that would better protect gamers.

The proposed changes come months after videogame developer Epic Games was forced to refund over $115 million to Fortnite players after the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found they were “tricked” into making unwanted purchases using its ‘V-Bucks’ virtual currency.


Top 10 most popular gaming styles and cross-device usage. Image: Monash University / CPRC

Gaming deeply entrenched in Australian life

Concerns about addictive video gaming are just the latest in a long line of advocacy around gambling and, in particular, sports betting – which, the University of Melbourne’s latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey found is surging in popularity.

The report, which surveys over 17,000 Australians annually, found the proportion of Australian men participating in sports betting increased by two-thirds between 2015 and 2022 – from 5.6 per cent to 9.3 per cent – and blamed its marketing through social media and apps.

The integration of gambling into widely utilised digital games and other apps “makes it easier to gamble”, HILDA author Dr Ferdi Botha said.

“Young people are more likely to gamble online or via an app than go to a casino or the pokies,” Botha added, noting “the online gambling world and sports betting is skewed towards younger people” and calling for measures that make it “harder for people to register” for betting apps.

Despite the demonstrable harms of in-gaming dark patterns, the new Monash-CPRC survey suggested efforts for meaningful reform may face an uphill battle with the very people they are intended to protect.

Fully 83 per cent of respondents said digital gaming is their main source of entertainment, while 57 per cent said it “boosts [their] mood”, 52 per cent said it gives them a “personal sense of accomplishment”, and 31 per cent said it “gives [them] confidence”.