[blessingdusk]

Infinite scrolls and other features are classified as dark patterns, meaning it is a feature that is designed to engage the user as much as possible. The common denominator of all dark patterns are that they benefit the service provider or business at the detriment of the consumer. It helps being able to define what infinite scrolling does, because once you can recognize what a dark pattern entails, it will be much easier to spot and accordingly adjust your behaviors. Moderating your own behaviors when dealing with dark patterns is key.

Mobile games are notorious for this; the market for mobile games are flooded with "Log in everyday to get your dailies!" Initially I was enthralled by mobile gaming as a middle schooler. I got to play Clash of Clans in my classroom and away from my home computer. I am now in sophomore year of college. The novelty of mobile games wear off as soon as you realize that mobile games back then and still today are designed to monopolize your time. I like to think that mobile game developers do it because they are passionate about it, but their passion gets bogged down at their first gamedev job because of company politics and the fact that dark patterns make money.

Come to think of it, I really resonate with this author because dark patterns are everywhere. It is as if every single service provider is trying to monopolize your time. It happens with YouTube, computer games (notably Path of Exile), Discord, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and so much more. Dark patterns are definitively not conducive to a healthy populace. Thinking of my own time as a finite resource really helps. Is this dark pattern worth my time? It is ridiculously easy to sink 8 hours of your time watching reality TV on YouTube. I would even go as far as to say that they are designed to keep the working and lower class poor. If anyone wants to inquire further about that statement, please reply.

[rightbyte]

I played way to much Clash Royale, a really good tower defence game, for two three months.

But I realized the grinding element in that game was insidious. "This chest opens in three hours". It wasted your time for no fun added, rather than being a game mechanic. I just deleted it.

I.e. the game rate limited your grind and made you pay to remove the grind cap.

At some point it got impossible to increase your ELO ranking without having better card levels, so you had to pay up or grind, or you would lose to bad players with high level decks. Really boring ...

It is a shame that the gaming industry got to this. Becouse Clash Royale is a really good game underneath the leveling of cards grind and pay-2-win.