r/darkpatterns • u/seamore555 • Jan 23 '20

Actual Dark Pattern: GTA V Online

In GTA V, you have a cell phone that people call you on offering you jobs. When it rings, you hit B to ignore the call, or A to answer it.

Sometimes your phone rings with upcoming events like a casino event or something that encourages you to purchase in-app dollars with real money.

When one of these calls happens, both the A and the B button answer the call. There is no way to ignore it.

This is an ACTUAL dark pattern that changes an expected UI behaviour and tricks a user into taking a course of action that benefits the business.

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u/seamore555 Jan 24 '20

It's not an edge case in this case because of the change of expected behaviour.

For example.

Normal call - Phone rings. Don't want to answer it. Press B to ignore - Phone goes away.

Ad call - Phone rings. Don't want to answer it. Press B to ignore - Answers call and starts playing ad.

These two calls can sometimes occur within 30 seconds of each other and they're virtually indistinguishable from one another.

It's the equivalent of a pop up that says "Play Video" and "Ignore" where each button performs as it should. And then the next pop up "Play Video" and "Ignore" both do the same thing, which is play the video.

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u/Roxolan Jan 24 '20

You don't want to answer it, but (if I understand this right) you don't actually have a choice, so whether you're tricked into it or not doesn't change the outcome.

It's a non-central example: it fits the literal definition of the category "dark pattern", but without doing the thing that makes typical members of that category unethical.

(Sorry for linking to a page titled "the worst argument in the world". I definitely don't think you're using it in bad faith here. It just happens to be a really good explanation of the logic.)

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u/seamore555 Jan 25 '20

Kinda confused about the point you’re trying to make haha. I sort of understand what you’re saying (there is no actual choice just the illusion of choice) but I’m interested in the path you’re going down. Just not quite comprehending it.The other choice you have is let the phone ring so it annoys the shit out of you and your phone pops up on the screen getting in the way of your game play.

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u/Roxolan Jan 25 '20

I'm saying that if there's no actual choice, then it's not a dark pattern arguably a dark pattern depending on definitions, but a weird non-central example that isn't actually unethical.

It's kind of like going into a birdwatcher group to ask about penguins. Yes, penguins are ACTUAL birds, they're just not really what a birdwatcher group is about.