Daily Rewards
Encourages return visits every day and punishes you for missing a day.
Daily Rewards are a very common dark pattern used in addictive games. Games that use this will give you a reward the first time you play the game each day. If you miss a day, you miss the reward. This in itself isn't much of a dark pattern, but sometimes you get better rewards for playing every day and maintaining a "streak". The more consistently you play, the better your daily rewards. If you miss a day, you "break the chain" and lose your bonus. Losing your streak can be bad for the player so there is a strong urge to check the game every day.
Sometimes there is an option to use Premium Currency to spend money to restore your broken streak. By combining these two dark patterns, games can get people to pay to avoid punishment. This is a negative experience for the player that directly benefits the game developer and is not generally related to the core gameplay. Combining two dark patterns like this often amplifies their power.
By encouraging consistent daily play, the game is trying to make you develop a habit of playing the game. If the game becomes a habit, it is harder to stop.
Sometimes there is an option to use Premium Currency to spend money to restore your broken streak. By combining these two dark patterns, games can get people to pay to avoid punishment. This is a negative experience for the player that directly benefits the game developer and is not generally related to the core gameplay. Combining two dark patterns like this often amplifies their power.
By encouraging consistent daily play, the game is trying to make you develop a habit of playing the game. If the game becomes a habit, it is harder to stop.
Citations and Sources • Effective Game Mechanics: The Secrets Behind Addictive Gameplays
• 5 Game Mechanics that Make Games Addicting
• 5 Game Mechanics that Make Games Addicting
Examples
Township"Increasing amount of money till a random prize on the 5th day and beyond"
Assoluto Racing"Has a daily rewards ladder system."
War Robots Multiplayer Battles"the game has multiple things that forces player to come back and log in, such as blueprint system, upgrades or daily quests"
The Tribez: Build a Village"Eevnts force you to play regularly during every day to have enough time to complete the event."
The Walking Dead: Survivors"At least 10 different types of daily rewards"
Bingo Blitz™ - Bingo Games"Too many rewards to think of — motivation to collect them and progress, especially with how hard Bingo is."
Life Makeover"Daily login rewards, quests, etc"
Purrfect Tale"Yeah, it does give you the opportunity to make up for missed ones, but you she to watch an ad and can only do that two times a day"
Crush Crush"You get daily rewards for in-game currency. If you don’t sign in for a week, you lose all of your rewards."
Last Fortress"“Dailies”"