Reciprocity
Feeling obligated to return a favor, share resources, trade an item, etc.
If the game allows you to share resources, trade items or send gifts to your friends or other players then it may be using the dark pattern of Reciprocity. The person who receives your gift may feel a sense of obligation to return the favor. They may not have resources to share, and so they may feel bad that they gave something valuable away, or they may feel shame or guilt if they do not reciprocate. These unwanted negative feelings make the game less enjoyable.
If a game allows players to band together into guilds or clans, then sharing resources may be a requirement for participating in the group. Players may be punished by the leaders for not pulling their weight and helping out the team by donating valuable items.
The social pressure to donate items to other players means that you are giving up some of your own valuable resources that you have spent time and maybe money earning. This means that you have to spend more time and money to earn those items again.
If a game allows players to band together into guilds or clans, then sharing resources may be a requirement for participating in the group. Players may be punished by the leaders for not pulling their weight and helping out the team by donating valuable items.
The social pressure to donate items to other players means that you are giving up some of your own valuable resources that you have spent time and maybe money earning. This means that you have to spend more time and money to earn those items again.
Citations and Sources • Seven Psychological Sins of SimCity Social
• How Reciprocity Yields Bumper Crops in Farmville
• How Reciprocity Yields Bumper Crops in Farmville
Examples
GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE"Social points which can be used for rolls"
Pikmin Bloom"you can send postcards from locations you've visited to friends once a day"
Kawaii Home Design"You can donate or receive materials everyday, from your guild members or friends outside of your guild. The game encourages this donate x donate system."
RuneScape Mobile"Yeah? It's an MMORPG with a trading system."
Food Street - Restaurant Management & Food Game"You can trade"
Baseball Superstars 2020"give friends friendship tokens to summon trainers"
Trench Warfare 1917: WW1 Game"Allows you to create and share maps with other players. Basically a mod system. Please inform me if this does not fit the criteria."
Fer.al"Trading resources was a popular feature of this game. Due to the nature of season pass tasks, you were frequently required to wear or swap certain hard-to-obtain items, which would sometimes require you to lend or borrow from complete strangers."
Pixel Gun 3D: FPS Shooter"Gifting a silver booster to a clanmate with in-game currency, or gifting lots of other things with real money to other people"
League of Legends: Wild Rift"You can send presents to friends."