Encourages Anti-Social Behavior
The game incentivizes players to lie, cheat, or backstab other players to get ahead.
Some games encourage anti-social behavior. Combat games may encourage you to kill other players in violent ways. Driving games may encourage you to drive recklessly and break the law. Other games may encourage you to lie, deceive, steal from or backstab other players to get ahead in the game. Some games may even allow or encourage some form of cheating.
Within the context of the game, these behaviors are normalized, but you still feel bad when you are on the receiving end of one of these anti-social behaviors. If you have invested time and perhaps money into a game and then lose some of that because a friend backstabs you, that's going to cause some unwanted bad feelings. If someone steals some of your in-game resources, that may make you angry and require you to spend more time and money earning those resources back.
For some players, being on the receiving end of one of these behaviors may make them feel a need for revenge. If the player is part of a team, they may be able to enlist their teammates to pick on a particular player in the game. This will cause a negative experience for that player and may prevent them from enjoying the game.
Within the context of the game, these behaviors are normalized, but you still feel bad when you are on the receiving end of one of these anti-social behaviors. If you have invested time and perhaps money into a game and then lose some of that because a friend backstabs you, that's going to cause some unwanted bad feelings. If someone steals some of your in-game resources, that may make you angry and require you to spend more time and money earning those resources back.
For some players, being on the receiving end of one of these behaviors may make them feel a need for revenge. If the player is part of a team, they may be able to enlist their teammates to pick on a particular player in the game. This will cause a negative experience for that player and may prevent them from enjoying the game.
Citations and Sources • Dark Patterns in the Design of Games
• Wikipedia :: Video Game Controversies
• Wikipedia :: Video Game Controversies
Examples
The World of Magic"Fame system encourages Player Killing since it gives a place on the Ranking Board"
GraalOnline Era+"Check out the game, there are scammers everywhere, and they literally won’t get you your items back, if your scammed. They say scamming is legal in their game."
GraalOnline Zone+"It happens 24/7, backstabbing and scamming."
Cut the Rope"npcs by a annoying race game that are non existent because theres no way to put name in your account and NO, you cant disable it even if you dont have internet"
Shell Shockers"cracking eggs, but there are teams."
Board Kings™️"> Hop on the express train to your friends boards! Have fun and send them gifts, or DESTROY THEIR BOARDS!!! Play your free board game, your way... Grab their landmarks, steal their coins and go nuts... < - the literal description of the game"
Overmortal-Idle RPG"This is usually at the end of a week on Saturday + Sunday where a cluster of servers do a bit of a battle for top server, it’s encouraged but not mandatory"
Squad Busters""Busting" other players is the whole game loop."
Minecraft""Griefing" (intentonally destroying other players' constructions) is very common in multiplayer, as well as unfair PvP (well-equipped griefer killing other players interested in building)."
Invasion: Modern Empire"yes, its literally a war game"