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Computer-based Deceptive Game Design in Commercial Virtual Reality Games: A Preliminary Investigation

Hilda Hadan, Leah Zhang-Kennedy, Lennart E. Nacke

TL;DR

This study investigates how deceptive game design patterns manifest in commercial VR games relative to PC games, using autoethnography and a VR-specific Deceptive Game Design Assessment Guide. By analyzing Moss2 and Beat Saber against Overwatch2, the authors classify 71 patterns across eight themes, revealing that VR’s immersive features amplify emotional and sensory manipulation while hardware constraints shape certain tactics. The work contributes a structured framework for detecting deceptive tactics in VR, demonstrates preliminary VR-specific manifestations, and underscores the urgent need for ethical design guidelines as VR expands. The findings point to a trajectory of increasingly sophisticated player manipulation in future VR titles and motivate regulatory and design-focused responses to protect players.

Abstract

As Virtual Reality (VR) games become more popular, it is crucial to understand how deceptive game design patterns manifest and impact player experiences in this emerging medium. Our study sheds light on the presence and effects of manipulative design techniques in commercial VR games compared to a traditional computer game. We conducted an autoethnography study and developed a VR Deceptive Game Design Assessment Guide based on a critical literature review. Using our guide, we compared how deceptive patterns in a popular computer game are different from two commercial VR titles. While VR's technological constraints, such as battery life and limited temporal manipulation, VR's unique sensory immersion amplified the impact of emotional and sensory deception. Current VR games showed similar but evolved forms of deceptive design compared to the computer game. We forecast more sophisticated player manipulation as VR technology advances. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of how deceptive game design persists and escalates in VR. We highlight the urgent need to develop ethical design guidelines for the rapidly advancing VR games industry.

Computer-based Deceptive Game Design in Commercial Virtual Reality Games: A Preliminary Investigation

TL;DR

This study investigates how deceptive game design patterns manifest in commercial VR games relative to PC games, using autoethnography and a VR-specific Deceptive Game Design Assessment Guide. By analyzing Moss2 and Beat Saber against Overwatch2, the authors classify 71 patterns across eight themes, revealing that VR’s immersive features amplify emotional and sensory manipulation while hardware constraints shape certain tactics. The work contributes a structured framework for detecting deceptive tactics in VR, demonstrates preliminary VR-specific manifestations, and underscores the urgent need for ethical design guidelines as VR expands. The findings point to a trajectory of increasingly sophisticated player manipulation in future VR titles and motivate regulatory and design-focused responses to protect players.

Abstract

As Virtual Reality (VR) games become more popular, it is crucial to understand how deceptive game design patterns manifest and impact player experiences in this emerging medium. Our study sheds light on the presence and effects of manipulative design techniques in commercial VR games compared to a traditional computer game. We conducted an autoethnography study and developed a VR Deceptive Game Design Assessment Guide based on a critical literature review. Using our guide, we compared how deceptive patterns in a popular computer game are different from two commercial VR titles. While VR's technological constraints, such as battery life and limited temporal manipulation, VR's unique sensory immersion amplified the impact of emotional and sensory deception. Current VR games showed similar but evolved forms of deceptive design compared to the computer game. We forecast more sophisticated player manipulation as VR technology advances. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of how deceptive game design persists and escalates in VR. We highlight the urgent need to develop ethical design guidelines for the rapidly advancing VR games industry.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 16 sections, 1 figure, 7 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Related Work and How It Informed Our Research
  3. Deceptive Design in Games and Immersive Environment and The Role of Player Perception
  4. Autoethnography as a Methodology in Games Research
  5. Methodology
  6. Data Collection and Documentation
  7. VR Deceptive Game Design Assessment Guide Development
  8. Data Analysis
  9. Ethical Considerations and Limitations
  10. Findings
  11. RQ1: What deceptive design patterns are currently implemented in commercial VR games?
  12. RQ2: How do deceptive game designs vary in their manifestations in VR games and PC games?
  13. Discussion and Next Steps
  14. Sample Diary Entry Structure
  15. Reflexivity Statement
  16. ...and 1 more sections

Figures (1)

  • Figure 1: Left: sample gameplay moment in Moss2, a VR puzzle adventure game where players guide a tiny mouse character through a fantastical world. Quill, the main character, gives the player a full-body hug, with her tiny arms wrapped tightly around the controller pointers. Center: sample gameplay moment in Beat Saber, a VR rhythm-based block-slashing game, when players are required to physically move left, right or squat down to avoid oncoming obstacles (semi-transparent walls). Right: sample gameplay moment in OW2, a first-person team-based shooter game, when players is using ability to heal (restore) the health of allies at the front by holding down the right-click on mouse.