Complicity

UX / Game Study / Research / Dark Patterns · 2026

↓ Download Thesis

Complicity is a first-person 3D game developed for my bachelor thesis to explore how different role perspectives influence awareness of exploitative design practices. Participants played either as a Victim, experiencing manipulative interface designs through mini-games, or as an Exploiter, actively using those patterns to reach performance goals.

The project combines interaction design, game-based research and user experience evaluation. It was designed to examine how role, agency and responsibility affect users’ perception of dark patterns in digital systems.

// Design Approach

Role-Based Learning Through Interaction

Complicity was designed as a comparative learning experience built around two contrasting perspectives. Participants were assigned either the Victim role, experiencing Dark Patterns firsthand, or the Exploiter role, actively configuring the same manipulative systems. Although both versions shared identical underlying mechanics, differences in framing, goals and agency created fundamentally different experiences. This approach allowed the study to examine how perspective influences the understanding of manipulative design.

Translating Dark Patterns into Gameplay

Three established Dark Patterns were adapted into interactive gameplay scenarios:

Confirmshaming – using guilt-inducing language to influence decisions
Sneak into Basket – adding unwanted items or options without explicit consent
Roach Motel – making subscriptions easy to enter but difficult to leave

Each pattern appeared in both roles through mirrored tasks, allowing participants to either encounter or deploy the same underlying design strategy.

Balancing Research and Engagement

The project combines user experience research with game design principles. To maintain engagement while discussing potentially frustrating interactions, Dark Patterns were embedded in playful and exaggerated scenarios rather than realistic commercial environments.
A lighthearted visual style, fictional companies and humorous narrative framing were used to support reflection without overwhelming players with repetitive or frustrating interactions.

// Research / Outcome

Study Design

The project was evaluated through a between-subjects study involving 36 participants, who were randomly assigned to either the Victim or Exploiter condition. Data was collected through:

Pre- and post-intervention Dark Pattern detection tests
Player experience questionnaires
Semi-structured interviews
A four-week follow-up survey

The goal was to investigate how role perspective influences awareness, recognition and reflection regarding manipulative interface design.

Key Findings

Awareness of Dark Patterns increased after the intervention across the participant group.
Participants in the Exploiter role showed a statistically significant increase in the detection of manipulative design strategies.
Both roles successfully learned to recognize Dark Patterns, but the Exploiter role encouraged stronger critical reflection on how such systems are constructed and justified.
Victim participants more frequently focused on frustration and loss of control, while Exploiters reflected on the underlying design logic and decision-making processes.

Conclusion

The findings suggest that actively constructing manipulative systems can foster a deeper understanding of how they operate than simply experiencing them as a user. While both perspectives increased awareness, the Exploiter role appeared particularly effective at encouraging critical reflection on the mechanisms behind Dark Patterns and their impact on user agency.