Mechanism families

Bundling an unwanted action with a wanted one — forced ad-watching to progress, forced account or data, gated exits. Part of the coercive core.

Visual or linguistic manipulation of the choice — misdirection, false hierarchy, confirmshaming, pre-selected or default-to-purchase options.

Repeated interruptions that steer toward the provider's goal — persistent upsell prompts and reminders.

Asymmetric friction against user-protective choices — hard-to-cancel, withdrawal friction, 'sludge'. Part of the coercive core.

Concealing or delaying information that is material to the decision — hidden costs, hidden odds, obscured currency value.

Designs that obscure or inflate cost or randomise reward — loot boxes/gacha, premium-currency obfuscation, price/odds opacity, pay-to-win.

Designs that exploit reinforcement schedules and cognitive biases — variable-ratio rewards, near-miss, sunk-cost/entrapment, illusion of control, sensory reinforcement.

Designs that weaponise relationships — social obligation and guilt, gifting spam, social pyramid schemes, impersonation, parasocial pressure from beloved characters.

Designs that exploit time and the value of the player's time — grinding, energy/wait timers, appointment mechanics, daily streaks, attention capture.