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Exploitative Patternsin Games

Friction

Also: design friction

Any deliberate impediment to action; harmful or protective depending on whose interest it serves.

Friction is neutral in itself: a confirmation step that prevents accidental spending is protective friction, while a buried cancellation flow is adversarial friction (sludge). Asymmetry is the tell — protective choices made hard while provider-favouring choices are made effortless.

See also

References

  1. Newall, P. W. S. (2025). Sludge, dark patterns and dark nudges: A taxonomy of online gambling platforms' deceptive design features. Addiction. doi.org/10.1111/add.70085 · citing patterns