Mechanics-based methods in deceptive game design

Abstract

This dissertation covers the theme of mechanics-based methods in deceptive game design. The reason this topic is being researched is that the original work that established the idea of deceptive game design (Gualeni & Van Mosselaer, 2021) did not give much thought to deceptions that are primarily elicited via a mechanical means, which is the focus of this thesis. As a result, this dissertation will look into how deceptive design choices that primarily focus on the mechanical aspect can trick players. It will also explore whether or not mechanics have the same expressive and deceptive potential in deceptive game design as more aesthetic and narrative deception, and if so, why. To answer this, to serve as a basis for the rest of the dissertation, a definition of mechanics was adapted and adopted. Following that, several deceptive game mechanics were investigated and analysed. These were then divided into four major groups, ranging from the unfair use of AIs to the inconsistency of mechanics to deceptions based on statistics. This dissertation features games from a variety of genres, including first-person shooters like High on Life, RPGs like Dark Souls, and racing games like Mario Kart. In the conclusion, I showed that mechanics have the same potential for use in deceptive game design as narrative and aesthetic deception. In fact, several examples of mechanics used date back to the early days of the video game industry, such as the mimic chest trope or rubberbanding in racing games.