"Just one more game, or I'll lose my streak."
If you have a kid who plays video games, you've heard that line, or something very close to it. And you've probably thought what we all think: that it's on them, that they just need a bit more self-control. Sometimes that's true. But very often that urgency doesn't come from your kid. Someone designed it, very carefully, so they can't put the controller down.
At Papitek we don't think video games are the enemy. In our quick guide to video games for parents we covered everything they can offer. But many games hide design tricks that work against the player, and it's worth learning to recognize them. Especially now that even the PEGI age-rating system has started flagging them.
Designed So You Don't Stop
Researchers call them dark patterns. They're design choices a studio makes on purpose to create experiences that go against the player's own interest: playing longer than they wanted, spending money they didn't plan to, or feeling bad about stopping. The definition comes from a now-classic paper, "Dark Patterns in the Design of Games" (Zagal et al., 2013), which still underpins almost all the research on the subject.
The key is telling hooking apart from trapping. A good game hooks you because it's fun, because you want to know what's behind the next door. A dark pattern traps you because if you leave, you lose something. A hard level is a challenge. A level made hard on purpose, with a "pay to continue" button right next to it, is something else.
The difference isn't how much your kid plays. It's who decides when they stop.
The Catalog of Tricks
A study from the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), published in July in the journal index.comunicación, classifies 25 dark patterns into 8 categories and looks for them in the games most popular with young people in Spain. These are the six you're most likely to see at home:
A. Streaks and daily rewards. The game gives you something for logging in every day and takes it away if you miss one. The result: your kid doesn't play when they want to, but when the game tells them to. A question you can ask: "Did you feel like playing today, or did you have to?"
B. Countdown offers. "Only 2 hours left." The rush leaves no room to think about whether you really want the thing. Many of these offers come back again and again. Question: "Is that offer really ending, or did we see it last week?"
C. Virtual currencies. Gems, V-Bucks, Robux, FC Points... The price is no longer in dollars or euros, and it's hard to tell what something really costs. On top of that, currency bundles usually leave you with leftover balance so you come back to buy more. Question: "How much is that in real money?"
D. Loot boxes. You pay for a prize without knowing what you'll get: a player pack, a chest, or a pull in a gacha (a random-prize system). It's the mechanic closest to gambling. Question: "Do you know the odds of getting the one you want?"
E. Pay to win. Whoever pays progresses faster or gets an edge over everyone else. The game is made frustrating on purpose so that buying looks like the solution. Question: "Is this level hard, or is it built to make you pay?"
F. Battle pass. You pay for a season of rewards that you only unlock if you play a lot before it ends. It mixes money with a calendar: if you don't play, you "lose" what you already paid for. Question: "Are you having fun, or are you just keeping up with the pass?"
Your kids don't need to learn the names. It's enough that, little by little, they start asking themselves these questions. A trick you can see only half works.
Not a Theory: Fines, Studies and Consequences
Dark patterns have ended up in court, with some very serious numbers:
Fortnite. In 2022, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) accused Epic Games of using dark patterns to get players to make unintended purchases, with confusing buttons and charges made without confirmation. Epic had to pay back $245 million and was barred from charging players without their express consent.
Genshin Impact. In January 2025, its developer paid $20 million. The FTC accused it of deceiving players about the odds and the real cost of its loot boxes. It can no longer sell them to teens under 16 without parental consent, and it must disclose the odds and the exchange rates of its in-game currency.
Roblox. A University of Sydney report from May 2026 analyzed 15 of its highest-earning games and found misleading purchase designs in 14: fake "daily" discounts, countdowns, loot boxes and "near miss" effects. According to the authors, the model isn't "free with extras" but one where spending is built into the game itself.
Europe. In 2025, the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (vzbv) issued warnings to five games for pushing purchases directly at children, hiding prices or advertising misleading discounts: Fortnite, Clash of Clans, Monopoly Go, Subway Surfers and Roblox. The first four committed to making changes; the Roblox case ended up in court.
This doesn't only happen in games for older kids. A study from the Technical University of Darmstadt (December 2025) analyzed 20 free game apps rated for ages 4 and up and found deceptive patterns in all of them, almost six per app on average, plus unskippable ads built into the gameplay.
So what are the consequences? Money is the most visible one, but not the only one. Another UOC study of 16- to 25-year-olds in Spain (index.comunicación, 2026) found two things:
Spending explains how much young people are exposed to these tricks, and how much they normalize them, better than playing time does.
That spending is associated with more frustration, stress and discomfort.
It's a survey, so it doesn't prove cause and effect, but it points to something useful: besides "how many hours do you play?", it's worth asking "how does the game get you to spend?"
PEGI Already Warns You (If You Know How to Read It)
Until now, the PEGI label mostly told you about violence, bad language or fear. That has changed. Since June 2026, PEGI raises a game's recommended age based on its mechanics:
PEGI 7: rewards for coming back every day, such as daily quests.
PEGI 12: if the game punishes you for not coming back (you lose content or progress) or if it has offers limited in time or quantity.
PEGI 16, by default: if it has paid random items, that is, loot boxes. In some cases, PEGI 18.
PEGI 18: if the chat has no restrictions at all (no blocking, no reporting), or if the game includes NFTs or blockchain.
The most striking case is EA Sports FC 27. According to the gaming press, citing confirmation from a PEGI official in late October, it has gone from PEGI 3 to PEGI 16 because of the Ultimate Team player packs (FUT Evolution, Oct 22, 2026). The soccer game that so many 8-year-olds have at home now carries the same age rating as a game for older teens.
And it's not just new releases. Since October 2026, PEGI has been reviewing games already on the market: digital-only games rated PEGI 3, 7 or 12 that include loot boxes move up to PEGI 16 with the "Paid random items" label. It will take a while to reach every store.
One important caveat: PEGI is a recommendation, not a ban. But now it tells you something very useful before you buy. Look up any game in the PEGI search tool and read the purchase warnings too, not just the number. The big number on the box no longer just describes what's on screen. It also tells you how the game is built.
PEGI applies in Europe. If you're in the US, the ESRB label has a related notice: "In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)".
Games That Respect Your Kid
Are there games without these traps? Plenty. The simplest rule is to look for one-time purchase games: you buy them once and that's it, with no in-game store, no currencies and no timers. Some examples, with the age PEGI gives them in its listing:
🟢 Super Mario Bros. Wonder (PEGI 3). A classic platformer, perfect for playing as a family. You buy it and you have the whole thing.
🟢 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (PEGI 3). According to its PEGI listing, the only related purchase is Nintendo's online subscription, and you can play without it.
🟢 A Short Hike (PEGI 3). A short, relaxing game about exploring a mountain. No rush and nothing to buy.
🟢 Untitled Goose Game (PEGI 3). You're a goose causing mischief in a village. Pure comedy, and PEGI gives it no warnings at all.
🟡 Stardew Valley (PEGI 12). A farm to look after at your own pace, one-time purchase. Heads up: PEGI rates it 12 because it has an in-game casino that features gambling games, even if it uses in-game money. A good example of why it's worth reading the full listing.
If your kid mostly plays on a phone, DarkPattern.games rates iOS and Android games according to the dark patterns users themselves report. It's not an official source, but it helps you filter quickly before downloading.
And if they already play Fortnite, Roblox or EA FC? No need to delete them tonight. It's about playing with your eyes open and adjusting the setup, which is what comes next.
How to Disarm the Traps at Home
Turn on a spending limit. According to the "Por X o por Y" campaign by Spain's Ministry of Consumer Affairs (in Spanish), most games don't have parental controls turned on by default. Set them up in Nintendo Switch Parental Controls, your PlayStation family account, Xbox, Apple Family Sharing (with "Ask to Buy") or Google Play (requiring authentication for every purchase).
Convert the currency to real money together. Take your kid's favorite game and work out what that skin really costs. It's usually more eye-opening than any lecture.
Agree on a budget. A monthly amount that they decide how to spend, just as they would with their allowance. When it's gone, it's gone, even if the offer "ends in 2 hours."
Play with them for a while and name the tricks. "Look, another countdown." Say it with humor, no drama. Kids love catching a trick.
Don't punish the confession. If one day they tell you they overspent or got hooked on a streak, thank them for telling you. If they're afraid of being punished, next time they won't tell you.
Playing With Your Eyes Open
Let's go back to the line from the beginning: "Just one more game, or I'll lose my streak." The answer isn't taking away the console. It's the day they're the one who says: "Eh, let the streak go, I'll play tomorrow." That day they'll have learned something that will serve them far beyond video games, because the same traps are also in social media, online stores and food delivery apps.
A game that respects your kid lets them switch it off. Teach them to notice when one doesn't.
What's the trick you see most often in the games at your house?
Sources
Zagal, Björk and Lewis, "Dark Patterns in the Design of Games" (2013); Pons-López et al. and the gamblification study, UOC, index.comunicación (2026); Krahl et al., TU Darmstadt (arXiv, 2025); University of Sydney, "Misleading and Deceptive Monetisation in Roblox" (2026); FTC (Epic Games and Cognosphere/HoYoverse cases); vzbv via Stiftung Warentest (2025); PEGI (March and October 2026); PEGI listings for each game, checked in November 2026.