Lawyer warns game developers about 'unlawful game design' as 'dark patterns' lawsuits rise

When I think of game design that might be "unlawful," I think of gambling, but things aren't so simple these days, warns Eric Weiss, a trial lawyer who defends companies from class action lawsuits and other disputes. The US Federal Trade Commission is on the lookout for so-called "dark patterns" in software and websites, and Weiss says that game developers should be very careful.

In 2022, the FTC defined dark patterns as "design practices that trick or manipulate users into making choices...