Compared with most games, which usually require a certain degree of skill, isolation and time commitment, this sounds rather freeing. But Rotted Luck is still a video game, and video games need to be played. So, how can it keep people engaged and satisfied without using any dark pattern design?

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“There’s a silliness to the game. Silliness always draws people in,” Rajan says. “There’s also a sense of mystery – like what’s going to change next – and even something slightly sinister in a fun way. There’s curiosity and constant surprise. All of that combines to create an interesting and non-addictive experience.”

Its accessibility is also a key appeal, MacLarty adds. “Controllers, keyboards and a mouse can seem a bit intimidating. But with this, you just walk in front of it, and it starts reacting to you … it’s really immediate and accessible.”

Ultimately, Rajan says Rotted Luck “doesn’t want anything from you”. There are no unskippable ads, no competition between players, no clear rewards, and the difficulty levels are not manipulated as the game progresses. Unlike many games, which often take advantage of the “sunk cost fallacy” – which makes gamers feel they’ve invested too much time and effort in a game to simply stop playing – this game instead encourages players to become aware of dark patterns, as well as their broader relationship with interactive media.

There’s something rather ironic about a video game encouraging people to become more aware of how they interact with other video games, or a video game that pokes fun at the addictive nature of video games. However, Rajan says working within the medium itself was the perfect avenue for social commentary.

“A game is not complete without the player. It’s not a passive artwork,” she says. “You play as yourself in the game’s world. There’s real agency involved, so it can have a visceral feeling of critique.”

Rotted Luck will be available to play for free at ACMI from October 5 to 13, as part of Melbourne International Games Week.

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