Fake Games Exposed by Monash Study (Updated: With Mattel’s UNO App Scam)

A new report has revealed widespread use of manipulative design practices in digital games, with nearly half of Australian gamers suffering financial harm as a result. The report coincides with a less-academic investigation, from SMBtech, regarding the online version of Mattel’s popular UNO app which has shown itself to be a scam.

The study, Playing the Player: Unfair Digital Gaming Practices and Their Impact on Australians, was conducted by Monash University in collaboration with the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC). It surveyed 800 Australian gamers who engage weekly with digital games on consoles, desktops or mobile devices.

CPRC Chief Executive Erin Turner said the research showed a growing dependence on exploitative techniques by gaming companies.

“The gaming industry is increasingly relying on exploitative design practices that put profits ahead of player wellbeing,” Turner said.

“The research found 46 per cent of gamers have experienced financial harm due to digital gaming, with nearly one-third feeling pressured into making purchases they didn’t intend to make.”

Turner said the findings point to a deeper problem in how gamers are protected.

“At least half of gamers encountered some form of privacy harm, and the fact that 42 per cent of affected gamers don’t complain — even after financial loss — shows a serious gap in consumer protection. Many players feel powerless against these practices or don’t know where to turn for help.”

Manipulative Designs Target Players

The study identified a range of tactics designed to manipulate user behaviour, including:

• Deceptive design features such as disguised advertisements, trick questions and confusing language
  
  
• Gambling-like mechanics including loot boxes, battle passes and cosmetic item betting
  
  
• “Pay to win” scenarios, where spending more money improves a player’s chances of success
  
  
• Use of in-game currencies that obscure real-world value
  
  
• Practices targeting children, such as click-to-pay features and inappropriate ads

Monash Senior Lecturer in Media, Dr Robbie Fordyce, said harmful monetisation strategies were common across the sector.

“Many players are aware of the disruptive, unfair, toxic and harmful impacts of these strategies,” he said.

“Getting the big picture on the negative impacts of in-game monetisation will help us understand the scale of the problem and help people to make the right decisions around which games they play.”

Associate Professor Brady Robards from Monash, who also contributed to the report, said the issue goes well beyond games.

“Dark patterns are design choices that manipulate, confuse and seek to extract money from our pockets,” Robards said.

“They appear everywhere — when we shop online, on social media, streaming services and booking systems. These exploitative design practices can come with serious harms, as they are generally not in the best interests of users.”

Survey Findings Highlight Scope Of Issue

The report found that 95 per cent of respondents encountered some form of “dark pattern” in games over the past year. These included freemium models, hidden costs, misleading redirections and pop-up traps.

More than half had encountered over 10 different types of these design tactics in that time.

Other key findings include:

• 83 per cent reported a perceived negative impact from encountering dark patterns
  
  
• 46 per cent said they spent more than intended or made accidental purchases
  
  
• 52 per cent faced privacy harms, such as sharing personal data or creating unwanted accounts

Reform Discussions Underway

The release of the report comes as the federal government considers reforms to ban unfair business practices. CPRC is advocating for changes that would directly address exploitative online design strategies and restrict how companies collect and use consumer data.

Turner said the data presents a clear case for reform.

“We need consumer protections that are fit for purpose in a digital world,” she said.

“Without strong laws, businesses can continue to use these tactics unchecked, and consumers will continue to bear the cost.”

Addendum – Why Mattel’s UNO App is a Fake Game and a Scam

UPDATE: This article has blown-up and we’ll continue to investigate Mattel and its UNO app. If you’ve any experience with it, please get in touch or leave a comment. Especially let us know if your or yours has accidentally clicked on an $80 card purchase without realising it. More on UNO scams can be found in these Reddit threads:

Uno mobile game – extremely cheaty and rigged

Is the mobile game by Mattel163 rigged now?

and this Facebook post.

The study doesn’t explicitly mention it, but this writer’s recent experience also found the following. Mattel’s UNO app (which works on both Apple and Android devices) currently features a fake Easter Egg Collection mini-game that promises big rewards. However, it’s essentially unwinnable and is designed to wipe out all of your in-game currency, through massive, multiplied losses (usually featuring x80 multipliers) using rigged card decks. The game then spams you with ads to pay for more in-game currency (even more than it usually does). Much of the popular game (which is played by many children) is rigged in a similar way.

We’ll be contacting the ACCC for comment on Monash’s study (and our observations). While I continue to play the game with my daughter, she has been made well aware that the only way to truly lose is to give Mattel a single penny of real money. She now games the gamed system by working out when she can win or if she hasn’t a chance.

Last Updated on April 20, 2025 by Nick Ross