]> 2026-08-07T04:36:19+00:00 Mimic 0 en Mimics are visually designed to closely resemble their harmless counterparts, making it difficult for players to distinguish them from genuine items. They often appear as desirable objects, characters, or actions in which users expect to find valuable content, rewards or benefits. In video game design, mimics typically take the form of characters, treasure chests, doors, switches, checkpoints, or other objects that players would naturally interact with during gameplay. When a player engages with a mimic, it reveals its true nature – either by triggering a trap, exhibiting unexpected behavior, or transforming into a hostile entity –resulting in some form of negative consequence, such as damage, status effects, or the loss of valuable resources. In the context of web design, mimics may appear, for example, as disguised advertisements, misleading content or wording, or via the use of misdirection in call-to-action highlights intended to deceive, confuse, or distract users into clicking or performing an action that is not in their best interest. Visibility of system status (Nielsen) Keep users in control (Shneiderman) Consistency (Bastien & Scapin) * '''Surprise and Tension''': Mimics can add elements of surprise and unpredictability, enhancing the atmosphere and creating memorable encounters. It rewards careful observation and deliberate exploration. * '''Psychological Load''': Falling victim to a mimic can cause significant consequences. They increase cognitive load as users must remain vigilant and question the true nature of entities. * '''Heuristic Violations''': May violate Visibility of system status (Nielsen), Keep users in control (Shneiderman), Consistency and standards (Nielsen/Shneiderman/Bastien & Scapin), and Significance of codes (Bastien & Scapin). Correia, Vanessa Filipa da Silva. 2022. “Explorando fricção estética por dread.”; Malaquias, Ana Rita Mendes. 2024. “A Proposal of Deception Patterns in Game Design.”; Malaquias, Rita, and Pedro Cardoso. 2025. “Deception in Video Games: Nine Game Design Patterns.” A term, object, character or action that mimics a harmless or beneficial thing to deceive users, functioning instead as a trap or hostile entity. 2026-03-18T14:02:51Z 2461118.0853125 Mimic Blatant Lie 0 en Blatant Lie Faux Finale 0 en Faux Finale Misleading Standards 0 en Misleading Standards Pattern Name 102 en Pattern Name Related To 102 en skos:related|http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core# Related To