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Currency confusion 1:01
A 61-second explainer of Currency confusion, narrated over the same demo you can try yourself.
Try the interactive Currency confusion demo
What this video covers
Currency confusion is a deceptive pattern that puts a layer of invented currency - coins, gems, credits - between you and real money, so you lose track of what you're actually spending. Buying the fake currency in odd bundles, pricing items in it, and breaking the one-to-one link with pounds all blur the true cost of a purchase.
Spending "200 gems" barely registered - but trace it back and those gems cost real pounds, in a bundle sized so you'd have an awkward leftover. That distance is the whole point of currency confusion: the more steps between your wallet and the purchase, the less the spend feels real. Honest design keeps the true price in view, so a purchase feels like what it is.
