Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Electronic Arts 'Scores' With Product Placement

Posted by simoniker on from the or-not dept.

Thanks to the San Francisco Business Times for its article discussing Electronic Arts' increasing use of product placement in its videogames. The article explains: "In EA's games, basketball players wear Adidas or Nike and run past a McDonald's banner on the court; Old Spice deodorant highlights football college players of the game; a snowboarder swooshes past Honda Motor Co.'s newest vehicle, the Element." It's also pointed out that "a six-figure deal with an advertiser defrays some of the costs of game development, which can run up to $10 million in the industry", but it's claimed: "Video-game makers said they try to take care when incorporating products in games, not wanting to overwhelm game players with product spots."

3 of 59 comments (clear)

  1. This is just fine! by fuzzybunny · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I think I can safely say that this does not bother me at all. In fact, this is the kind of advertising I like to see--especially in sports games (or for all I care, pockmarked billboards on the side of a bombed-out building in some FPS) sort of adds to the realism.

    --
    Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage
  2. Only where appropriate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Really, I think the product placement is only appropriate where we are to expect it or have already been desensitized to it.

    Examples where I think it's aceptable: A racing game with sponsor banners and products; Some sports with similar banners, etc...

    Example where it feels completely out of place:
    SSX 3: Seeing that damn Honda Element all over the place just really pisses me off. The game has this over-top kind of exagerrated super-saturated reality to it, and then BOOM, there's a real-world car sitting there in the middle of a course. Nice. What happens a year from now when I'm still playing this game and there's the damn Element still there. What if they stop making the Element? ugh

  3. Product placement works if... by jonwil · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Regarding product placement in games, some things that I believe should be done:
    1.Advertising should only appear in places it normally appears. For example, if you are moving through a subway or train station, put billboards in the places one normally finds them. Or put billboards alongside the road in a driving game like Cruisn USA. Or like how the Need For Speed games feature real cars like porsche, ferrari etc.

    2.If you are simulating a real-world present-day situation (such as a sports stadium & sports teams or racetrack & race teams), use the same ads as the real world situation. One example of this being done wrong is the EA game V8 Challenge. In this game, there is a simulation of the Mount Panorama racetrack at Bathurst (in australia). One part of this racetrack has a bridge of some kind that crosses over the track. On the real racetrack there is (and was when V8 Challenge was created) an advertisment for Dunlop tyres on this bridge. But in V8 Challenge, the buffoons at EA put Bridgestone logos on the bridge instead and ruined things.

    Same with sports teams and etc. For example, just like how Ferrari is sponsered by various companies (tic-tac, shell, vodafone etc) in real life, the Ferraris in should have the correct sponsors logos in the right place. (although in a few cases there can be issues e.g. where cigarette ads are still legal for some motorsports but where they arent legal in the games)

    3.Dont have player interation with the products being advertised. For example, a game where you have to buy food from a KFC or whatever to move through the game is bad. In cases where real-world items are used for gameplay, dont just have one brand (e.g. if you are going to have real-world cars, have several makes)
    This only applies in games where there is a defined "player". (e.g. a RPG or a game like "the sims"). Having e.g. a KFC store or a Shell gas station pop up in a Sim City city for example would be fine since its not being directly used by the player.

    4.Dont put ads in the wrong setting. For example, having an ad for Nike in a medieval themed game would be totally stupid since nike shoes never existed back then. "future earth" games not based on any particular universe can have product placement and get away with it as long as it looks like it would still be used in the future (in the future, people still enjoy a refreshing ice cold Coca-Cola or whatever it is)

    and 5.Dont put the ads or products into the dialog or storyline. For example, dont have a character in a cutscene say "Lets go get a Coke" or whatever.