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Advergaming to Hit $4 Billion in 2008
Next Generation reports the somewhat disheartening statistic that advergaming is likely to break $4 Billion by 2008. From the article: "TWST points out that gamers are much more receptive to 'advergaming' than other potential consumers who block pop-up Internet ads or mute television commercials because in many cases, ads in games provide realism. However, many gamers would disagree with that notion, saying that ads can often be intrusive." We recently reported on the poorly thought-out Counter-Strike Subway ads. Here's hoping they're more well considered that than those ads.
If the advetising doesn't detract from the game and the revenue reduces the cost of it, then I'm in. If it doesn't than what's the point from a gamers perspective?
http://religiousfreaks.com/Speaking for myself as a gamer, it is not so much as being receptive to the ads as it is the fact that they are harder to block. Web page ads are easily blocked with adblock, but for an online game with ads, you would need to modify (hack) the client to get rid of them. Such hacking could be detected, and could result in you being banned, so we are just forced to deal with ads in games when they appear.
Somehow I doubt that software publishing companies will restrain themselves until every surface possible advertises something and pop-up ads or spam exist in every game. If there are real benefits (eg a big discount to gamers) then ok, we'll talk, but if prices don't fall for the consumer then this is one trend that is nothing but a slippery slope and needs to be derailed.
The latest Need for Speed games have all had advertising in game. I always thought it was neet to pull into a Best Buy and spin a couple of 360s.
But if I'm tromping through Midgard and see a Radio Shack add, I'm going to be annoyed.
-Rick
"Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
If I'm driving round in GT5 and there's adverts on the billboards - hell - it'll be more "real-life" (like *I* frequently drive fast cars round race tracks in real life so I know what I'm talking about). I really don't see a problem here as long as the games makers do it subtly. I'm sure I've played games in the past (maybe Max Payne?) where the drinks machines were either Coke or Pepsi... that's not invasive - it's realism and hopfully good (financially) for the games maker.
On a side note - imagine if the "inter-level loads" were like TV adverts - that would *really* suck. They (the games makers) need to get this right.
Over & out.
" Here's hoping they're more well considered that than those ads.
Advergaming to Hit $4 Billion in 2008"
So how many here can say "arms race"? Well that's what we have here with advertising, and the consumer. You block it, skip it, whatever and it just finds another way to squeeze-out from your fist.
amers are much more receptive to 'advergaming' than other potential consumers who block pop-up Internet ads
Well duh they are more receptive. Ads in games don't prevent you from playing the game. Pop up ads prevent you from seeing the page you are trying to look at. Maybe the advertisers can learn something from this.
Now we just had a story about planetside getting ads. Another MMORPG that I can't remember right has been doing that for over a year now. Nice but I would hardly use their "success" as a way to predict what is going to happen in two years time. The most popular MMORPG's right now are fantasy making it hard to fit ads into them.
I also remember games like Grand Prix Legends that had to jump through hoops to get permission to use the authentic ads in the game of the era. Far from being payed most companies will sue you if you use their ad slogans in your game without permission.
What company would really want to be associated with a GTA San Andreas especially now that it has been shown game makers can't be trusted? What will be in the next version, a hidden level of shooting kittens? A marketing nightmare.
It is the same reason a lot of car companies do not give permission to use their real car names in games with violence or even just realastic damage modelling. You do not want customers of you latest super car to see exactly what remains of the car when you take it to 180 on the open road.
EQ2 pizza deal seems to have been removed. Ad based MMO's are the ones who couldn't hack it as a subscription game. Most companies do not want to be associated with the wrong kind of game.
Sure there will be a market but 4 billion worth? I doubt it. Reminds me of the internet bubble.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Sort of off topic, but I'm pretty sure the Pizza Huts, FILAs, and Tower Records didn't accidentally placed in Crazy Taxi. That's the way in-game advertising should be: non-intrusive. In Crazy Taxi's case, I think having recognizable stores added to the experience.
It's a slippery slope. Advertising in games will only work if gamers continue to play the games. I know plenty of gamers that will refuse to pay for a game with ads as well as refuse to play a game where ads distract you...*cough*...That IS the purpose of an ad; to grab your attention.
Personally...I'm not throwing my support behind any game that puts in ingame ads. I'll stick with console games if I have to.
I always thought it would be a god idea to flash banner ads or something while you wait to respawn in Counter-Strike. As long as they didn't prevent you from speccing the other players, I think most peoople would be fine with it. Heck, it would almost be like a perk of winning the round, you don't see ads.
My first exposure to adverware was just the other day. The local CompUSA store had a display with boxes of free DVD games, sponsored by Verizon. I took one and when I got home I noticed very prominently on the box the names "blockdot" and "kewlbox.com". A quick google search didn't return any hits warning about sypware or adware or anything else. In fact most of the hits were related to business stories. I haven't installed the games yet. I doubt that I will.
I remember as a kid I was watching an episode of Full House and there was a soda can out that looked just like a Mountain Dew can. On a closer shot you could see that it the "ew" in in the name was changed to a big "O", so it looked like "Mountain Do". Kind of clever I thought, but as a little kid I wondered why they didn't use the real thing. This is the little places where advertising can help a game (or any media). But we will never get the little places. It seems like there will be a generic Mountain "Do" can or the extreme opposite where ads are just everwhere or the "Drink Mountain Dew to restore your health!" sort of thing.
Someday, companies will realize that advertising is more or less ineffective now (or is certainly losing it's usefullness). Make a product that stands out from the rest, not burn it into our retinas. I never use ads to choose which products to buy, but I constantly decide who NOT to buy from based on their ads. Anyone that tries popups, flashy annoying crap or annoying background music (on the rare occasion I watch TV anymore) instanly goes on my ever-increasing brand shitlist. And unlike a lot of people, I stick to it. I'm almost to the point that anything less subtle than a GoogleAd is too much. Luckily I don't see ads -ever- online, but I stick with it for any advertising form. Places that put out-of-place ads in games are no-nos for me.
How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
but ONLY if they are in places where ads would appear anyway.
For example, if you are playing a racing game and racing around a track, ads on the walls are ok. As are ads on the cars. Ditto for ads on the walls or field of a sports stadium. Vending machines with real brands are also ok.
Billboards in places where billboards are found with real ads on them are again ok. Where the game is simulating a real place (e.g. a real racetrack with real cars or a real sports stadium), it is much better to have the same ads as are present at the real location (for example, I havent seen a single recreation of Mount Panorama racetrack that has a 100% match for all the advertising boards and signage).
Even futuristic games can have ads in the right place (whos to say that freighter captains of the future wont drink coke). Obviously the ads and products must look "futuristic" & fit with the game. (for example, would coke still come in aluminum cans and plastic bottles or would it come in something more futuristic & environmentally friendly?)
Avertising in games is only a problem when it is "out of place".
For example, seeing a subway sign on the side of a missile silo. Or seeing the golden arches rise above the arches of an ancient castle.
It was bad enough when I saw the 7-up smiley dot painted on an orc's shield, but when I saw the green dragon with the "Fly United" logo tatooed on his butt and empty Cheetos bags in his lair I vowed the Mad Advertiser would meet a just end, and soon!
He's here somewhere and I'll find him and whack him good, I just hopes he gives decent xp and drops a bag of Cheetos and maybe a cold Coke. Tickets to the Bahamas would be a very good drop, but I'd not fly there on the back of a cranky dragon.
Cheers.
Everything in the Universe sucks: It's the law!
They're okay if I don't have to pay for the game, and they're okay if they add to the game's effect without feeling like an ad. Subtle product placement is fine, and if viewing ads means I get a(n otherwise) free game, well, that's just great.
...but is it art?
They want their story back.
Space Quest V contained Sprint ads, and it was likely not the only one. Then they disappeared for years...
I would only allow it if the following happened.
The game was discounted. Not by a whole lot but $10 discount should be the going rate.
The ads are realistically placed. Ads that fit the game and the style should be fine. For example if there's going to be a level in a movie theater, I don't see why there can't be posters in it.
The ads do not have extra factors that make them stand out. The textures can't be any higher resolution then the regular textures. There should be no extra ambient lighting for the posters.
But with the way the media industries like to screw everyone over, I doubt any of those are going to happen. They'll eventually start crying like the movie theater industry about why sales are going down. While everyone else knows it's because of the ads, the high expense, the shitty service and the unoriginal content.
Did anybody else have the Wipeout for the original Playstation? There were Red Bull ads everywhere. At the time, I don't think anybody knew what the heck Red Bull even was... What was that, like 1996 or 97?
Han shot first.