The Good and Bad of In-Game Ads

Dyslexia writes "MLG takes a look at the emerging trend of in-game advertising and explores the ways in which it can prove to be both good and bad for the industry and consumers." From the article: "When done in a way that isn't consistent with the themes or purpose of a game, advertising can go terribly wrong--in extreme cases even crippling the gameplay, at which point it has gone too far. Advertising that draws the player out of the experience of their game rather than immerses them further into it walks a thin line and the benefits start to get outweighed by the detractions. The recent Counter-Strike debacle is an excellent example of in-game advertising going terribly wrong."

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some facts

[wwmedia]

Here are a few facts on in game advertising

With 250 million computer and video game units sold in 2004, and over $25 billion in revenues, the electronic gaming sector is now the fastest growing sector in the entertainment industry. The average age of a console game is now 29, with an above-average education and income. It's no longer about kids in their bedrooms, games are taking media time and awareness directly from TV viewership. In 2004, TV viewership declined by 12% in the target group of males 18-34 years old while, at the same time, this group spent 20% more time playing games. Nielsen The fastest growing media segments in 2006 will be videogame advertising (40%), online advertising (27%), movie screen advertising (25%), branded entertainment (18%), local/regional cable television (12.8%) and custom publishing (10%), whereas TV ad spend will actually decline. Jack Myers Media Business Report 3/4 of households with a male age 8-34 own at least one videogames console. Nielsen Independent tests by companies such as Nielsen Entertainment show that recall of ads in games is as high as 60% thanks to the immersive and interactive game environments they are placed in.