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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."
In the cases where advertising helps create an added feeling of realism (racing games, as pictured) it's a great addition, and more power to them. However the issue seems to be with game like Counter Strike and other first person shooters where advertising is simply corny or distracting. I don't want to be defusing at basement nuke and see an advertisment for Tampax Heavy's on the wall (Yes I know, not the target audience, won't happen, blah, but I'm being dramatic).
If there was a way to make it not as distracting, but still get the message, I'd go for it. But I don't want to ever see this.
Fractured Element
in game ads could work but only in specific circumstances, if I was playing zelda and navi started saying "how about a nice refreshing coke" or something I'd be pissed off, but in a game like GTA or some real world based game set in cities then it wouldn't be inapropriate to have bill board ads or posters which actually do exist, infact it could make the game better as it would be "more real" than before.
*''I can't believe it's not a hyperlink.''
The really important questions.
Am I paying to look at the advertisements or are the ads serving to defray the cost of my subscription. I know that I would rather see the latter, but it seems unlikely given the way that companies work.
If I have to pay for the game and I find out it has advertising within the game, it gets returned, simple as that. If the game is free, then fine advertise all you want.
In my personal experience, the more subtle the ad, the more effective I believe it is. Advertising a big out-of-place SUBWAY COUNTER-STRIKE SPECIAL on the side of an office building in my mind ruins the gaming experience. Putting in a Pepsi machine in the office break room and having Pepsi products dump out when someone blasts the thing is probably far more effective.
I really enjoyed the branding in Pikmin 2 on the Gamecube. It was kinda cool to see your little Pikmin drag around real Duracell batteries and that yellow lip cream container (but given that I've forgotten the name I guess it wasn't the greatest branding). It also helped to reinforce the idea that the setting was actually Earth, which was only subtly suggested in the first game.
It may seem obvious, but I always wanted game producers to replace the Fake ads used in games like Duke 3D and Tekwar. While many of these ads were very cute, they tended to get extremely repetitive, thus reminding the player he's in a game. Put in a wide variety of real ads, and suddenly things get more interesting.
That being said, I wonder how Subway would respond if I blew up their virtual sign in virtual reality?
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Perhaps for companies that would like to advertise in games like Counter-Strike they can do things such as:
Create their own maps which incorporate their advertising [Of course it would still have to be a good map or no one will play it]. That way the consumer gets something of 'value', a good map to play, and the company gets to advertise.
And they can even run their own server which runs the maps they created to incorporate their product. Then we also get a stable, low-latency server to play on out of the deal. I guess I wouldn't mind that so much.
Of course, they would never go for it, since they'd have to hire people to create decent maps, and perhaps a full-time admin staff to monitor the servers. And I'm sure the legal department wouldn't be up for it since people can do/say just about anything in the server, etc etc...
Nothing to see here
Putting in a Pepsi machine in the office break room and having Pepsi products dump out when someone blasts the thing is probably far more effective.
I would say that using Pepsiman as a selectable character in your fighting game would be even more effective (and fun). Heck, maybe you could have an entire game devoted to Pepsiman... Now that would be amazing.
Nah, no one would ever do that...
No, I really won't have to "get used to it." If I don't want advertising in my games, I won't buy the games with in-game ads. In games like Super Monkey Ball, the "DOLE" stickers on the bananas are fine; in Half-Life I could stand to see name-brand soda machines or even cars (although I would not like to be forced to drive a HummerTM to beat a level). So I'm not all that offended by it, yet, but I am a discriminating consumer of video games, and I'm not going to pay for something with tacky disruptive ads.
Bizarrely enough, I downloaded -- for free! -- user-created content for SimCity 4, including a Starbuck'sTM, a McDonald'sTM, a Home DepotTM, a PetCoTM, and so forth, so that my cities would look more realistic. Any of those companies could sue for trademark infringement, especially if the SimArchitect uses the Golden Arches or the corporate building style (which is usually trademarked). But they're too smart for that, I hope. They know that I laugh my ass off when I see a Starbuck'sTM pop up on all four corners of the same block, and they probably understand that it doesn't hurt their brand.
I'm still debating whether your posts deserves "troll" or "flamebait" status, because as far as I'm concerned it easily qualifies for both.
... (because it helps to keep us employed.) An in-house request for opinions is far and away one of the most biased actions that your management could have done, which is probably exactly why they did it. See if they have the balls to do that on the Internet where anyone can freely voice their opinion about in-game advertising. I guarantee you'll get a very different answer.
In the end, they emailed us and said that 8 out of 11 of the projects we're working with right now are going to have in-game advertising at a maximum level.
Oh, there's a shock. No, we like lots of advertising in games
So, seems like ya might have to get used to it.
That is one of the most arrogant statements I have seen and is the epitome of why people do NOT like advertisers! Why not just come out directly and say, "F*ck you, gamers! We're shoving this in your face whether you f*cking like it or not!"
You apparently underestimate the gaming community and the connectivity/news source that is the Internet. If in-game advertising gets too intrusive, gamers will not buy the game or they will develop hacks that will overwrite the ads, even if that's in violation of EULAs. And thank to the Internet, information like advertising content within a game and how disruptive it can be in a game can be known immediately throughout the world. Our ability to prevent people from buying the game because of intrusive advertisements is greater than your ability to force us to buy a game that has too much or inappropriate advertisements.
So, kindly keep your "here's your KY jelly/bend over and grab your ankles" attitude to yourself.
The Overrated mod is for reversing inappropriate, positive mods, not for voicing disagreement with a post.
Why 'get used to it'? That's just about the exact defeatist attitude I'd expect a promo company to want me to have. It is really simple: game makers go overboard on in-game ads which causes me not to pay for their game. This in turn means less revenue for the game maker (and your promo company). So instead of 'get used to it' how about gazing down and seeing if you have the balls to stand up and say 'lets make sure it works without becoming the hated quagmire of advertising hell that is TV'?
Not against ads per se, just tired of flipping on the tube to watch 10 minutes of commercials followed by an 'in-show' commercial for the next 10 minutes. The thought of that happening to the games I play kinda makes me ill. I already despise companies that won't let me skip the intro logos.
Don't use the Troll mod just because you disagree with me.
Advertising is everywhere, movies tv newspapers, websites, Gaming was the last refuge where I could leave all of that and ejoy my entertainment, seeing as how gamers will not benefit AT ALL from this added advertising (no price break in games, no added content for the games in terms of maps, guns, characters) how can this be a good thing and why are people so accepting of it?
I can see the point of "adding realism" to games such as bill boards, but we already had that with "fake advertising" in games, and the reason it doesn't bug me when it is fake is because it doesn't remind me of the real world I am trying to escape, instead it helps immerse me in the game world (look at billboards in postal 2).
The more we accept this the more watered down our games will become to the point that they will be games built around opportunites to advertise to their "key demographic".. come on people..
Take a look at a lot of racing games... the reason that my personal favorite racing game (Gran Turismo 3) did not have damage in it was almost completely due to the car manufacturers' requests that they only present the cars in pristine, shiny condition. No body damage, no engine failure. Only worn tires... which are made by other companies.
Bury me in mashed potatoes.
I already wasted karma on this discussion, but I need to reply since the marketroids and clones are dominating this discussion.
In game advertising is fucking evil. Why the fuck would anyone want to see ads in a game. Urban setting - need billboards to give it that gritty hopeless edge? Racing game player needs something to look at while turning left? You dont need fucking bullshit advertising to make a game. Games are played for entertainment, for relaxation, to get away from all of the bullshit in real life. Advertising is all about generating and cultivating desire, turning simple gimmicks into wants and wants into needs. You dont need some ad to suddenly popup and tell you that your life is shit because you dont have some shiny new fucking product, you are too fat and smelly, you have too much hair or not enough, maybe you need a date or a mail order bride. Graphics card too slow to move at all when this 500MB texture is loaded - time for an upgrade.
Anything portrayed as advertising in games should be value added content. Show me something original, something enjoyable, a satirical billboard ala the onion or like the 50's style government propaganda in fallout or doom3's Super Turbo Turkey Puncher.
Anyone who says that real advertisements make a game more enjoyable are probably the same people who pay for fucking cable tv and watch the home shopping network.
I wont play any fucking games with ads. I wont play if you give the game away for free. My spare time is worth way too much.
Choose leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose a three piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing sprit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked-up brats you have spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life.
We have the best government that money can buy.
I love gaming. I've got a launch-day Dreamcast, PS2, XBox, Gamecube, and 360. I play the hell out of them. I spend over $5000 a year on videogames, but if this advertising trend continues, that number will drop to $0.
I hate advertising, especially captive audience advertising. I refuse to pay for the privilege of receiving someone's brand message. I don't go to the movies anymore, because I can't stand the advertising in front of films. I bought a TiVO when I subscribed to pay television, so I could skip ads. I stopped watching series on HBO when I found out that they received paid product placement for shows like The Sopranos and Six Feet Under. I use adblock and other proxy tools to block banner advertising, and if a site finds a way to put a banner on my screen anyway, I never return to the site.
To get to the topic at hand, I should say that I have no problem paying $60 for a game, or even $50. Only the written word gives me better entertainment value. At even 10 hours (a short game), I'm paying $6 / hour for entertainment (well, plus the amortized cost of the console, but over 5 years of hard play time this is basically negligible). That's a fine bargain.
I should amend this statement: I have no problem paying $10 extra for a new game if the costs of development are recouped through consumer purchases. Paying $10 more for Tony Hawk American Wasteland on the 360, a game that is so buggy that some of the in-game missions cannot completed, is an insult. Finding the game stuffed full of advertising for cell phones and energy drinks is such an affront that I am left feeling violated.
This trend continues across other games. Need For Speed: Most Wanted is an EA game, and everyone knows EA would whore their own mothers if they thought it increased the bottom line, so it's not totally unexpected that the game features branding for cell phones and other various non-automotive sponsorship at every turn. I got this one from a friend for $20, and even then I feel a little used after I finish a play session. Even Microsoft gets in on the act. Travelodge advertises in Project Gotham Racing 3. The Samsung logo is emblazoned on the menu system for Perfect Dark Zero. What do shitty motels have to do with road racing? What do cheap Korean electronics have to do with cyberpunk mercenary spies? Not a goddamn thing, that's what, and I resent their presence in the game.
I wouldn't mind the advertising barrage in gaming so much if it helped keep the cost of the product down. I know that development costs are skyrocketing and I'm not unsympathetic, but charging $10 more for a game while stuffing it full of advertising is a naked cash grab, and I resent it. It's tempting to say that publishers can't have it both ways, but that's not true. They can have it both ways, because I'm a fairly typical high-income gamer, and I'm nowhere near pissed enough to stop buying their products. Yet. I'm still playing every game I've listed in this post, and odds are good I'll be playing their sequels in a year or two.
So let's say this: I don't want publishers to have it both ways, but I still bend over, hold my ass open, and take it. I resent them for it, and it builds ill will in me toward them, and over time it disenfranchises me with the hobby as a whole. I'm a lifetime gamer with lots of disposable income, and this commodification and packaging of my eyeballs is slowly turning me off on the entire experience. I can't be the only one.
Even Jesus hates listening to Creed.
A correction: $5000 should have been $1500. I'm high on crack. Please excuse me.
Even Jesus hates listening to Creed.
Seems to me that the more the gaming industry tries to force in-game advertising on their customers, the more mods and hacks will become the norm. After all, advertisers are successfully killing TV as we speak, having already killed radio and newsprint. People have fled those media for the internet, because they can control their mindspace. All over the world, everyone's breaking free of information control with blogs, video iPods, file-sharing, OSS, etc. I dunno if we'll ever see an OSS model arise with game development (that is, beyond mods and hacks layered on top of a corporate game), but it's not entirely outside the realm of possibility.
But at any rate, the gaming industry will probably wake up too late to the fact that in-game advertising will kill the goose that laid the golden egg.
On a more speculative note, I wonder if advertisers will eventually chase people out of all media and into the real world. Maybe then everyone will blink, look at each other, and realize that there's plenty of storylines, challenges, and problems to solve in the real world to keep everyone busy/entertained for a lifetime.
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
People are really, really pissed about this apparently.
I just buy games to have fun. If there are ads, I ignore them -- I'm not so damn uptight that seeing a graphic is going to ruin my enjoyment.
Sometimes, ads make me feel a little more into the game. Not often, no. But it happens. I'm not playing games as an escape, I'm playing games as simple recreation.
If you let something like that get you as incredibly upset as some people here are, I really think you might want to step away from games altogether for a little while. Seriously, if an ad for shaving cream is enough to make you think about the real world and how much you hate it, figure out a way to make that better.
Lighten up. Petty shit can't bother you unless you let it.
I don't go to the movie theater anymore. I can see the movie at home without sitting through 20 minutes of commercials. I know the commercial didn't kill the movies outright but it was one of the 1000 cuts that was killing me slowly. I don't read a newspaper, too much adds and not enough real news. I don't watch broadcast TV much because I don't want to watch commercials. I have HBO and a Playstation. I guess I know what's next to be dropped. Maybe I'll read more books.
Hey you're right! Books don't have ads yet! I think I see an opportunity to make some money!
I often don't like the choices people make, but I like the fact that people make choices. That's why I'm a conservative.