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Adverts Coming To Xbox 360 Achievements
Joystiq reports that the charming sports custom of having game elements sponsored by a corporation or product will now be coming to Xbox Live Achievements. "A quick skim down the list of achievements for EA's upcoming NCAA 08 Football shows sponsored goals such as the 'Old Spice Red Zone Perfection' and 'Pontiac 4th Quarter Comeback.' Each achievement is accompanied by a logo for the company in the achievement's image. We can only imagine the possibilities for future Xbox 360 games. Halo Around the Collar, sponsored by Tide? Mass Effect sponsored by the Axe Effect? Grand Theft Auto IV's Bounty Beatdown (great for sopping up blood spills)? The possibilities are endless." One would hope this will stay restricted to sports games.
The Tetley. Better teabag, better tea.
I wonder how much of this Microsoft has any control over. I mean, it's the developer that decides what's worthy of an achievement and how many points it's worth, right? I could see them stepping in if there was a GTA4 achievement for beating 1000 hookers to death or something along those lines but just tasteless advertising I wonder how much say they have in the matter.
Man I hate EA though.
Ad in classifieds: Pandora's Box (no box) $5
Personally, I don't care much about achievements to begin with. Now having them sponsored... complete and utter nonsense. I already cringe when I see them on ESPN, I'll cringe even more when I'll see them in a game I PAID MONEY FOR! Maybe in a free game I'll accept it, but this is just nonsense.
Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
One would hope this will stay restricted to sports games.
There's money to be made in in-game advertisement, so you'll be seeing this a lot more.
"In case of emergency, break glass. Scream. Bleed to death."
more like Good Job EA. Fucking dickhead.
This type of thing already exists for some EA Sports games. EA Sports Fight Night Round 3 has achievements such as "Burger King Achievement" and "Dodge Achievement".
EA Sports has already done this with Fight Night Round 3: Burger King, Dodge, Everlast, Under Armour, three different ESPN achievements, and the ubiquitous EA Sports achievement.
I hope this means that Bruce Campbell is coming to the Xbox.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af1OxkFOK18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg6bZSM48vU
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
What better way to devaule brand names than to cram them into achievement names where they how no context what-so-ever.
People will glaze over them even faster than they do in TV ads where they DO (sometimes) have valid context with the products shown...
Oh well, it's their money to waste, not mine.
I've purchased more games over the years that I care to count and I've enjoyed most of the ones that I've purchased. For the most part, cost was never a big factor in purchasing games, but with the increased costs of games this most recent generation, I've been more leerly towards purchasing titles without doing a good amount of research into them first.
Similarly, I used to have a subscription to Xbox Live but haven't played on it in a very long while. It was a fairly good service in and of itself (most of the shortcomings deal more with the people who use it than with the technical details of the service) and not really all that bad of a deal for the roughly four dollars a month that it cost. At the time it was completely free of adertisements or anything else designed to get me to fork out more cash.
However, now that there seems to be a store selling virtuals goods and other things as well as increased advertisement both online and in the games themselves, will part of the money earned by the companies who produce these games and host the online system be used to offset some of the cost that I pay for these games and services? However, if I'm cruising around in my "Built Ford Tough" Warthog in Halo 3 and then looking over the stats in the post-match Pepsi rundown, I'd like to pay a little less than the full price. If you're going to subject me to crap advertising that I'd like to escape and expect to charge me just so that I can be subjected to it, I'm not going to spend $60 on your game or $50 on your online service.
The fact that they are injecting even more advertising in their games comes as no surprise. Hell, if Microsoft Games started making their published games support ads, that would be surprising. Even more so if Nintendo started doing it. EA is just like that...
'Yes, firefox is indeed greater than women. Can women block pops up for you? No. Can Firefox show you naked women? Yes.'
Advertisements on XBOX achievements is not really that annoying to the player, is it? If anything, the real annoyance should be that the sizable amount of extra money that EA earns from these ads is not being passed on to the player in the form of a slightly cheaper game.
This is really no different than any other product placement. How often do you shift through your profile and take pride in those artificial medals you build up just for doing basic things? Better how, often do you actually buy some crap just because some corporation stuck its logo and name next to it? Yes, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl does make me feel like buying... Safeway brand corn chips!!
If they really wanted to make an impact and get advertising dollars, why not have sponsors for the nickle and dime downloads they offer in marketplace, things like backgounds, skins, etc. Cars for Forza sponsored by the car companies, new outfits for Hitman maybe as absurd as a burger king uniform. Everyone likes free and sponsored content would allow more people would see it and pay attention to it than an icon next to someone elses achievements. Seriously who over the age of 18 really gives a flip about achievements anyway? Do people actually take the time to browse other peoples achievements? Assuming 10% (thats probably very generous) do how many actually take time to read them? So who exactly are they advertising to?
All the Achievements in EA's Fight Night: Round 3 were tied to in game advertising over a year ago (all eight of them).
I only watch 2-3 televised sport games a year plus 1-2 college games live. They are full of advertising. Ads on the side line, ads on the players, ads on the ball, ads on the court, ads on the scoreboard, ads on the tickets, drink cups, mens room, etc. If you are a big enough fan to buy a $3000 Superbowl ticket, you are not going to say "no thanks" because it advertises Budweiser.
Ad dollars run sports. Not having ads in the achievements would look out of place.
Spell cheek you've failed me four the last thyme!
See, I can make up shit too!
For a site about things like basic rights, Slashdot users sure do like to censor "dissent".
I think they got in to enough trouble for GTA3:San Andreas' Starbucks mod.
"I need a pickup" takes on a whole new meaning.
THUD~*
"Even if they paid any attention to them, who the hell would buy deodorant because a screen on their Xbox told them to? That's idiotic."
The advertisement isn't trying to get you to run out and buy deodorant. They already know that you will likely need deodorant eventually. The ad is there so that when you go to buy it, one of the brands you know about is that one. It's on your radar.
Most people think they aren't swayed by ads on TV, either, but guess what? The ads do work. And so will the ones attached somehow to video games.
With the price of development for video games rising through the roof, I say go ahead and use advertising revenues to fund it. Stick logos beside achievements. Put billboards along the racetrack. Let companies sponsor games. Give me snazzier games, and keep the cost the same for me! Sounds like a good deal.
I'm less inclined to allow them to advertise to me in a disruptive fashion. Don't interrupt the game, or make me sit through an ad. I've resigned myself to dealing with ads on TV, but in a game it might predispose me against the company, at least until I'm used to that as well.
Considering the production costs of modern entertainment I accept the reality that I have to be sold to in order to keep costs down. If I want to watch all my favorite shows in widescreen and HDTV without my cable bill skyrocketing, and Old Spice is willing to pony up the extra dough, I say let them.
Besides - sometimes I see products in advertisements that I am interested in, and would not have discovered, had it not been for the ad. The Mr. Clean magic eraser comes to mind, as does the Tide pen.
You unlock an achievement, and as a reward, you're allowed to be a freaking billboard. Wow. I will not play those games.
The visual pollution of advertising is continuing to spread to every corner our eyes could possibly rest at. Now, even the place I go to relax and ESCAPE is going to start bombarding me with ads. In game "product placement", blatant ads in the console, and more. Just great. Movies have been getting worse and worse for this- in the movie and big ones before the film.
Many products I buy come plastered with stickers for extra services or features. I pick them off when I can. Then once you step out side it's everywhere.
I can tell you a big reason why DVD sales of TV shows are so popular. No ads.
Many years ago, ads on TV and even shows named after products were getting out of control. There was a big public out-cry and things were toned down. I wonder how long until another such outcry happens again.
It's such a blight on the outdoor world and on my free time.
My 360 died yesterday. It was a launch unit from 2005. I am not getting another 360 by paying 140$ to get it exchanged by microsoft. I think my 360 saw this sponsored achievemnt shit coming and died to prevent me being corrupted by evil :)
I experienced the above physical reaction when reading the names of said "sponsored goals". I think it's rage.
If movie theaters are any indication, then prices won't go down, but will continue to rise. I managed theaters for a while, and despite our astronomical concession prices, we weren't rolling in dough. Pre-trailer ads were another revenue stream, for essentially no effort. A few people stopped coming because of the ads, but the extra money more than made up for it. Just like a few people might not buy a game with ads, but most won't care.
I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it by not dying. - Woody Allen
Given there are hardware problems in the design leading to OVERHEATING (from comments on the web) MICROSOFT should describe the design flaws rather than just buying off the public with a 1.15 billion dollar 'recall' option. This is not software where there is no accountability for producing a finished working product; it is HARDWARE that for example could represent a fire hazard if indeed overheating is an issue.... If it was a car company or another electronic device machine manufacturer I believe the flaw would have to be described as part of a recall.... There is no reason MICROSOFT should not explain what is going on. It is their responsibility to be accountable for their machine design flaws and how they came about in the production/get-product-to-market cycle. Why are they not required to explain? --Is Microsoft above the law? Offering to fix the machines does not go far enough. The consumer public deserves and should require an explanation. You gamers are not doing your job... EA