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In-Game Advertising Breaks Out 513
UID1000000 writes "MSNBC reports that companies like Nielsen are implementing tracked advertising in video games. Viacom is also considering in-game advertising. I can't wait until your first person shooter stops and drinks a nice cold refreshing soda."
consoles and freeware (Score:5, Interesting)
What has shocked me is the failure of freeware with embedded ads. For a while it seemed many freeware authors were trying to make money with this concept.
As a freeware author myself, it didn't work well for my product. People preferred the old, buggy ad-free version to the final version with small, tasteful ads. I ended up making more money off the google ads on the download page than I did from the product.
I finally killed the ads and the number of people using the program hit the roof.
AC
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:4, Funny)
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:3, Funny)
Yes, I'm a fat ass because of Ninja Turtles. It took a whopping week for my transformation to occur.
No no (Score:3, Interesting)
Look at Doom III, they have a game called "Super Turkey Turbo Puncher". When this game gets released for real, it'll be a smash hit automatically. I can't wait to punch that turkey for 500 pt.
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:4, Interesting)
Likewise, I'm sure early sports games such as Fifa 96 had advertising. All stadiums tend to have advert boards now, so it was obvious to include these in the game. Initially they used to use the publishing house name and other games they made, but after a point they started to accept advertising from third-party sponsors. That probably began with some "official sponsor of ..." creeping into the games.
While the submitter may have incorrectly indicated that this is the first game advertising, I think it is true in terms of downloading new adverts as time goes by.
If you do decide to introduce this form or advertising, tracking is a neccessary evil. You need to know which users have seen which ads. Your clients want to know how many eyeballs saw each one. However, I see no reason why this could not be done on the client side using anonymous submission of the data.
Billboards are fine with me. (Score:4, Insightful)
These are places where, in our every day lives, we are used to seeing ads. This is no change, as long as its done in a non-invasive sort of way...That is as long as you aren't forced to sit and absorb the ad.
Nothing. Nothing in the whole freaking world, makes me madder than being forced to sit through an advertisement. If I have paid for a freaking movie, and they make me watch some goddamn annoying commercial at the beginning, I find that completely intolerable. I doubt I'm alone.
So it all comes down to the same thing; how much advertising can be done without making people crazy? I think GTA would be a good testbed, because if the ads make the players crazy, you know someone is going to go to the ad company and kill everyone there. Its a given.
Doom3 (Score:4, Insightful)
A non-futuristic FPS occuring in current times could include Microsoft software boxes, Dell monitors on desks, maybe the occasional Coke machine, etc.
Stuff we're used to in our everyday lives that just appears natural there. (Similar to product placement in movies. I'm not speaking of the commercials beforehand, but within the movie, such as a person wearing Nike sneakers or driving a Lexus.)
Re:Billboards are fine with me. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Billboards are fine with me. (Score:4, Insightful)
I can think of something. "I, Robot": "Don't you just love these shoes? They're great. They're from the year 2004. Can you zoom in on them? Cool shoes, aren't they? Grandma, make sure you ask me about my shoes later in the film, so I can show them to the crowd yet again. Buy these shoes, guys. Come on, you know you want to."
This sort of blatent product placement is a load of, excuse my language, pure fucking bullshit. It distracts from the movie and makes me feel like I just paid $10 to see a 2 hour commercial. Next time this shit shows up in a film, I'm walking out and demanding my money back.
This was as bad as the Subway stuff in Happy Gilmore. Except when Adam Sandler did it, it was a big joke and setup for laughs. He didn't try to take it seriously.
You want product placement? Stick a coke in a fridge. Have Neo use a Nokia phone. He's going to need a phone anyway, so it might as well be a slick new model that I can go out and buy if I want to. That's realistic and appropriate. Don't stop the whole movie so you can show me your fucking shoes.
Let's put it this way: Put the item there but don't make a single reference to it. If you have to zoom in on it and talk about it, you're going to piss people off.
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:4, Interesting)
Xbox is the 'official console' of World Cup 2006. [xboxrules.com]
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:5, Insightful)
I will not pay for a game that tracks me or downloads ads. I am not even sure I would play it for free under thsoe conditions.
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:5, Insightful)
This probably will not mean less expensive games, and it certainly will not mean free games (giving it away for free makes it less valuable as an advertising medium; free things don't always get used). The game companies will want to maintain the perceived value of their games by not positioning it as a cheap, second-rate game. Of course, we know that it'd just be cheap spyware, so you can count me out too. That's my internet connection, thanks, and just like spam I don't want them using it for their benefit and not mine.
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:5, Insightful)
You and I may not, but millions will, especially if it means less expensive (free?) games.
The thing is, it won't result in cheaper games. As an example, take a look at the movies. Back in the 80's, it was unheard of to have advertisements for products (other than the coming attractions, that is, which had been established almost as early as the movie theater itself). Now, we have 10 minutes of so of ads for all sorts of crap, reducing a trip to the movies to being TV you pay $10 or more for.
And has your ticket price gone down at all since they started showing ads? Concessions gotten any cheaper? No. Prices still continue to climb. The theaters and Hollywood just pocket the extra revinue.
Recent Experiences (Score:3, Interesting)
The other day I visited my local cinema with some friends to watch I, Robot. We went to the pub for a drink first and after queueing and my friends buying expensive food products we got in to the theatre proper about 35 minutes after the billed start time, expecting to have missed the start. We were quite shocked (and, on that particular occasion, relieved) to find that we arrived in time to see the last preview trailer as well as the "don't let mobile phones ruin your movie" and the "Love Movies? Hate Pira
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:3, Insightful)
No.
The issue is the fact that the movie companies ("Suits") are extremely risk-adverse these days; they want a guaranteed hit. To do this, they go with a familiar story (remake of some old chestnut, or a action/hot babe thriller) and lots of star power. The latter thought is based upon the assumption that people will want to go see their favorite star in a poorly-written story, rather than a cast of unknowns with a well-
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:5, Insightful)
A key part of this is the tracking. Google Adwords goes to certain pains to maintain a privacy barrier between users of Adwords (via site visits, searches, etc.) and those who establish a business relationship based on an Adwords ad (that is - someone who clicks on an ad... and even then the information is limited). This, among other user-favorable approaches to advertising, is what has made Google's system a success.
The grandparent doesn't say what ad tech they used. But the problem is that by this time, the well has been poisoned. Any app that admits to being "advertising supported" will be viewed as a likely carrier for untold amounts of scumware (spyware, et al). Even if it isn't. The perception is there - and for good reason. Scumware companies have soured our view of that model.
The interesting thing is that Google entered a poisoned market. Advertising ilk such as Doubleclick polluted online advertising with inappropriate expectations (why is just seeing an ad on TV acceptable but an online campaign a failure if it doesn't generate click-throughs) and playing games with tracking cookies, pop-ups/unders, java, and flash. It's a wonder anyone loads ad banners at all (and an increasing number of users don't). Yet Google has flourished in this wasteland. And a large part of this has to do with their behavior. At the least, they don't behave in a manner that makes it worth the effort to block them. And that only makes an already effective system more effective.
Purveyors of "tracking" and "targeted" ad technology should be very careful as to what limits their targets will accept.
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:5, Interesting)
And I guess I've surprised even myself with this. I'm an ad-blocker. I'm sorry to anyone's web page I visit that's paid for with advertising-sponsored links, but there is only so much flashy blinky sh!t that I can take. I run the Proxomitron and have a huge ruleset. On top of this I use Mozilla with the popup blocker, and use adblock constantly. I have the flashblocker plugin that simply does not display flash until it's clicked on. It's been so long that I surfed without all this armor that I find myself shocked by the crap people put up with. Pop ups, pop unders, flashy DHTML blocks that fly around their screens, it's like a carnival leaping up to disguise the fact that they are serving information. Hell, I already find the "games.slashdot.org" color scheme to be distatefully distracting enough, without the clutter of banners.
I do have a few exceptions: I don't deliberately block ads on the sites that I frequent (fark, UF, etc.) in hopes that they get some stipend simply for the traffic. I even buy from the banner ads on some of those sites just to give the business their way.
I also don't mind SOME OF the banner ads I've found in certain products. For example, XFire is completely sponsored by one small banner ad located at the top center of the screen. It's not PUNCH THE MONKEY BLINKING, it's not spyware sponsored, it's just a small billboard. I appreciated the effort so much I've purchased a couple of games through them just to say "hey, well done guys, this is the right thing to do."
My other exception is Google's advertising. It's always been text based, so it's never been the visual distraction that causes me to want to block it. I don't always read them, but sometimes I do. Certainly, it gets much more of my attention than the blinky "turn away from the flashing lights" ads. Plus, I've always considered Google to be "the good guys" for all the reasons you mentioned.
I once evem wrote a proxomitron filter to strip the google ads, but removed it when I realized it was advertising that didn't drive me off, and that might benefit the sites hosting it. So, you're absolutely right -- Google's ads aren't worth the trouble to block.
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:4, Funny)
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:4, Funny)
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:5, Interesting)
It may be a game publisher/ad-exec's dream, but it is not a player's dream.
Also I suppose it is possible to circumvent the ads in single player mode if your pull your dsl/cable/dial-up line out of your computer before you play.
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:3, Interesting)
Unless you're playing over the Internet, or if they rig the game so that you can't play unless you have an active Internet connection with a certain port open to receive images.
Money grubbing bastards like this have no soul. They will try everything to squeeze every ounce of money out of you.
I have no problem with people getting paid for good work. Howeve
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:3, Interesting)
Like, spawn your own bots that actively hunt $PRODUCT_I_HATE 's ads and railgun 'em. For hours at a time. And maybe even get 'em to defend $LIFESTYLE_INDICATORS_I_FEEL_PERSONALLY_ATTACHED_
Let's show 'em what this demographic's made of.
part 1: it doesn't have to be obnoxious, you know (Score:4, Insightful)
There are lots of opportunities for advertising in online multiplayer games which won't necessarily break the game.
E.g., a MMO which happens in modern times is pretty much expected to have billboards. City of Heroes for example has them, but they're just funny in-game stuff (bail bonds for villains and such) instead of trying to sell a real world product.
Now think a little. Getting a couple of real world banners for those billboards would definitely not be annoying or break suspension of disbelief in any way. E.g., if I saw a big MacDonalds billboard in that city, I wouldn't stop and think "wtf is it doing there." It would fit right in with the rest of the urban landscape.
It also doesn't even need to be a big billboard, but can be something even more subtle or less intrusive.
E.g., in a town you _expect_ shops. In fact, you tend to be disappointed when you don't see them. I know I've stopped and wondered about how few the shops in City of Heroes are.
So I don't think it would look out of place if in a hypothetical modern day MMO you saw a MacDonalds or Pizza Hut on a street corner. It fits there and it makes sense. Those townfolks must be eating somewhere.
Or you can go even more subtle and have stuff like: if that town has a shoe store, sometimes it could sprout a sign in the window proclaiming a big sale on Nike sportswear. It's not like you don't see those IRL, you know.
Also, these are massively bandwidth intensive games anyway, _and_ are based on stuff downloaded on-the-fly from their servers anyway. Having to download an extra 16k worth of compressed texture for some billboard ad wouldn't really make any difference.
So, really, what's the problem?
Re:part 1: it doesn't have to be obnoxious, you kn (Score:3, Insightful)
My point of this is that they will be obtrusive. Why would a
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:3, Interesting)
But if a company can deliver ads without screwing up gameplay, I don't think I'd have a problem with it. Somone mentioned b
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:4, Funny)
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:4, Interesting)
Fox station in San Diego got in trouble (dropped off the Nielsen results tracker for x period of time for having an advert saying "hey nielsen viewers, write down our station now!", and you know a lot of those radio give-away gimmicks that say "listen at 1:30 this afternoon for such and such a song and CALL IN TO WIN!" are often temporally correlated with Nielsen logging times for radio listenership.
taking advantage of a captive audience (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:consoles and freeware (Score:4, Interesting)
I was in a company that attempted this 4 years ago. it was a stupid idea then, too.
Do I get more vitality points from Expresso (Score:3, Funny)
I can see it now... (Score:4, Funny)
If there is a Diablo III, the potion vendors get replaced with vending machines, the smiths get replaced by Wallmart, the other NPCs will be wearing sandwich boards, and all of the armour will have logos on them...
Demo versions... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Demo versions... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Demo versions... (Score:3, Funny)
How that affect the price of games? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:How that affect the price of games? (Score:3, Insightful)
Who else? (Score:5, Funny)
Games already have that? (Score:3, Insightful)
Worms and Red Bull (Score:2)
Re:Worms and Red Bull (Score:3, Informative)
Cat fight! (Score:5, Funny)
Check the latest Playboy (Score:4, Informative)
Well Playboy magazine is already one step a head of you. Their next issue will be an interesting crossover of video game advertising and girlie photos. See here [cnn.com] for more info.
Nostalgia (Score:4, Informative)
Or Zool not only being covered with advertising but even came with its own Lolipop [geocities.com]
Re:Nostalgia (Score:2)
Or... Yo Noid! A video game based completely around the "Avoid the Noid" ad campaign from Domino's Pizza.
Re:Nostalgia (Score:2)
Re:Nostalgia (Score:3, Informative)
It seems that UK game developers like sponsership in their games (see Worms 3D, Wipeout etc. for modern examples.)
Blatant ad (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Blatant ad (Score:2)
Well... (Score:5, Interesting)
If it's unobtrusive or, even better, adds to the game then all well and good. If it jars or is too blatant then back goes the game to the store.
I would compare the appearance of Omega watches and Aston-Martins in James Bond and Starbucks in Shrek (which I think was all well done) with the appearance of Audi in I,Robot and BMW in James Bond: both of which I felt jarred and reduced my enjoyment of the film.
Re:Well... (Score:3, Insightful)
Uhm, you haven't noticed that all video game sellers are required to have a "no refunds on open boxes, only exchange is for same title" policy by law? I highly suggest you start renting your video games if you want to be able to take them back...
Re:Well... (Score:4, Informative)
It isn't. It's against the law to resell returned underwear not in the original package. It is simply company policy to not accept the return.
Notice that you too used the word "policy"? If there were such a law as you suggest that word would not appear on the sign. The word "law" would replace it. When the sign says "policy" that's exactly what it means.
They are perfectly free to give you a refund, they just don't want to. Same as the underwear.
Only in the case of computer/video games the store is also free to resell the title.
KFG
Re:Well... (Score:2)
Gimme a Discount, Then (Score:4, Insightful)
It would be less distasteful to include advertising with the game documentation - although that fails with online downloads.
Strangley, now I WANT a Fanta...
Adverts in games? (Score:5, Funny)
Buy Now! Limited Time Doom4Pepsi (Score:3, Funny)
"Iforgiveyouforcrystalpepsi"
NetHack is way ahead (Score:3, Funny)
Re:NetHack is way ahead (Score:2)
discount? (Score:5, Interesting)
Ads on TV I can mute, but I can't stand ads in the movies, when you've already paid high dollar for a ticket, then while you're a captive audience they blast Coke/Blockbuster/Body Fantasies ads at you.
Arrgh.
Re:discount? (Score:2)
But the truth of the matter is, they'll sell for the same amount and EA execs will line their pockets more.
I wonder if this would help out the indy or open source developer??
Re:discount? (Score:3, Informative)
Tell me about it. Have you seen "The Twenty" or "The 2wenty" or whatever they call it? It's a digitally projected "show" (cough cough) in place of the old slideshow ads. It's a thinly veiled series of ads along the lines of an entertainment show. What really gets me is at the end they always summarize what they've shown you and say "if you didn't see all of the twenty, come to the theater earlier!" ?!?! Yeah, thanks for the advice. I'll come early to see more ads. At least
As long as they.. (Score:3, Funny)
And by tasteful, I mean no flashing crap at me, alternating contrasting colors. Or, say, flash.
Re:As long as they.. (Score:3, Insightful)
This isn't terribly new (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Duke Nukem (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Duke Nukem (Score:3, Funny)
I can't wait for Adbusters: The Game .
Re:Duke Nukem (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Duke Nukem (Score:3, Funny)
"Hmmm... What _is_ this crap?"
Advertising in an Fps?... (Score:2, Insightful)
*Cough*America's Army *Cough*
Advertising is a cancer on free speech. (Score:2, Interesting)
I will resist any attempts to force advertising on me e.g. Adblock, and if my attempts fail I will just turn away entirely.
Thankfully I'm an academic and don't even have to deal with billboards.
A single non-intrusive, correctly targeted and well implemented advert is a million times more effective for legal businesses than a million expensive "let's ruin another part of your day with offensive crap" campaigns.
Re:Advertising is a cancer on free speech. (Score:2)
Re:Advertising is a cancer on free speech. (Score:3, Insightful)
In an ideal world porn's victimless but then so is advertising.
In reality there tends to be a lot of illegal and immoral activity associated with both.
It's not the adverts or the porn itself, but the way they exploit other people and resources.
If you're claiming the porn industry has never caused exploitation then stick to your fantasy world and maybe one day that supermodel really will choose you!
Re:Advertising is a cancer on free speech. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:allows it sometimes too (Score:4, Insightful)
That is a very dangerous position to be in.
In-game soda machines... (Score:2, Insightful)
Darkened Skye (Score:2)
Or am I just the only person in North America who played this Gamecube game where your goal was actually to gather magic Skittles(tm) and Taste the Rainbow?
Here comes... the Ad Cannon! (Score:5, Funny)
- a bag of Doritos
- a can of Red Bull
- a bottle of Tums
- a tube of Preperation-H
Note to advertisers (Score:2, Interesting)
Ads, especially billboards, in an urban driving game or FPS, are kind of OK. For realism, the billboards have to be there anyway. Make 'em realistic, and if the publisher can get a kickback from Pepsi (theoretically lowering the price of the game - - HA!, but I digress), well and good.
But reading what I'm going past, and phoning that info home? Gimme a break.
Pretty soon, your next upgrade patch will include not fixes for the actual game, but new ads. "Our new sp
Re:Note to advertisers (Score:3, Informative)
A lot of cities and towns ban billboards entirely.
EA Games (Score:2, Informative)
So what is new? (Score:3, Interesting)
Having to interact with an advert in order to progress, I can see as being a very infuriating premise, unless it is done in a clever way.
Movie promotions you can generally ignore, and let them pass you by, as they are simply passive images, game promotions I can see as being more invasive, and less avoidable.
Re: (Score:2)
Gaming Adbuster patches please! (Score:2)
TMNT: The Arcade Game (on the 8-bit NES)... (Score:2, Insightful)
martianbuddy.com (Score:2, Insightful)
martianbuddy.com
Wed, 25 August 2004
Total unique visits: 471121
Unique visitors today: 16867
Old news... (Score:2)
Targeted ads. (Score:2)
At least we know which games to avoid.. (Score:2)
Gamers are tracked. New advertisements are delivered on the fly. It's both a game publisher and ad exec's [wet] dream. Atari and Ubisoft are among the game publishers to sign up.
EA Sports (Score:2, Interesting)
To be honest, this doesn't actually bother me because the advertisements within the game take place while the action is still going on. Whether is the "Nokia Sugar Bowl" within NCAA 2005 or the "Gillette Half Time Report" in various other games.
Its completely unobtrusive and works well
We already there (Score:5, Informative)
(This is a tie-in to a marketing campaing related to the launch of AO expansion titled 'Alien Invasion')
I doubt any gamer would mind much for (paid) advertising in the form of (animated) billboards or 'holograms' in first person shooter levels, but the stuff should *fit the theme*. Futuristic shooter such as Unreal Tournament would be easy - just stick in some billboards to suitable levels, but if someone would start selling McDonalds stuff by planting ingame ads into something like Everquest, gamers would go berserk over it...
It all depends how it's done. I think Sims Online and The Sims 2 also have somekinda marketing/product placement deals already set up.
Let me get this straight.. (Score:4, Insightful)
I absolutely do not see how this benefits gamers in any way.. game prices will NOT go down (exclusive scoop.. you heard it here, folks!), and game quality will suffer (progammers will be forced to change their mindset from "what will make this a good game?" to "how can we maximize the ad space?")
I prefer the "fake" ads in many games s/a GTA.. they're funny (I want a Mibatsu Monstrosity
As with many things, it's a double-edged sword (Score:4, Insightful)
On the other hand, remember the original Castle Wolfenstein? To regain health, you'd eat a meal that someone left out. Does it hugely change gameplay if, in a more modern setting, to regain health the object you grab looks like a bag of Doritos and a can of Pepsi? Not really.
Done well, in-game advertising can actually yield a more realistic feel-- if I'm playing an FPS set in modern times, I should be walking past Coke machines and USA today newspaper boxes and have a UPS truck drive by. It's reality, and having them say "Cola!" "News!" and "Package Smashers!" detracts from the realistic feel of the game.
-JDF
I got two words for you all (Score:4, Interesting)
Read it. It will happen (or something like it). It IS happening. Futurama was NOT at all wrong when it depicted advertisers beaming their crap into people's brains while they dreamed. Every successful marketing/sales droid I know would have zero second thoughts about anything which can increase revenue. Among those people, there are no morals. I mean, Pepsi has already tried to pollute the night sky [sustainer.org]. Pizza Hut is slapping their logo on the side of spaceships. This has been going on for years. There's nowhere [medialifemagazine.com] they won't try to go.
Pole Position? (Score:3, Insightful)
Sponsoring Free Games (Score:3, Insightful)
But I digress....
I think a sponsored video game would be a great idea. Say Pepsico pays great game developers to make a great game, then they give it away. You can download it or pick up a CD at the store. It's blatantly a Mountain Dew advertisement, with Mountain Dew billboards all over the game world, and yes, the main character always finds his refreshment in a nice, cold Mountain Dew. Before you know it, you're thirsty for a nice, cold Mountain Dew also.
And the best thing about it is that the consumer once again gets dramatic benefit out of sponsorship, just like you do on the radio and on broadcast TV. You get the content for free in hopes that you'll buy from the sponsor.
RP
Advertising OK - tracking NOT (Score:3, Insightful)
Now if it tracks me - which means it is using my bandwidth, and sending information about me - I DO care and would not buy the game for that reason. Though, I could see it being in every game (eventually) making it that you have no choice....
Almost had one in Quake (Score:5, Informative)
I don't have any fundamental problem with product placement in games, but it isn't something we pursue. I would just as soon have real brands in realistic settings instead of made up ones.
John Carmack