google ads inGame

[CyberWraith]

:mymymy:

Let the passion continue! We're acquiring Adscape

3/16/2007 02:54:00 PM
Posted by Bernie Stolar, Dean of Games

Asteroids, Space Invaders, Centipede and Tetris—remember when you could only play these games at an arcade? I would line up behind at least 6 people for my chance at Asteroids.

Time warp—now it's 2007. Games can be played anywhere and at anytime. In this mobile world, games have evolved to become a part of our lives. Unlike television, gamers can make games their own—customizing their experience in new ways—and we are helping them do that big time.

But of course developing these sophisticated games can be very expensive. Back in the 80s the cost of producing a single game was about $100K. Today it can cost $25M to produce a game. The good news is there are some very passionate gamers out there that have come up with some interesting new ways to introduce non-intrusive and targeted advertising in order to make gaming accessible and affordable for all.

Our charge at Adscape has always been to honor the game that was developed and find new ways to enable that game to continue so others can enjoy it. That's why we are so stoked to join Google (http://www.google.com/press/annc/annc_adscape.html)—because these guys get it, and are committed to helping us continue our mission.

expect to see Google ads poping up in your fav video games now

jeez.

[netscape 6]

Yay firewall!:D Nice little block of ads.google.com in that scenerio.

[CyberWraith]

subliminal advertising by the back door?

[bizzyb0t]

I hate all this ad crap. It's literally EVERYWHERE.

I've got ads so well blocked, I don't even see those text Google Ads online (thank you ABP+filters). I'm not against advertising, but it's constantly crammed down our throats. Personally, I found the most annoying ads to be the ones in monitors above urinals (http://www.iconnectdots.com/ctd/2007/01/google_launces_.html). I perfectly fine staring at the tile on the wall, examining the grout. But noooo, now I have to see ads for specials on pretzels and Purell.

I've seen subtle advertisements in many games for the PS2. In Burnout 2 there's ads on the sides of trucks for stuff like Axe Body Spray and Gillette Shave Gel. Advertisements within video games is already here. :mymymy:

[CyberWraith]

actually thats a good point, they must be buying the company that does that.

[Major Tom MIB]

...I've seen subtle advertisements in many games for the PS2. In Burnout 2 there's ads on the sides of trucks for stuff like Axe Body Spray and Gillette Shave Gel. Advertisements within video games is already here. :mymymy:That's just for realism :p

[Mooseman]

Its called product placement and companies pay a fortune for their product or logo to appear in films, TV or games, including back-handers to the director I'll wager.

[OrangeCrush]

Its funny because I just read a big article about this yesterday. Its actually been quite a big turn around as the game developers used to have to pay the corporations like Coke or Pepsi etc.. to be able and use thier name in a video game and now the tables have turned in a big big way. Now its the corporations that are paying big money to the videogame developers to have thier names put in the game. The interview I was reading was from a very prominent developer and he said its been a huge blessing, this whole advertisment shift as it has brought a lot of needed money into the game sector that wasnt there before and with the rise of cost in gaming being like it has been, well he said he hopes people can get past the bad parts and look at the good parts and the main thing advertising will do for gamers is bring them better games.

As long as its kept in moderation I am cool with it as I understand its simply a revenue source the developers cant ignore and as the one guy said if in the end it brings us better games then hell, why not.

I love how its all been turned around on the corporations tho and now they are the ones paying instead of it being the other way around like it used to be. Score one against the corporations.

[Mooseman]

True up to a point, but those corporations are already huge market players so they have the clout and finance, I suspect it would be much harder for a new product to get it's name out there in the same way.

I don't mind product placement in as much as it adds realism as Tom said, just as long as it doesn't detract from the film/programme/game or become its main raison d'etre, and as long as it doesn't buy the corporation any influence over plot or subject matter.

[OrangeCrush]

Well obviously if it ever got to the point that the in game ads or the corporate bodies behind the ads were actually dictating the content itself it would be a huge problem however I see that being extremely unlikly to almost impossible. Game developers understand first hand what is exceptable and what isnt exceptable because all of the good gaming developers are hard core gamers themelves.

So while I absolutly agree with what your saying, I just dont see issues like that ever being a problem. Certain kinds of games are simply ripe for advertising as its already been brought up that the developers themselves used to pay the companies to be able to use thier names in the game and it was to add realism. Take sporting games, Those are prime real estate for advertisers and it is games like those developers will obviously reap far more advertising dollars from than say from a first person shooter. I simply never see a day coming where the advertisers hold the power to actually alter the game itself or to be in a position to even have the power to do such a thing.

The difference between the market nowadays and the market of days past is the average Male & even Female to a lesser degree, aged 18-28 simply isnt watching as much television today as they used to so the compnaies that advertise mainly on TV are now turning to videogames because that is where that segment of the population has gone. They have gone from watching TV to playing videogames and the people making the videogames now hold the power because of that fact. Videogames are huge now and if the corporate bodies out there want thier products or thier name put in front of that segment of the population as much as they used too then they simply have no choice but to advertise in games.

In game advertising agencies are actually one of the largest fields experiencing growth right now in the advertising industry. Its a very very big thing now and as gamers we have to look at it objectivly and as such you have to be ok with it as long as they keep it in check. If it ever gets to the point where there is so much advertising that it actually begins to negativly effect the game itself then it becomes a problem and I dont think the developers would ever let it get to that point because then they are jepardizing thier prouct plain and simple.

Bottom line is I trust the developers because I have been gaming since Pong was released onto an unsuspecting world some 30 years ago and overall they have taken gaming to an utterly new level generation after generation and I have never been disappointed in gaming in general. Sure you can have disappointments with certain titles but in a whole, the entire gaming undustry has done nothing but amazing me consitantly since I was 10 years old and continues to do so today. I see nothing happening that changes any of that. I think they will continue to amaze me in the next 30 years just as they have in the previous 30. I just dont see in game advertising as that big of a deal and if anything I am glad that the developers have access to more corporate money.

Again just keep it in check and dont let it get out of control and it will be a very positive thing for the entire industry. More money equals better games plain and simple. If anything I hope this actually frees up the developers to take more chances with thier games. Before they had so much of thier own money invested into these games that if one game did poorly it could seriously hurt the studio. Risk taking is not looked upon with kind eyes in those situations. maybe with a lot of advertising money in the works now that will change some of that and we will see more developers taking more chances with game concepts. its certainly one example of what more money can do for this industry.

[Mooseman]

Good points well made, but you'll have to excuse an old cynic, who is a believer in the corrupting power of money and how closely linked advertising, sponsorship and influence can become.

I think of examples such as the stranglehold Sky TV have over the English football scene, and how they often dictate the scheduling of matches to suit their programming schedules, without regard to the actual fans who may lose money or not be able to attend games that are rescheduled.

I know I am an old cynic and I realise its over-simplistic, but money = power = corruption is all too often evident.

I hope you are right and the game-makers are able to retain their integrity, only time will tell. I am not a gamer myself, so I only know what I read and make parallels with other areas of media.

Edit: here is a posible scenario. Well known burger franchise pays large sum to game developer to feature their restaurant in the backgrounds in some of the scenes of a new game, and suggests, in passing, that of course they could pay an even larger sum, were the game to include a scene where the hero actually eats a burger in said restaurant. It's a small change to the plot but could earn the company a lot of development money.:D