Is advertisements in game a good idea? It is certainly a good way to pay off the production cost in making a game, especially the heavy cost in making a MMOG, but what are the point of view from the players? MMOG today often need subscription fee. I think it is a good idea to offer the players 2 choices, one is to pay the subscription fee, and the other one is to choose not to pay the subsription fee but you'll be watching advertisements in game. What are your opinions on this?

It's very bad idea, even if player didn't pay single penny. It's even worse than adds in TV, and note that some people started to ignore TV because of adds.

Quote: Original post by Raghar
It's very bad idea, even if player didn't pay single penny. It's even worse than adds in TV, and note that some people started to ignore TV because of adds.

Ads cannot be ignored, even on TV. Do you know that broad cast networks knows that viewers like to ignore ads and switch channel when the commercials come, and so now they all play commercial the same time so you'll have to watch them.

I think it depends on how you do it. As long as the ads arn't intrusive, they'll be worth it to the game maker. Also, Google makes quite a bit of money off ad placement, and if its worth it to them... its probably worth it to the people paying to place the ad.

Not all advertisement has to be a comercial. Product placement is popular in the movie industry and I could see that working in MMO games if used creatively (and in a way that isnt annoying to gameplay). Also, doesn't EQ2 have a /pizza option to order pizza hut while playing in game? I remember hearing about that a while back but I don't play EQ2 so I dont know how successful that campaign has been, but that could be a perfect example of a way to advertise to a gaming market in a non annoying way.

Advertising in games (like many things) has the potential to be very good for games, and also the potential to be very bad as well.

It all depends on the implementation. with good ideas and a bit of creativity, I'm pretty sure that gamers wouldn't be too bothered about it. But, it doesn't take much to really mess things up. For example, McDonalds phones up and says they'll give $10 million to have McDonalds joints in WoW. Thats a big lump of cash to turn down, but it would completely break the game worlds consistency.

So its not only about how it's placed in the game, but *what* is placed in the game. some things just won't go into certain games very well.

Now although marketing and management can be a little...misguided shall we say, I doubt even they would stoop to actually making you sit and watch adverts a la TV.

So its more about 'product placement' than 'advertising' (like ericmbrown said), but consider this future...

The governments of the three major gaming territories, decide to implement new regulations into games to satisfy the unwashed masses who have become increasingly wary of certain games' content and its affects on their oh so precious offspring. The governments therefore impose a 45 minute limit on gaming sessions. Each game would be required to pause or suspend for 15 minutes in every hour of gameplay so it doesen't damage children's brains too much. Now this may be a perfect opportunity for games to have 'commercials' included, for 15 minutes you would have to watch advertisements to make sure your not playing the game.

Marketing would love it, the governments would love it, advertising companies would love it, gamers would obviously hate it.

Now thats just hypothetical, and you could always just fire up a different game, but there are marketing and managements that will, for profit over all else, resort to almost anything to get as much advertising in their games as possible.

In an ideal world there would be no advertising, but it offers the opportunity to increase revenue for the devco, which theoretically would mean better games, and more secure financial positions for struggling companies, in reality it would probably just mean more profits for shareholders and higher wages for people who don't deserve them.

Personally, I cannot stand advertisement. "Welcome to the Tostitos Bowl Halftime show presented by...", logos on jerseys, obviously placed products in shows... It's just socially acceptable spam, and just as (in)effective.

Sure, it pays the bills, and if I had the choice of making Potions in my game "Coke" and not making the game at all, I'd probably pick the Coke. But from this player's perspective it will invariably provoke a negative reaction.

Can any moderator reading this thread move it to the business forum, instead of having me double post...

I think I can get more replies from there

Quote: Original post by Telastyn
Personally, I cannot stand advertisement. "Welcome to the Tostitos Bowl Halftime show presented by...", logos on jerseys, obviously placed products in shows... It's just socially acceptable spam, and just as (in)effective.

Sure, it pays the bills, and if I had the choice of making Potions in my game "Coke" and not making the game at all, I'd probably pick the Coke. But from this player's perspective it will invariably provoke a negative reaction.

Well, spam isn't ineffective, otherwise they wouldn't continue doing it. (By the way, has anyone ever mixed an ad in with the five minutes of mandatory splash screens?)

Also, not all games are in the over-used fantasy setting. Would it be so horrible if you could buy a Soy-Coke in a Shadowrun inspired game? Or billboards in a modern day game? Or, heck, why not a fellow named Gibson playing his guitar in your fantasy setting or the Star Buck Tavern (their old style siren logo would be great there)? Also, secret encounters with the developers are immersion breaking, why not have a secret encounter where the Kool-Aid man bursts through the wall ("Oh Yeah!" [cool]). (I assume a pizza "hut" would be pushing it [grin])

I think there are two problems with product placements like these in video games, neither of which I see as reasons to remove them:
1) Poor integration. If you have only one named product placement it sticks out like a sore thumb. The other extreme is having everything themed after a particular product. In a way, this problem could easily be solved by more product placements. Obeying my thirst by downing a Sprite in a generic car after killing my enemy with a generic gun in generic stores doesn't feel right. Obeying my thirst by downing a Sprite in my built Ford tough F-150 after killing my enemy with a Smith and Wesson 1911 (I know nothing about guns, you could probably come up with a better example) in a McDonald's just feels better (ba da ba ba ba I'm lovin' it).

2) Poor localization. By the way games are made (or the way I assume they're made) ads have to be appropriate for a national audience. There should be a way for local companies to get their ad in a game of national scope, just like I see local ads in TV commercials. Of course, ads of this sort are better suited to billboards, splash screens, etc.



(This post made possible by AMD processors.)

Quote: Original post by lightblade
Ads cannot be ignored, even on TV. Do you know that broad cast networks knows that viewers like to ignore ads and switch channel when the commercials come, and so now they all play commercial the same time so you'll have to watch them.

I know about it. When I switch on TV and wondering if I'm on the right channel, switching from channel to channel will not help.
1. People, in countries where people are bombarded by adds, developed something like filtering ability. (A lot of companies discovered that TV adds are not enough, and were forced to do an additional attempts.)
2. They could power down a TV when there are adds, or at least blast out sound, or image. They could also record movie on VCR/DVD/computer, and skip all commercials.
3. They could don't turn on TV at all. (And have it just for historical reasons, or for PS3 games.)
4. They could watch something on the computer without adds. For example Joe cartoons, or elftor.
5. They could watch anime on computer in original Japanese with english subtitles, without bothering themselves with adds.
6. If worse come to worst HBO is an alternative.
Also it's trivial to create add blocker that would, it requires a TV card in computer however, filter adds out.
In computer games situation is even more interesting.
1. They could choose NOT play the game, and write a letter to marketing department.
2. They could ask you government officials to create law that would disalow adds in the computer art called games, and in independent movies.
3. Government could add a stamp on game box. "Warning this game shows advertising during play", somehow like they are printing warning on boxes with nicotine cigaretes.
4. They could hunt adds, and mask them out from game files.
I remember on a singer that had adds on her child oriented pages. It was automatical random showing add system. It showed sexual adds. She was very offended because she didn't know it could happen. (She though adds on web pages are safe.)
5. You could download a crack to remove real word adds from the game, and replace them with naked tied up girls, or with last manga.
It would be even more interesting for warez groups because creating this types of cracks would be perfectly legal.
Some countries also have laws, and norms of behaviour that would make hard to punish customers for downloading, and using these programs.