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A gamer's nightmare: Trials for in-game ads begin

Posted Feb 16, 2007 at 01:11AM by Kristine C. Listed in: Nintendo DS, Wii, PlayStation 3, PSP, Xbox 360, MMORPG, Games for Windows Tags: Google, Wal-Mart, in-game ads
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At least it's not an ad for Starbucks... - Image 1At least it's not an ad for Starbucks... - Image 2


Well, it looks like there's no turning back now.

As it turns out, Valve is starting to test out the use of in-game ads for their titles, and the first guinea pig for this experiment is none other than Counterstrike 1.6 (screenies above, both courtesy of SK Gaming). Despite the flurry of protests that the mere mention of in-game advertising tends to generate, many game companies may soon be following Valve's lead.

While some fans argue that the sight of a real-world item being advertised inside a game tends to be detrimental to the whole experience, devs have noted that this form of advertising is actually beneficial for everyone in the long run.

After all, it generates revenue for game-makers.

Revenue equals more (and better) games.

More games equals happy gamers.

On top of that, there have been promises that the ads will remain discreet and out of the player's way.

At the moment, Valve is displaying advertisements for Portal and the upcoming Orange and Black boxes, all of which are their own products.

There have been earlier reports that Google ads may also end up invading the gaming world, and this has caused many to fear the possibility of having to encounter an in-game advertisement for Starbucks in a war-torn, World War II setting. After all, can you imagine running into an ad for McDonald's as you're crawling the trenches in games like Call of Duty or Brothers In Arms? Or perhaps one for Pedigree puppy food during an Unreal Tournament deathmatch?

On the other hand, there are also those who are willing to reach a compromise between revenue generation for the game companies and immersive gaming experience for the gamers. One point of this compromise involve the conditions which specify that ads that appear in games must be carefully chosen to match the theme and setting of the game itself. (An ad for Subway sandwiches while you're sniping away in 1942 Germany? Nuh-uh.)

Then there's the proposal to release two versions of the game. The pricier one which contains no ads, and the much cheaper version which contains advertisements. Could these possibly be acceptable middle ground for all parties? Either way, both ends of the conversation need to remember several vital things.

First, consumers must bear in mind that no matter what they say, companies will be companies. And this basically means that they are businesses, first and foremost. They have costs to cover, people to pay, and resources to maintain. Game developers, background artists, scorers, renderers, and programmers all want to make a decent living, just like you and me.

Producing game discs with pretty covers and awesome graphics takes money, and even the most pure-hearted and most dedicated member of the industry will need some place to get the necessary funds from. Advertising is a great way to make money. Now, we just have to put two and two together.

Next up, members of the game industry must never forget that the reason why people play games is because they want to be entertained. For a few hours a day, they just want to escape for a while and temporarily forget about the bills, the deadlines, the stress, the projects, and just simply unwind for a bit by either blasting zombies away or shooting sentient rabbits with plungers. This desire to escape and this willingness to be entertained is the seed from which a loyal following springs from, and this fact must be recognized and respected at all times.

People work hard and pay money just to be able to have the chance to get something they enjoy, i.e. the games that they love. Therefore, it's up to the makers of the games to not disappoint. How do they do this, in this particular situation? By not ruining it for everyone by reminding them of their boss (who requires them to grab a coffee from Starbucks every morning), of the groceries that need to be bought (Wal-Mart ads on a wall in ancient China?), and the credit card bills piling up (a MasterCard logo in GTA, is not - and probably never will be - a good idea).

Bottomline is, people must recognize the fact that this is a symbiotic relationships of sorts. However, if one party goes too far and demands too much without giving back, everything just morphs into something parasitic.

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50 Comments


Sort by:
   by seargent007 - 2007-02-16
 » stop *****in
come now guys. First its nicely realistic, second, the more money a company makes, the more updates and products they make. In fact, thats how EA affords to keep its game devs to make their game updates (contrary to popular beliefs, the original devs are usually NOT the ones who make updates)

   by Auraomega (Unregistered) - 2007-02-16
 » Subliminal Messages?
If you ask me, by saying "On top of that, there have been promises that the ads will remain discreet and out of the player's way." it kinda leads me to believe that this is going down the line of subliminal messages, why would you want to add adverts to a game anyway?

And... Sony are already making less money than Nintendo, so adding this into games is going to make it all A LOT worse... as for having things in games that were never meant to be there, or having something moden in a game set in medievil times, its going to get annoying and just be totally out of place.

Personally I think this will happen for a few games, and then companies will stop as its not working out how they expect.

As for starting to use adverts, there is a big billboard in Spiderman with an advert for a Nokia mobile on it. I think that was a PSP game, but I only saw it in a mag so I'm not 100% sure, but this isn't a wholey new concept.

   by Neuromancer (Unregistered) - 2007-02-16
 » More Gaming Industy BS
This is just about the gaming industy making more money. NOTHING ELSE.

Remember when we switched to smaller boxes to "pass the savings on to the consumer"? Well boxes got smaller but games never got cheaper oops!

Remember when the top game studios got together and actually released a statement saying that "Next gen titles will be $60 instead of $50. Not because they are harder to make, but because we are seeing what the market will bear"

The "Intellectual Property" angel must be getting tired and worn out for them.

   by Bob (Unregistered) - 2007-02-16
 » Destructable Ads
If your going to put ads in games, make them destructable!!! imagine planting a c4 at the base of an ad and blowing it up as well as a nearby pc... that'd be cool. make it fit into the world much better.


   Re: freyyr890 (Unregistered) - 2007-02-16
 » .
:-) . Now imagine if that ad was for Microsoft. No way it's gonna happen though. But all the CS servers with ads are probably having them shot at right now, and the distinct juvenile community is probably screaming "OMG HAX" over the chat.
   by levman (Unregistered) - 2007-02-16
 » spray
r u all dumb its a spray......i seen this spray b4 being used in office

   by Drift (Unregistered) - 2007-02-16
 » False
This is probably not true...

As people who've delved a bit more in messing with files (hell, these are the basics), they'd know that Valve games maps are not regularly updated (especially a 1.6 one), and this is a spray. There's no way they'd be able to actually add that image to every player, considering that it's not a free running and updating game.

   by odarp (Unregistered) - 2007-02-16
 » this is not new at all
have u ever played sonic adventure 2 battle? in that game there are billboards advertising in game items like ring capsules or movies about chaos but there are also advertising for some sega games including the ones with night on them and for the sneaker store soap, in fact sonic shoes are supposed to be soap brand

   by Advertising -
   by Nick (Unregistered) - 2007-02-16
 » Oh big deal guys..
Would you really ***** your pants if you saw a Coke vending machine in GTA? Sides, this isn`t really new. I mean, in Sonic Adventure 2 ads for Phantasy Star Online and other Sega games were seen everywhere on billboards and such. Big deal!! Let people advertise in games, will it really kill the experience? No, its just that you`ll be seeing real world things in game. Big deal.

   by Dodo - 2007-02-16
 » ..
Ads that have no relevance to the game environment, like the article explained will severly put gamers off. It's different in sports games where they actually have ads in real life. As long as they advertise the right products, from the right timeline, setting on the right games, it could be beneficial. Otherwise, it could backfire.

   by rolly poly (Unregistered) - 2007-02-16
 » ads are ok
crackdown has huge billboards that advertise dodge vehicles. the overall approach of dodge to cars kind of fits the feel of the game.

in game advertising is like nudity, done tastefully or artfully it is acceptable by everyone but uptight retards.

   by InDridCold117 (Unregistered) - 2007-02-16
 » Bullsh*t
The reason there is ad's in movies and tv is because then we benefit from it by not having to pay as much or anything at all. But with Ad's in videogames we don't benefit in the slightest from seeing f%$king fast food ads in unreal tournament, counterstrike or whatever. Also this is just one step soon they will become more and more prominent in games and i really have no f%$king desire to see "Call of Duty 5 brought to you by sprite !" i see this as a massive betrayal of loyal and hardcore gamers trust. Also anyone who says it add's realism is a retard unless they are extremely small ad's but then they will eventually build up into the other crap i am talking about. F@#k these greedy bastards its not like Valve or EA need more money...and EA's games are *****ty enough without ad' s i can scarcely imagine what they would be like with them.

   by grs (Unregistered) - 2007-02-16
 » lame
This is valve taking a ***** on their 1.6 fans (me)

   by Die Hard D (Unregistered) - 2007-02-16
 » dumb
Im SO sick of advertisment, if I want something i'll search for it, I dont want people shoving there stupid crap ads in my face while im trying to play a game, I see enough of it on tv.
I can see it now.
Im on the last level of call of duty 4 on veteren difficulty,
running low on health, the enemy is everywhere and im blasting away, all of a sudden I look at the wall to my right and see a McDonalds ad, WHAT, I can get a McChicken for just a dollar!!!!!!! "drops controller and heads to McDonalds".

REALITY CHECK!

   by MitchenX (Unregistered) - 2007-02-16
 » does anyone remember...
in final fantasy: the spirits within, there was a Pepsi billboard close to the beginning of the movie...! i really don't see much of a difference... video game characters can have Pepsi if they want to... that would be sweet. :P

   by gagagagaga (Unregistered) - 2007-02-17
 » gagagagaga
the only ads i ever liked in a game were those funny ones in GTA

   by JimmyBob (Unregistered) - 2007-02-19
 » Un-f**king believeable
As an older gamer I will say with 100% certainty that I will NEVER buy a game that has adds in it. NEVER!! We are bombarded with an estimated 16,000 adds per day.

Gaming serves as a small break from this unholy barrage by allowing us to escape into a different reality. Placing adds in games compromises that experience and I don't care HOW artful the add placement is.
GO TO HELL VALVE!

   by Advertising -
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 » For Sale Brand New Unlocked Nokia N95 for just $250
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   by Alex (Unregistered) - 2007-03-01
 » Who the ***** cares?
They're adds! Are you really going to ***** your pants if you see an Axe add on a billboard while driving around a Grand Theft Auto 4 city? People aren't retarded. Adds will be placed strategically to go with what's going on. The only games that have really featured these in-game adds are racers and open world games. I'm pretty sure game developers will have a say in what adds can go in there game.

   by Dfaran (Unregistered) - 2007-03-02
 » Turn back before it is too late!
Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. CONSUME YOU, IT WILL!

I recall a SF story I've read. It is set in the future, and a grim future it is. Literally everything is covered in ads - even the toilet paper. George Orwell's omnipresent screen is in that future too, only it isn't there to spy on you. No, it's just there to convince you to buy things. There are jingles instead of elevator music and logos printed on the bedsheets. If I recall correctly, the advertisments are even projected into your dreams. Does that sound like an unrealistic future to any of you? Honestly? Because it seems to me that we're headed in that direction quite directly.

Advertising is a terrible thing. Please, please, please hear me when I say we must stop this before it starts. Right now, it is considered socially acceptable to have commercial breaks during TV shows. If they go through with this, it will be acceptable to have advertisements in video games. Where does it end? On the pages of a novel? On the sidewalks in front of your house? In the middle of your phone calls? We've got to make a stand somewhere, and the longer we wait, the harder it will be.

If this catches on, then I fully intend to boycott any and all video games with that kind of blatant advertisement in them. There are plenty of wonderful indie, homebrew or just plain older games that I can enjoy.

One last thought: Who remembers when there were no such things as banner ads, popups and spam e-mails on the internet? It wasn't a very long time ago at all.



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