If there ever was a good time to be in the game advertising business, this would be it. Boston-based research and consulting firm Yankee Group has predicted that the game advertising industry will grow from US$ 77.1 to US$ 971.3 million, racking up a 1,150% growth.

The group says this will happen between 2006 and 2011 when internet-based and in-game ads are tapped on a massive scale by mainstream companies to get their messages to consumers.

In a press release, Yankee Group digital director Michael Goodman said "advertisers are increasingly finding in-game advertising to be a greater investment value because of the variety of opportunities that exist in and around games."

The research firm also indicated that game makers will welcome the initiative from the advertising community and double the total of titles with ads embedded in them. Game ads were once only used in sports titles but have caught on to other genres in the recent years.