News Deus Ex: Human Revolution gets in-game adverts

A win is a win.

Ads are a bother, that is what they do (and if they don't bother you, maybe they have accomplished their goals?), what they are designed to do, to nag at or sometimes convince (damn you just for men!) you to buy a product.

You also used the term "at the end of the day", not a fan.

Do we expect a official statement on this patch come Monday afternoon?

 

It's an intrusion into the world of the game. Computer games (often, probably usually) strive to present a continuous, unbroken world - either through the micro-levels of something like Half Life, or simply by showing the player a consistent visual style. The game in question shows an image of the player character during loading, for instance. Now, you can view loading breaks in a computer game as a title card for the upcoming gameplay, in which case it serves a purpose in the same way a title card might be used to establish a location in a film. Or, you can view it as a necessary but undesirable interruption. In neither case is it an appropriate time to distract the player from the game.

But we don't need that justification, to be honest. When I buy a computer game I'm paying for an experience, and to overlay that experience with advertising is cheap, frankly demeaning to the company. Are they that desperate for money that they have to deface their own work - good work, by all accounts - with commercial blandishments? It's pathetic.

 

Splinter Cell was much better with deodorant advertisements

 

the gaming industry does lose alot of revenue to piracy, but the paying customer has to put up with being force fed this crap to make up for it?

Has bittech ever created an article on the revenue that the gaming industry creates? I would be interested to see what they really make. My mate works at rockstar and mentioned that GTA3 earned something like 3 times more than titanic which was the movie box office hit at the time, not a bad earning I would have thought.
Whilst every gaming house isnt going to be able to create a blockbuster like that take a look at the shelves in your local game shop. I can guarantee that I wont be looking at 97% of the crap on the shelves, the gaming industry has become saturated with vast quantities of mediocre rubbish. Surely they gotta be losing revenue on B list or c list titles? One cost saving technique would be stop making crap, then again if theyre not losing revenue then surely they`re not losing any off the A list titles?
Is it just a case of they`re not making as much as they think they should? So some guy in a suit is coming up with more and more productive ways of cashing in? It wont be long before we get energy drink power ups and "insert brand" trainers +1 haste.

 

Or just add the following to your hosts file to block the ads on the PC version:

127.0.0.1 doublefusion.com
127.0.0.1 *.doublefusion.com

 

But does it really matter?

It's not as if you are obliged to look at them or buy the product advertised.

In a sci-fi game where advertising isn't out of place, I really don't mind whatsoever if it means that developers get a little extra money to help make a good game.

 

Stealth updates adding adverts after the game has been reviewed matter.

Advertising has a single goal, to place in your mind the idea that somehow your life would be better off buying a product you don't need.

While there is a history of advertising in games, the vast majority are advert free. It's nice to indulge in a virtual environment free from the trappings of real life where no one is trying to get you to do anything IRL. Realistically, how big is the leap from adverts for shitty Star Wars re-remixes to having Carol Vorderman ear-****ing you for personal finance in your favourite FPS?

 

Of course Superfrog on the Amiga had these ages ago

 

Aye. If it's in the game, it's reviewable. Paying money so that Eidos can get more money from other people ain't my idea of a fair deal.

What I'd like to know is just where ad servers are located - it's only gonna be MORE annoying if, like pretty much 90% of the internet, is US-centric ("THIS WEEK ONLY: 50% OFF ALL .44 MAGNUM AMMO AT WALMART!")

Oh, and six months from now I predict we'll be hearing about how a) this game was heavily pirated, and b) didn't make enough money.

 

And so it's ok because you assume the revenue is going to the developer?

I still wouldn't be happy even if ALL of the revenue was given to Charity. It's my choice how to spend my money and time, this game shipped with no ads.

 

Now that is taking the piss.
Guess I won't get it, looked interesting but not fussed about playing as don't really have time anymore.

 

Have to laugh, every time something like this is done / said you get loads of people complaining about something that's insignificant, my opinion is there just using it as a excuse to justify piracy to themselves.
If something this small gets you wound up that much then you have deeper issues, its a awesome game, who cares about a advert ON THE LOADING SCREEN, and if they put some in game then cool, I for one thought it was a bit odd with all the made up brand names and products in the game, give me real brands and real billboards and for me it will improve the game.

 

Personally I think if you decide not to buy it purely on the loading screen adverts thing then your a idiot, its a great game and well worth the money.

 

Whose money? Mine, or the advertisers'?

And I'd be careful about throwing the word "idiot" around with a post like that.

 

Its worth your money, its a awesome game.
Careful? its my opinion so I am happy to use the word, if you don't like my opinion that's your problem not mine

 

I think Mr. Thil is referring to your functional illiteracy.

 

If this improves games by getting more money from companies I have no problem with it. This is just like how companies (mainly Apple) put their own products in movies/TV Shows, no difference at all.

 

To be honest with you, this concerns me more than the in game advertising.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-09-19-deus-ex-boss-battles-outsourced

 

IMO the boss battles have very little effect on the overall game play in Deus Ex.

 

Ummm have these load screen adverts gone live? Not made an appearance in my game yet!