News Activision signs in-game ad deal

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/10/01/activision-signs-in-game-ad-deal/1

Activision has signed a deal with IGA Worldwide to deliver adverts to PlayStation 3 users.

 

Ok, I think this signals the end of the world. I honestly don't need to be bombarded with any more advertisements than I am already, ESPECIALLY not while I'm playing a game.. I play games for entertainment and escapism, not to be marketed to. They've already penetrated this market by advertising brands in game, passively (Wipeout anyone?), but the second that starts happening on the fly, is the second I put down the control, and go do something better, because I don't need any more garbage in my life.

To quote the late, great Bill Hicks: "if anyone here is in advertising or marketing, kill yourself. [...] Just a little thought. I'm just trying to plant seeds. [..] Seriously though, if you are, do. No really, there's no rationalisation for what you do, and you are Satan's little helpers, OK? Kill yourselves,"

 

Hmm, if they pull it off well it could be quite cool and they're right, it would add realism (after all, arenas are always covered in adverts), but the fear is it'll just be an out-of-place neon fest.

 

So long as the in-game advertising is in context with the game, then I don't see the problem.

In games like GTA4 or Battlefield or Crackdown, etc, where you can have billboards or in-game tv sets displaying adverts that *do not* take you away from what you are doing, then that's fine and in some ways, adds a sense of realism. Seeing real Coke or Pepsi vending machines, real posters and billboards, neon lights, etc -- I can see that working fine.

BUT...if they apply advertising before or after gameplay or, Allan-forbid, *during* game play, then that's fuct and will destroy the game play experience for the consumer.

 

Add realism?!!? if anything, advertisements detract from realism. If I'm in the middle of a game of F.E.A.R, for example, any distraction of that nature would destroy the atmosphere, completely. Now I can understand the billboard advertisements that exist in soccer stadiums in real life already, and how they won't be out of place in a game... But where exactly do you weave that in in Guitar Hero? If I'm suddenly greeted with a commercial mid game, even if it's in a loading screen, it's going to cheapen it, even just the spirit of it! That little speech that Dave just squeezed out there.. is a giant turd of marketingspeak and shareholder crotch stroking... In my opinion, anyone labelled "head of business development" at a publishing house should have NO business in determining what goes into the actual game. I think that should be left up to those with the knowledge of what makes a game 'fun', not those who want to turn a profit. If I wanted to watch commercials in the middle of a game, I'd change the frikkin' channel back to normal TV. And Dave? If you're reading this, kill yourself. It's the right thing to do..

 

no, there is points that it could add realism..
you could play REAL gibson for fender guitars, and have real amps. they make the logo's large on many amps.
heck, if they want to get into it, you could select your guitar, amp ect...and they could all be REAL models. that is advertising.

advertising is not always X-treme people doing unrelated X-treme things, to be in your face selling a product.

 

Advertising is unnatural. It allows business who have nothing to do with the end product to make money by forcing brand awareness on people who don't wish to know.

Although we understand why advertising exists, either between TV programmes or on billboards, we are still having products forced into our collective consciousness in the hope of shipping more stock. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer places left digitally where people can go without having adverts forced upon them.

Games were a living fantasy where we could retreat away from the real world and take on our digital avatar, interacting with other people in a world of make believe. By injecting advertising into our games it not only breaks the illusion, but tried to force us to by a product we either don't care about or don't really need.

On to of all that, somebody, somewhere is making money by renting out our freaking eyeballs.

 

Ahhh, I do love it when the illiterate try to play devil's advocate for faceless advertising..

So Mr "Scarrmrcc"..

If you actually read my post, you'd notice that I mention certain kinds of advertising are acceptable, in terms of realism. Football billboards for one, and yes, you're quite right, Gibson guitars in the game too, are also, acceptable. And yes, as you so eloquently put it, "REAL models. that is advertising." What I'm complaining about (and what you seem to be missing the point of) is the blatant force feeding of this marketing garbage, into our very mouths every day. First, it was billboards, next, it was television and radio. I saw that on some European beaches they even employ rollers to stamp adverts on the sand now. And that's just the point... Marketing and advertising is permeating every last corner of the planet, it's everywhere, it's ALREADY in the games of which we speak.. But what this Dave Anderson character is trying to achieve, is to beam adverts into our living room, via yet another means, our videogame console. And THAT, is what the problem is. I don't mind if certain things in the game are branded, I don't mind if they even have it on the freaking box! But what I DO mind, is having to watch more god-forsaken adverts, in the middle of something that's supposed to amuse and entertain me! Get off my game damned hellspawn!! Back to television from whence you came!

(And by the way, the fact that you refer to the word "extreme" in it's most false guise - minus the 'e' and the 's' because that's so much cooler - makes me wonder if YOU'RE in marketing... I'll be watchin' you..)

 

Ooops, no 's' in Extreme.. My bad... hehehe

 

In game advertising could have some merit if it pushed the price of a game down. I would not mind a bit of subtle advertising in game if it meant that the purchase price was half of what it would normally be. thesnakege is only looking at the cons of in game marketing, we could have some “extreme price cuts”.

 

Like I said before, again, I understand that 'subtle' advertising in a game does have it's merits, but it's the not so subtle advertising I'm dreading. You give marketer an inch, they take a mile. Sure, at first it was just one billboard along the interstate, and even then maybe that wasn't so bad. But look now and you'll see there are fields of them. It's already begun in the world of games.. We only have the odd placed brand here and there, which for the sake of realism is acceptable. But it'll end where you have a game that bombards you with them throughout, just like every other medium that's been exploited before.
And come on, let's be honest.. Do you really think they'd lower the price of the game even if they marketed heavily within it? And even then would you really like to go see a blockbuster film at cut-price, if it's punctuated with ad-breaks? I didn't think so.

 

@Silver51

Advertising isn't unnatural. Hell, we all do it all the time in our appearances.

How else do you know that the new car is coming out? The new computer chips are available? The new blockbuster film is around the corner?

I can fully agree that any form of advertising in a game or similar setting that is NOT in line with the context of the game, or attempts to change the game experience in favour of the advertising is completely wrong and I wouldn't want that.

But if some new GTA game came out whereby you were in "New York", I think it'd be pretty cool to see the real advertisments on display, to give it that sense of realism.

What I wouldn't want is to be playing COD#, storming the beaches of Normandy and then having some popup telling me to buy Jolt cola or fake posters or signs on buildings (that didnt exist at the time) advertising Gilette shaving gel! Now that is bollox and I think that ISN'T in line or context with the game.

And as people have rightly pointed out, *if* it's in line with the game's feel and doesn't distract from the gaming experience and more importantly, *if* it lowers the game cost then sure, why not?

 

i'm not pleased by this announcement. I know it's only PS3, but I highly doubt it'll stop there. I'm sure it will eventually creep its ugly head into the PC-gaming world.

 

That's... I forgot about that, and you're right of course.

I'd still rather not see adverts for Axe, Lynx, Tab, Mountain Dew, 'hardcore' gaming peripherals, Dominos, Subway, Coke, Pepsi or some other targeted 'nerdy teen gamer' crap in my games. Sometimes it's cool when it shows something of genuine interest, but most of the time advertising companies are just using you without your consent to make money for themselves.

 

the ads have to have context. you can't have a WW2 game with ads for something new and modern. they didn't have Radeons or Asus in 1940, so don't advertise to me about them.

and as long as it isn't gathering data about me and how long i look at particular ads, then it should be okay

 

Adverts in games are ok as long as it's not too overdone and in your face. I agree too that the adverts need to be in context to the game. If its a WW2 game then any adverts need to be authentic both to the time frame and the products available. Show the historical adverts from that time period for the products offered at the time and I have no problem.