1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Adverts In Games

Discussion in 'Gaming' started by DougEdey, 20 Feb 2008.

  1. DougEdey

    DougEdey I pwn all your storage

    Joined:
    5 Jul 2005
    Posts:
    13,933
    Likes Received:
    33
    This is something which we all knew was coming, however, I doubt anyone really realised quite how/when it would happen.

    I can now tell you the game at which advertising become core, and the date of it.

    The Game: Burnout Paradise
    The Date: 20th February 2008

    The innocence of our games have now officially been lost.

    When everyone first played this game, developed by Criterion and produced by Electronic Arts, and first started to free burn around Paradise City, they will have noticed the in game advertising being prevalent, for example, Gillette Fusion and Diesel (clothing) vans which you could crash into, advertising on billboards for companies such as CompUSA.

    During discussion with several people on my friends list, we decided that the adverts were fine as they were, they fit in with the context of the game, and a large number of them didn't affect us, (for example, the women aren't affected too much by the Gillette adverts, anyone outside of the United States would not be affected by the CompUSA, and I can't afford Diesel clothing), so they could stay, no issues there (except the AI on the van drivers, they were too realistic). No, this was not when the Innocence of gaming was lost.

    I was playing Burnout Paradise this morning until approximately 2am (I was a bit excited about some good news) and everything was fine, the adverts were all the same, some Paradise City TV adverts were all there (quite noticeable, dark billboards with low res graphics). But when I turned my 360 on this morning to play, I found a completely different experience.

    Gone were the Paradise City TV adverts, now they were replaced, there are now bright white Coca Cola adverts. These adverts are everywhere you cannot get around a single street without seeing at least 2, this is no longer standard advertising, this has gone over the top, I don't mind static ads, but constantly changing ones? Too much.

    Why? Because I pay for my broadband, I pay for Xbox Live as a subscription, every other game runs matchmaking perfectly well on that, but EA, one of the biggest businesses in the industry cannot?
     
  2. Jamie

    Jamie ex-Bit-Tech code junkie

    Joined:
    12 Mar 2001
    Posts:
    8,180
    Likes Received:
    54
    I've not seen them yet but...

    I've paid for the game and I pay for the pleasure of playing online, why should there be such intrusive advertising. :nono:
     
  3. CardJoe

    CardJoe Freelance Journalist

    Joined:
    3 Apr 2007
    Posts:
    11,346
    Likes Received:
    316
    It's burnout. It's always had advertsing. And personally, on a console, I don't mind. Driving down the street I might see hundreds of billboards and Burnout is simply replicating that in a form which generates it cash. I'd prefer a thing to turn off adverts in singleplayer or to disable them if you have a gold account or make a one-time payment, but it's not a big thing to me. If it were intel sponsored grunts in an FPS? Then I'd have worries. Billboards and advert vans in a racing game? Fine by me.
     
  4. steveo_mcg

    steveo_mcg What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    26 May 2005
    Posts:
    5,841
    Likes Received:
    80
    Static ads i could live with, if it was obvious that they were in before you had to open the packet (more for pc games than console). However moving ads on billboards is just distracting and intrusive, not sure what you can do, block the ip from your router, send the game with a letter of disgust to EA neither are exactly great solutions.

    Edit: just reread your post. The actual billboards don't move but the images change from time to time. Not a lot better than the above.
     
  5. DougEdey

    DougEdey I pwn all your storage

    Joined:
    5 Jul 2005
    Posts:
    13,933
    Likes Received:
    33
    It's not that they change, it's the quantity of the adverts, at one junction I saw eight billboards for Coke. That's not realistic.
     
  6. automagsrock

    automagsrock What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    18 Nov 2004
    Posts:
    1,183
    Likes Received:
    16
    Adverts in games are stupid. If I have to stare at Coke adverts and crap like that I better get a coupon for a free 24-pack with the game.
     
  7. Fused

    Fused Minimodder

    Joined:
    19 Jun 2007
    Posts:
    224
    Likes Received:
    8
    EA seem to be quite keen to put adverts in their games. BF2142 has adverts (mainly intel adverts and adverts for the expansion pack, but also a lloyds tsb student account I saw once (amusing how they tried to make it fit, though in the next ice age amongst a battle for the survival of human race its hard for them to fit in). Its not too bad because there arnt that many biliboards in the game and I think ive got use to not paying attention to them.

    In the end I wish that if adverts are in games they are only there to reflect the world that is trying to be created. Its a similar situation with DVDs that won't let you skip the adverts. Ive paid for the product, youve got my money now leave me alone!
     
  8. Andy Mc

    Andy Mc Modder

    Joined:
    23 May 2002
    Posts:
    1,743
    Likes Received:
    133
    For me if a game has advertising in it then it should be free, no ifs, no buts.

    I really like BF:2142, but it's odd seeing adds in it when they do not relate to the game and R6:Vegas the ads in that got on my tits.
    The games companies must make a fair bit in ad revenue, which must more than pay for the online element as well as the development of the game itself.
     
  9. automagsrock

    automagsrock What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    18 Nov 2004
    Posts:
    1,183
    Likes Received:
    16
    I'm sure everyone has caught the Voodoo ads in CoD4. Envy's galore!!!!
     
  10. Rich_13

    Rich_13 What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    12 Feb 2003
    Posts:
    730
    Likes Received:
    0
    I agree, as long as the ad fits the game its ok. Although I hope series such as GTA would not lose their very amusing made up ones in favour of these.
     
  11. G0RD0N FAN

    G0RD0N FAN Jeff Gordon #24

    Joined:
    16 Jan 2008
    Posts:
    96
    Likes Received:
    0
    I missed those. Must have been keeping my eye on the enemy:eeek:
     
  12. capnPedro

    capnPedro Hacker. Maker. Engineer.

    Joined:
    11 Apr 2007
    Posts:
    4,381
    Likes Received:
    241
    Seriously? Are they in the PC version too? Because I haven't noticed a single ad. I sorta noticed the ads in 2142, but I'm too busy looking at people's heads and a superimposed image of a targeting reticule (if you catch my drift) to really look at the scenery.
     
  13. automagsrock

    automagsrock What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    18 Nov 2004
    Posts:
    1,183
    Likes Received:
    16
    Play headquarters mode online and also check the brand names on the "hidden" intelligence computers. Voodoo Envy's in both PC and console versions :lol:
     
  14. boiled_elephant

    boiled_elephant Merom Celeron 4 lyfe

    Joined:
    14 Jul 2004
    Posts:
    6,889
    Likes Received:
    1,156
    Yeah, that's the logic the subtleness of the transition leads you into, but think about it - paying money to NOT suffer advertising in a game you've already bought? Shameful.
    Also, the idea of a games' content updating automatically freaks me out in a singularly conspiracy-theoristic way. It's just backwards. At least on PC, I can choose what to update - and I choose 3rd party mods that make the experience better. I wouldn't choose rows of corporate adverts; who would?
     
  15. automagsrock

    automagsrock What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    18 Nov 2004
    Posts:
    1,183
    Likes Received:
    16
    I still don't see why they do it. Pretty soon it will be like Futurama, advertisements in our sleep :eyebrow:
     
  16. Firehed

    Firehed Why not? I own a domain to match.

    Joined:
    15 Feb 2004
    Posts:
    12,574
    Likes Received:
    16
    If that were the case, I wouldn't mind nearly as much. I've hated dynamic (and even static) advertising in games since SC:CT which is the first game where it struck me as very obvious. It's just obnoxious, and provides absolutely no benefit to me (and, in many cases, takes away from the game experience in one way or another). If they're using it to recoup theoretical losses from piracy, then I'll take no issue with downloading it. If it's to supplement their already fattened pockets, then I'd better see $20 knocked off the price of the game. Seeing as that hasn't happened, I'll assume the former and download away in the very rare case that I'm even interested by the game.
     
  17. Veles

    Veles DUR HUR

    Joined:
    18 Nov 2005
    Posts:
    6,188
    Likes Received:
    34
    I haven't seen them yet, but they sound like the wall of C2D adverts on one map on BF2142, I wouldn't mind it if they had it so they had lots of different adverts, but just one or two taking up thousands of billboards is annoying.

    There are ads in CoD4?
     
  18. BlueTrin

    BlueTrin What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    15 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    307
    Likes Received:
    1
    I doubt it ... not many companies would like to have ads in GTA ...
     
  19. Veles

    Veles DUR HUR

    Joined:
    18 Nov 2005
    Posts:
    6,188
    Likes Received:
    34
    I would would think the opposite, GTA sells by the bucketload, it's prime advertising. The only people who would be put off of a product because it's in a GTA game are the people who don't play it so won't see the ads. I would have thought everyone else would know that an advert in a game has very little to do with what goes on in the game.
     
  20. BlueTrin

    BlueTrin What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    15 Dec 2007
    Posts:
    307
    Likes Received:
    1
    Ok let's say you are Coca Cola or Gap, then the next day in the magazines, or papers some stupid article say that you paid to get ads in the most violent ever game (even if it is not true), your corporate image is gonna be well destroyed by it, many people who will read this article do not play games at all. Corporate image is something that is hard to acquire and that you can lose very quickly, you WILL not and never advertise in this game because it is unsure on how you will be perceived. You do not want to risk it over just an ad, the ratio between your potential gain and what you could lose will tell you it is not worth the risk.

    It does not mean that people will stop buying Coke or Gap clothes, but it will change the image you tried to build making ads with Santa Claus or some model you chose because she is defending some noble causes ...

    The only companies who are safe to advertise in a GTA game are the brands which are targetting young adults probably.

    This is my opinion and maybe you will see a Lego ad in the next GTA, who knows : ). It seems that media considers video games as a threat (see Mass Effect sex scene thingy on Fox News), and they will just plainly lie to criticize these as an attempt to get more audience.
     

Share This Page