So I read this just now, luckily I'm still broke and rockin '09
http://consumerist.com/2009/12/madden-blitzing-gamers-with-in-game-ads.html

but it raises a valid point. Should companies barrage paying customers with advertising in game that cannot be easily avoided? Is this the future trend or is EA merely "pulling an EA" and shitting on customers like it's a day that ends in y?

In my opinion, if you're making a game that is supposed to reflect real life, it should most accurately reflect real life. In this case there's plenty of advertising opportunities in football (old spice redzone, toyota/lexus halftime, "random company" play of the game, "random company" end of game recap, etc....) so EA is probably overstepping the line here by arbitrarily placing a huge banner after every snap but in games like GTA4, if it were actually located in New York, I would be totally fine with billboards and posters and tvs in store windows that showed real advertisers because thats what you really see in New York.

In my MMO GDO I've been working on I have a Times Square type city hub that should ideally be full of real world ads to help lower the cost of the game for customers. They won't just be plastered on your screen for you to click away. Honestly, if WoW could get away with putting Coke products in their game I think they should and luckily it would at least be believable in my game design setting.

I'm all for anything that should lower prices on console games back down to like $40 for brand new, even more advertising in them.

12/23/2009 1:09:04 PM

I can't tell if you are being serious or not.

12/23/2009 1:12:18 PM

you don't think the explosion of realistic virtual worlds should give birth to a discussion on advertising opportunities?

12/23/2009 1:17:03 PM

If it is subtle, it is fine. But I can't tell you how much I hate it when I want to watch something on YouTube or whatever and it is like "YOU MUST WAIT 30 SECONDS FOR THIS AD TO FINISH BEFORE WATCHING". When that happens I usually just close the window and find the video elsewhere.

12/23/2009 1:22:42 PM

^^you had some valid points but then when I read the part about 'coke products in WoW' i was thrown for a loop and thought maybe you were just joking.

12/23/2009 2:44:01 PM

I'm bombarded with advertising IRL and ignore it pretty well. Video games will be the same way.

12/23/2009 2:46:14 PM

They need to be creative and come up with some cooler shit

Like have the Caveman on the chain gang in Madden or have Jared and Michael Strahan as the bosses in a level of Rachet and Clank

12/23/2009 3:01:35 PM

^^^ well what i meant was a game as big as WoW would do well to make some money from ads but the setting is clearly all wrong

[Edited on December 23, 2009 at 3:09 PM. Reason : h]

12/23/2009 3:09:31 PM

On MW2 they could replace the lightweight perk with "Dr. Scholl's® - Massaging Gel Shoe Insoles" and blast shield with "Oakley M Frame® Strike™ Shades"

12/23/2009 3:09:47 PM

lol no no no no

i havent played MW2 but i imagine if you go into a building you're raiding there should be some coke machines (halflife always had fake company coke machines)

12/23/2009 3:11:32 PM

Better yet, instead of Spetznaz and the SAS, you could just make the teams Coke squad and Pepsi squad.

You see, on some levels the bright red uniforms would be hindrance, while in others they could be helpful. The same goes for the blue Pepsi uniforms.

Levels include Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Big Lots, and Cheesecake Factory.

[Edited on December 23, 2009 at 3:19 PM. Reason : .]

12/23/2009 3:19:16 PM

Killcam sponsored by Nikon and Ashton Kutcher sticks his face in the corner of the screen like that Toasty ! guy from Mortal Kombat

12/23/2009 3:26:06 PM

The problem is you can't quantify the things you guys are saying. If you are going to sell advertising you have to guarantee that the ad will be seen by X amount of people. You can't really do that except in cut scenes or situations where the camera is scripted.

12/23/2009 5:30:59 PM

i think it could be done, just hasn't been done right yet

12/23/2009 5:32:08 PM

^well yeah, it can be done but not using the same model that is used currently.

12/23/2009 5:39:56 PM

In Anarchy Online, they'd have ads for real life shit all over the billboards in the in-game cities. You'd be running around and see ads for Beavis & Butthead shit.

12/23/2009 7:54:48 PM

Quote :

"On MW2 they could replace the lightweight perk with "Dr. Scholl's® - Massaging Gel Shoe Insoles" and blast shield with "Oakley M Frame® Strike™ Shades""

LOL

12/24/2009 1:28:37 AM

12/24/2009 11:03:33 AM