In game adds.
There’s been some discussion on the AtomicMPC forums about in-game advertising in PC games (for some reason, this doesn’t seem to be an issue in Console gaming).
First of all, yes the screen-shots of in-game adds are from a free game that uses add revenue to keep the servers going. I just wanted to show some in-game adds and Quake Live was the quickest game I had on-hand that had adds. Also, sorry for the low textures, as I said, I was in a hurry so left the details turned down.
I’ll copy and paste my argument FOR in-game advertising, and expand on it a little.
QUOTE (SquallStrife @ Oct 16 2009, 10:40 AM) There is just no need for it in an offline game, where the ongoing costs are limited, and can be factored into the initial purchase price.
QUOTE (DasBok @ Oct 16 2009, 10:57 AM)
Probably.
Maybe I’m ok with it, ’cause I’ve been expecting it for a while, it was always bound to happen, ever since Half Life 2 came out, and was tied into steam, I’ve been expecting it.
And I honestly don’t think its a bad thing. The advertising is generally out of the way, and companies like the TAC can get a message out, but in a way that doesn’t really affect game play.
I know that the revenue probably doesn’t reach the developers, but I’d like to think that a small part of it goes into maintaining servers, and possibly making it into the packages that they use to fund new games. Heck, it probably does go strait to their pockets, but that doesn’t REALLY affect me, so it doesn’t bother me.
I can understand the whole “principal of the matter” argument, but at the end of the day, if your still buying and playing the game, then that argument has no weight, they will keep releasing games in such a way, and I’m really only seeing this argument from PC gamers, I’ve seen in-game advertising, AND advertising on the Xbox360 dashboard, and you pay $80 for Xbox Live. And I’ve never heard a 360 owner complain about adds in a service/game they play for. (Yes, I know that’s a “they are ok with it, so why arn’t we?” argument).
One other thing I’d like to point out, to me, these adds make me feel more immersed in the game, especially if its based in modern times. An add for “coke” or another product, heck maybe even a TAC one if its a racing game, its something I identify with, and it sucks me into the world more.
And I honestly believe that. I believe that in-game adds can be a good thing. I believe they ARE a good thing. They really do help suck me into the virtual world that has been created. For example, in say Modern Warfare 2, if I see an add for some made up fizzy beverage, I know my minds gonna go “hang on, that doesn’t exist, this isn’t real” and the suspension of disbelief is ruined. But if that same billboard has Pepsi, in a way that I’ve seen it whilst driving around in real life, or on TV, then my minds going to go “quick, get behind cover, I DON’T WANA DIE!”
The fact is that adds are a part of our every day lives. We can’t avoid them, even if blind. So why not have some form of advertisements in game worlds that are meant to mimic real life? And at that same time, why not use real products?
Sure someones going to be making money off of it, but if you were the developer, or publisher, or advertiser, are you going to tell me that you REALLY wouldn’t do it?
Also, if in-game adds really annoy you that much, then don’t play games with them. The excuse of “but I still want to play the game” doesn’t hold up, its similar to the argument of “I can pirate games because I can’t afford them”. It helps no-one and doesn’t make a point.
Ads have been in games for decades (e.g. any sporting game that uses an arena, or a racing circuit). These are the “invisible” ads that you don’t think about, because that’s what you see in real life. You would be more surprised if they weren’t there because that’s the reality of those types of environments. Most of these “ads” probably weren’t even paid for by the companies themselves, but added anyway to keep the realism. If the companies knew they the developers were going to put in ads anyway, why would they pay them?
This has only become an issue in the last few years because developers / marketing are looking beyond this (marketers are always looking for more chances for exposure in an increasingly cluttered and ad-evading/avoiding world). The issue, as you’ve said is where ads break the immersion and just don’t fit. You can’t just chuck a virtual billboard anywhere, you need to make it visible but not so visible that it distracts from the game and causes a conscious reaction from the player.
The other issue was with games having to wait to load *solely* for the ads to update from the server, which most people, understandably would not tolerate (was it Wipeout that had this issue? I know it was a Sony game but can’t remember exactly…). Bottom line – most people never “like” ads, but they will learn to accept them if it doesn’t affect the experience of the game.
Are TAC the only locally identifiable company that you’ve seen on QL? I’d love to see how they’d shoe horn another company into QL while maintaining the references.
Nah, 7/11 has had ads in QL, and a few others.
I’ve actual got a 7/11 add screenshot.
I don’t think any modern game has issues with loading new ads, the textures are stored localy, and swapped out only if theres a net connection present whilst the game is actually being played.
This is how it works even in QL, I’ve seen the same add in the same place as the night before, I died, respawned and the new add is there, streamed as I played.
That wasn’t the case with Wipeout – e.g. http://gizmodo.com/5329168/scummy-wipeout-hd-patch-delivers-ads-that-slow-down-gameplay. That’s the only example that comes to mind, though. Can you add the 7/11 ad? Unless I’m blind I can’t see it in this post…
Its not in the post, and can be found here: http://www.dasbok.com/shot0003.jpg