More commercials coming to ruin videogames

The only game genre where advertising should, theoretically, be acceptable, is sports games. After

all, sports are commercial in nature. You pick up a NASCAR title, you have to expect a huge DuPont logo on Jeff Gordon's ride. This article mentions those games outside the genre. Such as Anarchy Online where, if you have a free account, you're exposed to advertising to cover the costs of your cheapskatery.

It's hard to forget the orgy of sponsorship in recent EA games like Need for Speed Underground 2 and Burnout 3. In the former, you're branded pager goes off regularly. (No free advertising here.) In the latter, you whizz past advertising not just for EA's other games, but also for a certain brand of deodorant. It adds nothing whatsoever to the game. The game didn't cost you any less, yet you're being bombarded with advertising every five seconds. Advertising on network TV is used to pay the costs of the shows. DVD's, it's to hype other DVD's. Where's the benefit here?

Massive could be perceived as evil. Out to ruin our gaming experience. "Before you kill this boss, here's a message from AT&T." If advertising in games was going to drive down the costs, then fine. Of course, the games will stay the same price, only the developer will make more money. The consumer doesn't benefit at all, and yet another medium is sacrificed on the altar of advertising for someone who isn't you to make a quick buck. Subtle advertising is one thing. Product placement, when done well, can add to the realism of any medium, whether it be movies or games, simply because of the consumer driven society we live in. When you're stuck driving past the same deodorant billboard over and again, or your fantasy/sci-fi game is trying to sell you a Mountain Dew, then it's gone entirely too far. To call Massive evil is probably a stretch. However, a lot depends on your definition of evil I guess.