in-game-advertising
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The Guardian asks: without sci-fi or fantasy, where would MMOGs go?
UK newspaper The Guardian has a good post up on its gaming blog, asking why fantasy is the dominant genre for MMOGs. And if you -- yes, you -- were to design a MMOG without any fantasy or sci-fi elements, where would it be set and how would it work?Sadly, the only MMOG I can think of that isn't fantasy or sci-fi is City of Heroes, but that's kind of sci-fi too. There's also WWII Online; about which the less said, the better. Generally, as soon as you take MMOGs to the real world you complicate matters so much it isn't even funny. Where is it set? Are you going to model geographical locations accurately? Will there be product advertising? Everyone wants product advertising. Is that a Dell PC in the corner? But quite frankly, that's no fun. So what would you design, if fantasy and sci-fi were excluded? For me, 1930's zombie invasion. Who doesn't love zombies? Now imagine if they wore bowler hats.
Hard sell of the week: ads in games are good!
Taking what is perhaps the most transparently self-interested position of the century, Frank Sagnier of ad firm Double Fusion (who you may remember inked a deal with NCsoft not long ago) made the case in Develop Magazine that in-game advertising is not just another stream of revenue for cash-strapped game developers and publishers, but also a useful level design tool. Sagnier says that the programming metrics that are installed to track views of in-game advertising can also be utilized to make observations of player behavior within the game space.Of course, this begs the question: why can't developers just install the code themselves? Ostensibly, the demands of the advertisers give developers a monetary incentive to improve on the existing design and architecture of their game that they might not otherwise have. In an ideal world, making their playerbase happy would be reason enough for developers to get things right the first time, but in this cynical world we live in, I guess that's just not the case. Still, whether it streamlines the design or not, we're still going to bitch about seeing ads in places where they don't fit. See: the above image of a Dell XPS computer housed in a tent on the tropical planet of Foreas in Tabula Rasa. I always pictured the Foreans being Mac users, myself.
Hellgate: London uses tailored in-game advertising
Following the release of the demo for Hellgate: London, a somewhat disappointing discovery has been made. Heartless_Gamer has a post that shows that the game's licensing agreement has provisions for them to collect information about users, to help them tailor in-game advertising. In other words-- adware. Hellgate: London is being published by EA, and as Heartless_Gamer points out, this isn't the first time they've bundled this helpful addition with their games. Battlefield 2142 caused a stir when the full retail version of the game did exactly what Hellgate: London is doing now. Is there really any point in hoping that this will only be included with the demo of Hellgate?The advertising seen in the demo is in the form of posters on the walls, but I'm willing to bet that they could be a lot more creative than that. There is also the question of whether we want to see ads in games at all, "dynamically served" or otherwise. If Hellgate is set in a post-apocalyptic London, then why am I seeing current-day ads in-game? Games in the sports genre include bucketloads of advertising, but in most cases, the fact that those ads are there at real life sporting events lends more authenticity to the games -- okay, perhaps not the Burger King's Fight Night cameo (coincidentally also EA's doing). Let us know where you draw the line in the comments section, and if Hellgate: London is collecting information from you, will you still buy it?
Nielsen tracking in-game ads for Sony
Sony Computer Entertainment America and The Nielsen Company want to track your stats. Specifically, the two companies have teamed up to "develop a measurement system for game network advertising that will help make game software a more competitive advertising platform," according to the press release. SCEA will "share with Nielsen game network traffic and other data" from PS3 titles, PlayStation Network and the upcoming social MMO Home, at first only in North America -- details beyond that are sketchy, but Nielson calls the effort "fully-transparent" in the press release. The results will be used "to deliver the right ad to the right person at the right time" and to help advertisers figure out a CPM, or cost per impression, for in-game ads.The initial results of the partnership are expected later this year. Expect more in-game ads you're less inclined to ignore and possibly the strange feeling that Big Brother is critiquing your gamer skills.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Advertising coming to Xbox 360 achievements
They've been embraced by major publishers. They've infected everything from first-person shooters and MMOs. They even occasionally served as the entire basis for a game's existence. Now, in-game advertising's inevitable extension is reaching into a new area -- Xbox Live Achievements.A quick skim down the list of achievements for EA's upcoming NCAA 08 Football shows sponsored goals such as the "Old Spice Red Zone Perfection" and "Pontiac 4th Quarter Comeback." Each achievement is accompanied by a logo for the company in the achievement's image.We can only imagine the possibilities for future Xbox 360 games. Halo Around the Collar, sponsored by Tide? Mass Effect sponsored by the Axe Effect? Grand Theft Auto IV's Bounty Beatdown (great for sopping up blood spills)? The possibilities are endless.
SCEA partners with Nielsen to track in-game advertising
Sony has revealed a new partnership with The Nielsen Company, who specialise in market research, in order to better track the success of in-game advertising. Initially being tested in North America exclusively, the partnership will allow Sony to monitor the reach, frequency and effectiveness of in-game advertising. Sony will share usage statistics from the PlayStation Network with The Nielsen Company, including which games people are playing most and what content they are accessing within Home, in order to better focus advertising efforts into the right people and areas. Advertisers will be able to look at the collated data and decide for themselves where they would like to place their adverts. They will also be able to see exactly how those ads are performing. What this means to you is: not a lot. If anything, you'll end up seeing more ads that you care about, rather than ignore. We imagine this will become most prominent with the launch of Home, as it provides a much larger scope for advertising than the PSN does currently. Overall though, if in-game advertising is something we have to put up with, then we'd rather it be for a product we want to buy. This partnership should increase the chances of that happening.
Microsoft, MSN game devs to share in-game ad revenue
Developers for titles hosted by MSN Games can now expect to have an extra outlet of income, care of Microsoft. The House of Gates is promising to share portion of the revenue earned from in-game advertisement generated by a title to the respective game maker. The model is divided between two tiers: Level I: developer will be given ten percent of the ad revenue, no obligations necessary Level II: developer will earn 20 percent of the revenue, but their game must be submitted to the ESRB for a rating. The title must also provide a "deluxe experience" lasting at least 10 hours. Of course, if a developer is willing to place advertisements within its title, then there's no reason to avoid an ESRB rating and not earn the extra ten percent -- we imagine "deluxe experience" is a subjective term, as we could theoretically make Text Twist and ten hour game.There's an added bonus for Microsoft concerning this business model, in that the more ESRB-rated games it has, the easier it will be for Windows Vista to properly filter content in tune to the Parental Control settings. The only outlet currently mentioned is MSN Games, but how long until this business permeates through Xbox Live Marketplace?
Google looking to purchase video game ad firm
According to reports on the Wall Street Journal and CNN Money, Google has begun negotiating the purchase of AdScape Inc., a move that would allow the internet behemoth to step into the realm of in-game advertising. Though neither party has outright confirmed that such a deal is in the works, it would not seem out of place less than a year after Microsoft purchased similar ad firm, Massive Inc., for between $200 million and $400 million. Online services like Xbox Live are efficient vehicles for advertisement delivery, with connectivity allowing dynamic in-game ads tailored to specific content and user interests. Indeed, Google's contextual AdSense program would be an ideal fit, though it would remain to be seen how unobtrusive or accurate the results are. We can't wait to see the ads that come up on the virtual billboards in Chocolate Breast Explosion III or Gazpacho Ninja.
Acclaim & IGA link up for six-game ad deal
Acclaim and in-game advertising firm IGA Worldwide have agreed to terms on a deal that will place advertisements in six of the publisher's MMOs. According to Acclaim CEO Howard Marks, the IGA partnership will allow the company to continue to offer its online games for free.Under the terms, ads are set to appear in 2Moons, 9Dragons, DANCE, BOTS, and two additional titles yet to be announced.See also: In-game ads put devs in control
In-game ads put devs in control
Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, IGA Europe vice president Ed Bartlett explained how in-game advertisements could benefit the interests of PC-based independent developers. Barlett pointed to Nadeo, which was able to release TrackMania Nations as freeware through the use of in-game ads, in turn boosting its player base (recording over 6 million downloads) and increasing ad revenue. This business model is unique because it eliminates the need for a publisher and means developers can retain the rights to their IPs.Ironically, it's the indie developers that have been most resistant to in-game ads; whereas triple-A title publishers, while unable to offset theirs games' costs with ads, have been much more receptive to the practice.
Marketing formula determines 'hottest' video games
Braving deadly exposure to fan-infested forums and chat rooms, market researcher BrandIntel recently embarked on journey throughout the many tubes of the internet in order to determine the most popular new and upcoming video games. Using a "proprietary formula", their intimate research has resulted in a list of games that includes The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Gears of War, Halo 3 and Assassin's Creed. You may take a moment to let out an earth-shattering gasp.The more interesting part of the Advertising Age article looks at the marketing efforts behind each of the games, as well as any in-game advertising used. Only three out of the ten chosen games feature in-game marketing, and the ones that do are sports titles. Amusingly, it's predicted that Assassin's Creed will contain nothing of the sort, what with it being "set in 1191 during the Third Crusade, so it's unlikely present-day marketers could find a logical connection." If there's anything to be said, it's that present-day marketers should never be underestimated. Assuming that they would even need a logical connection is likely a mistake -- we see no reason why Burger King couldn't accidentally be flung back in time, thus providing Altair with a new type of mission. Hunger assassination!
Take-Two signs in-game advertising deal
Take-Two and independent advertising company, Double Fusion, have announced an agreement that will see up to nine upcoming 2K and 2K Sports titles riddled with in-game "advertising opportunities". The official press release notes that Double Fusion will be exclusively providing dynamic advertising technology across all platforms, with the exception of the Xbox and the Xbox 360. While the online implementation of ads is nothing unheard of, it's the actual description of the embedded, offline versions that prove to be a bit scary."Select versions of 2K and 2K Sports titles will feature integrated, hard-coded placements that will offer marketers opportunities for deep integration into gameplay and storylines, reaching users of the games whether or not they are connected to the Internet."In-game advertising is often a tug-of-war between a subtle man in a trenchcoat and an obnoxious exhibitionist with an oily burger in his pocket. It's all a matter of balance, with the product or service demanding the player's attention, but in a way that seems natural and unobtrusive within the game's framework. The best in-game advertising often lends to the believability of the world (billboards in a dense city make complete sense), whereas the worst destroys it completely (billboards in Hyrule, not so much). Let's hope Take-Two doesn't have us taking our band of adventurers into the ancient NIVEA forest as we search for the magical PANASONIC DLP SCREEN. (Hint: Speak to the merchant elf -- he'll give you a BMW with GPS navigation.)
Splinter Cell: Dynamic Advertising Agent
Concerned reader and avid Splinter Cell fan, Carlos Birdsong, shares some interesting info about Double Agent."I was playing SCDA with some friends as a Merc and I saw a spy run under a truck that had a Comcast ad on it. I was out of grenades and told one of my teammates to toss a grenade under the comcast truck, only he didn't see it. Why? He saw what was by default a Hong Kong truck instead of the Comcast truck.While I think in game ads are cool when in context, I saw some Comcast signage as well, but this dynamic ad rendering can affect gameplay--subtle but interesting side effect."Dynamic ad placement in games is starting to become commonplace, and situations like this could be an unfortunate byproduct. Have any of you experienced similar problems? Do you think dynamic ads should be removed from multiplayer games where positioning is important, or at least made so every player sees the same thing?[Image via Mega64]
Nielsen adds games to ratings matrix
"The value of an entertainment medium is directly proportional to how well it is measured." This is the proposition Nielsen VP Jeff Herrmann put forth for the creation of GamePlay Metrics, a service that will measure just how many eyeballs are glued to the day's hottest games. Such data is of course highly coveted by in-game advertisers, who want to know exactly how many people are being subliminally attracted to delicious Subway sandwiches.This isn't Nielsen's first foray into the game space. For the past three years, the firm's annual Active Gamer Benchmark has surveyed gamers online to find trends in their behavior. The latest such report found that females and social gamers are becoming a more important part of gaming, echoing the findings of other studiesIn addition to measuring gameplay habits, the GamePlay Metrics data will be cross-referenced with Nielsen's data on TV and internet usage, showing what gamers do with the rest of their free time. In news from the future, Nielsen announced next month a program that will place a tiny surveillance chip in all babies shortly after birth, measuring everything they see and do for the remainder of their lives.
Core gamers have heavy impact on economy [update 1]
Definition: a heavy gamer (also known as core gamer) is one who buys eight or more games per year and plays at least 10 hours per week. Correlation: according to a recent study by Ziff Davis Games Group, heavy gamers spend notably more money than casual gamers (those who buy at most one game per year and play five or fewer hours per week). Some relative figures: Heavy gamers spent $710 on clothing over the last six months, nearly double that of casual gamers. That equates to approximately $1,420 annually. Heavy gamers spent $116 on DVDs over the last six months (or $232 annually), while casual gamers only shelled out $64. Similar trends hold for consumer electronics, online music downloads, athletic shoes, and CDs. Conclusion: heavy gamers, by way of their spending trends, have an impact on the economy as a whole. Companies who take notice of the trend will try to cater more to the gamer audience. The effect is a greater push for in-game advertising, but to what extent? Lest they forget, gamers hate in-game ads. Keep in mind that the converse ("those who spend a lot of money buy a lot of games") is not necessarily true. See Also:Picture it: special status for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii console ownersEconomies of scale don't apply to virtual worlds?Joystiq's coverage on in-game advertising[Update 1: clarified some language in the conclusion.]
In-game ad network says 'stay in school'
In-game advertising is on the rise, and while most ads you might see in games are reasonably well placed, there are some ad campaigns that pander more to the advertiser than the specific game setting. This latest development is along the same lines -- Next Gen brings word that Massive Inc. will be teaming up with the Ad Council and US Army to bring public service announcements about staying in school to a game near you.This seems to be a better cause than just advertising sandwiches, and it's an interesting partnership. Given that most kids play games, game-based advertising is a sensible way to reach them, but might the boundary between reality and fiction be too blurred for the ads to sink in? This might open the floodgates for a variety of less wholesome "public service"-flavoured ads, but on the other hand, it could prove beneficial all round.
