In game ads... yah, or no...

Looks like google is going to be getting into the in game ads scene according to the wall street journal.

The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that Google is currently in talks to acquire San Francisco-based in-game ad firm Adscape Media. A deal could be reached as early as next week, the WSJ's sources say.

Re: In game ads... yah, or no...

Shinare wrote: Your paying for a game...

Personally, I think in-game-ads are borderline subliminal advertising, which is of course illegal. However, its only subliminal in the fact that you generally will not consciously see that blatant billboard for autozone as you speed by it at 200mph, but I'm sure that once you pass it about a thousand times, something gets ingrained into your subconscious.
_________________
For with what measure you measure it will be measured to you.

Subliminal messaging has been proven to be, at most, ridiculously uneffective.

I don't know if it would be subliminal messaging so much as the reenforcing of what can be referred to as "top of the mind" recollection.
Immediate name recognition and recollection when asked to name companies in a category.

The subliminal part comes in more of a discussion of: Did I decide to shop at AutoZone for that spark plug, because I associate the name now with the fun good feeling of playing my favorite game, or because it was closer than O'Reilly's Auto?

I'm not too tripped up by the inclusion of the ads, because they've basically been there for years already. I think the game industry is just improving the tools to utilize it and market it to interested businesses. And certainly the reverse is also true that companies are potentially looking more at the possibility of finding an appropriate game to market their brand.

For the sake of not rambling I'll stop now
_________________
_______
|V|?8|??
???????

I don't like them. That said, if they're going to do it anyways (which it looks like they are) then they at least need to do it well. The ads should not distract from ANYTHING in the game. Then, once these ads are in place, I think they should lower the price a tad, make more games more affordable for more people. Then I might be ok with it.

i'd rather pay more for a game than have in-game ads. it detracts from the realism of the game-play... if i'm walking around in a futuristic environment with mechs and aircraft and whatever, the last thing i wanna see is a fucking billboard for target.
_________________
site5 hosting • facebook • flickr

2142 has ADs which I was greatly opposed to but the ads actually fit in quite well, though I do not see them (yet). Others do.