Lunchtime Discussion: Advertising

Blair Inglis 37 Comments

Advertisements are everywhere in the real world, and their presence in the gaming world is growing fast. It is now a lot easier to deliver adverts even months after release; as long as you are connected to the internet, games developers and advertising companies can work together to patch up-to-date adverts into games. But exactly how should these adverts be approached?

Most of the adverts are billboards or in the background which can easily be ignored, such as those seen in sports games. These could be said to make the game more realistic, can you imagine a football game without the billboards or sponsors? These types of adverts are always very blatant and are for popular brands, to prevent the game’s realism from suffering, but many games feature more subtle advertisements that enhance the game.

Racing games, for example, feature many brands of cars and racing team logos, but without these games would likely get a more critical reception, saying that the game was missing something present in real world racing.

These adverts are present in premium games and mostly do not break the experience. However, if a blatant advert was placed in a game and it took away from the experience, perhaps stopping the game and not just being a part of the scenery, would we still endure this? We’ve paid for the game, so should we have to sit and watch advertisements that add nothing to the experience? If the game is free, would it make these kind of adverts more acceptable?

Dynamic adverts are realistic and add to the game experience, but should these be more than just product placement or a far away billboard? Should you be forced to watch these adverts in a premium product, or even a free one? Personally, I think adding products to a game makes it more realistic and helps it fit in with the real world, but these should not hinder the overall experience of the game.

What do advertisements in games mean to you?

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37 Comments

  1. I’ve heard they did that in Wipeout? Well at least it’s free now with Plus, is it?

  2. I can’t think of any adverts in a game that I have noticed other than the ones stated above that add to the realism of the world. If Drake stopped mid gun battle to enjoy a cold Diet Coke before winking at the camera then I would be more put off! That said, maybe he really likes Coke, and was just thirsty. It gets hot in the jungle you know.

    • That would make me laugh.

      • They make the game more realistic if you see an advert for energizer batteries on Alan Wake.

  3. Erm, Metal Gear Solid 4..
    The focus on the Sony Ericsson phones irritated me a bit >_<

    • and Ipod. lol They also mention the Walkman in Peace Walker.
      But I think it’s just all in good humour :)
      What i couldn’t stand for is if there’s an advert clip before the game starts, that would rile me right up, lol.

      • Well there were fake adverts in MGS4 before the game starts though?

    • All Apple products was nice, only thing is they should of used more futuristic models, as it was current tech, meaning it would of been obsolete in MGS4.lol

      I love advertising in games as long as its done well as it increases the realism. I wouldn’t see a problem in Coke/Pepsi machines in GTA or MW maps, or if Drake had Timberlands on in UC2 for example.

    • Wasn’t there FHM advertising back in MGS: SoL

  4. I don’t mind really. In Crazy Taxi I thought it was brilliant that they had Levi, Pizza Hut etc.

    I did get a slight craving for pizza after playing it though.

    • Oh, i remember playing Pizza Tycoon 2. There was no advertising but the amount of saliva produced during gameplay has exceeded that of any other game for me.

  5. What do advertisements in games mean to you?

    They mean nothing to me. I barely ever pay any attention to them but I also play very little online/connected gaming. However, as long as they’re not too invasive then I guess they’re not too bad an inclusion. I just don’t want to be playing Call of Duty: Vietnam and suddenly be presented with a 40 x 25ft hoarding advertising ‘The Great Taste of Coca Cola’ or something equally out of place.

    • Though knowing Coke, it’s probably not too out of place to have a giant billboard in the middle of a jungle. Or a Starbucks.

  6. I totally agree with your personal opinion. Although it is also possible to add value/realism to a game by using ads from fictional brands. Can’t remember examples (Fallout?) right now but some have done this in a very humorous way which I remember I enjoyed.

    • Surely the point of ads is you remember it?

      • lol yeah mostly but I think subconscious branding might be more effective?

  7. Maybe in GTA adverts would make it a more real experience driving/shopping/eating etc then again who would want to be associated with “Daily Mail” outrage of the game

    • Agreed. I still yearn to surf in a TW@T café.

      • and drink ‘Sprunk’!?! id rather drink the ‘PissWasser’ lol

  8. Burnout Paradise did it pretty well, but pretty blatantly too. They have vans and trucks driving round plastered in Diesel and Gillette Fusion adverts. Meaning that when you crash into them and it automatically replays the crash in super slow-mo Gillette or Diesel are on the screen for a good 5 seconds.
    It doesn’t bother me too much and it doesn’t remove from the experience.
    What will bother me soon enough though is when the amount of advertising in a game is completely irrelevant to the cost of the game. I can just imagine Kotick plastering adverts in ever other frame of one of his games then charging us £60 for the privilege. Advertising to the consumer should reduce the cost for the consumer

  9. Product placement is fine, its been done in movies for years and no one moans about it and its only occasionally noticeable

    billboard ads in burnout are also fine as they are a natural fit to the genre.

    enforced pre-roll ads and those which took a while to load like the WipEout HD one’s (before it was patched) are a big no

  10. Frankly I couldn’t care less, as long as they’re contextual, I’m more than happy for game development houses to find other revenue streams that don’t rely on putting the prices of games up. Lets face it, even crappy games ain’t cheap to make

    • I agree. If they are sensible things like ‘sparco’ stiched into the bucket seats in a car or hoardings in a sports game. Even billboards in a game like GTA make sense.
      .
      Product placement, as long as it’s not too gratuitous or excessive, is fine with me and, in fact, I’ve always thought it rather incongruous when they deliberately avoid branding in TV shows, films and games. I would have no problem with someone ordering a pint of Stella instead of generic lager or carrying a can of coke, it’s just more realistic.

      • If it got to Bondlike proportions whereby product placements literally are used to drive the plot, then we’d have a problem.

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