advertising IN videogames

[xmcdohlx]

Yeah, check out this news. It seems companies will now pay videogame developers to include ads INSIDE the games.
http://ps3.qj.net/Double-Fusion-bags-26-million-dollars-for-in-game-advertising/pg/49/aid/76628

That's hella lame in my opinion, unless it makes games cheaper.

and lol at Spector's comment in the news:
" » oh noh

I can see it already

"Snake you look fatigued"
"Well I guess I am feeling a little slow at the moment"
"Why not drink a cold refreshing Sprite"
"You know what Otacon I think I will"
(cue music and show snake chugging now can of sprite)

In certain games it is nice to see real stores and restaurants to add to the realism... otherwise please never show these kinds of plugs in games as I mentioned above."

i hope that stuff won't happen T.T

 

[Rye]

Well, if the companies get money for including a product in their game, of course the company is going to do it. They get money, and the advertisers are happy because they get to advertise their products. Besides, it's in television shows and movies all the time. Having it in video games probably won't be any different than how they have it in movies and/or television shows.

But that would be funny if Snake did that. XD

 

[$anta]

Well I can see billboards in modern games that advertise Coke or even on the buses of GTA.
But it's not like every game will advertise, I would hate playing something like Tekken fighting as a Pepsi can.

 

[Lene]

Yeah I don't think they're going to blatantly product place. Like $tevo said, I think they'll just merely have them as billboards, like they do in other movies. Heck, they do this for movies and no one really notices (although it was absolutely ridiculous in Josie and the Pussycats, the friggin' Target dog made a cameo appearance, and their room was product placement hell).

Besides, if you play a game and see that product enough, you'll probably get it. And people play videogames for a long time. It's a pretty shrewd move on the part of the advertisers.

 

[Ellie]

It was only a matter of time really.

Edit:

@Lene: iRobot:
Will Smith (as he is putting on his shoes randomly says)
"Oh yeah. Converse all-stars, vintage 2004."

 

[Anonymous]

It's not anything new. Xenosaga Ep I had advertising for other Namco produced games via the email system.

Product placement, as it's called, is huge in Hollywood. You never know if the main character is using a Powermac and driving a PT Cruiser because that's what the director/writer envisioned for the character, or because Apple and Chrystler paid for him to do so. I suspect it will be mostly unintrusive, and hopefully tasteful.

 

[Marcus]

Honestly, I don't know why people complain about product placement. I remember a bunch of people were in an uproar after some Adam Sandler movie (the one with Jack Nicholson) because there was a digitally painted "Army of One" add on a billboard.

BIG FUCKING DEAL

It's not like the movie or game instantly halts and shoves the product in your face.

I suspect it will be mostly unintrusive, and hopefully tasteful.

Exactly this. I have yet to play a game where the product placement has actually obstructed gameplay. Fight Night Round 3 let you unlock the King which was an incredibly awesome touch but people complained about this. Why!? You are not forced to play the king and he's a SECRET CHARACTER for that matter. In Rainbow Six Vegas, every car in the game is a Dodge because Dodge paid big bucks to do this. The characters never say "Hay man, don't shoot my dodge!" or "By the way, you should buy a dodge!" Even in the Japanese version of Shenmue, the soda machines were Coke machines and you could buy sonic toys from the pod machines. It showed you a little cinema drinking the soda, but you were never forced to hear a long winded sales pitch.

Games are extremely expensive to create (like, millions of dollars) so advertising keeps them from going over that $60 cap right now. I'd gladly see an add for Ikea than pay 3DO prices for my games (and anyone old enough to remember the 3DO knows how expensive the cartridges were).

Hell, anyone old enough to remember the GENESIS knows how expensive the carts were. Phantasy Star II was like, $90 new.

 

[Ceroscuro]

Play Splinter Cell Chaos Theory and if you look around hard enough, there's lots of advertising. They have the XBOX Magazine that had the "highest rating ever" thing on the cover on one of the tables. You'd be surprised.

Then obviously games like Need for Speed where there are not only cars and parts, but billboards and actually entire stores that are real stores.

 

[Skyla Doragono]

Hell, anyone old enough to remember the GENESIS knows how expensive the carts were. Phantasy Star II was like, $90 new.

My parents actually paid that $90 to get it new, with the little secret guide that led you through the game and made you think that was why it was so expensive. So... yeah, I'd rather see an add for some random product than have to pay that much for just a game.

 

[arcthemonkey]

Ok, for one thing, Cool Spot is one of the best SNES games ever, and it was a game about a frikkin mascot.

Parasite Eve had Coke or Pepsi machines and even had whichever one it was as a healing item in PE2.

In other news, they need to make a third parasite eve damnit.

 

[Marcus]

My parents actually paid that $90 to get it new, with the little secret guide that led you through the game and made you think that was why it was so expensive. So... yeah, I'd rather see an add for some random product than have to pay that much for just a game.

Man, people who complain about the cost of games these days just don't know how ridiculously expensive they were in the past.

One proposed location was opposite the doors at the end of the ramp at the start for CTs on De_Dust, just left of the building doorway and right of the down ramp. Here there was going to be a big billboard, which people were getting worked up about because something like that ruins it.

But does it obstruct gameplay in any way? Is this billboard going to be placed in the middle of the map and act as cover? Stupid little things like this amaze me. It's as if the fact that "Drink Pepsi" is seen on the wall people grab their pitchforks and torches. From now on, when I play counter strike my spray tag is going to be the Pepsi symbol and I'm going to spray it at the beginning of each map and see how many people complain.

Or they'll probably get it confused for the Korean flag. Whatever.

Ok, for one thing, Cool Spot is one of the best SNES games ever, and it was a game about a frikkin mascot.

This.

Anyone remember the Noid? "Avoid the Noid" we were told in the early 90s and they somehow turned it into a decent platformer for the NES.

 

[Anonymous]

Anyone remember the Noid? "Avoid the Noid" we were told in the early 90s and they somehow turned it into a decent platformer for the NES.

Heh. I didn't think anyone else around here played that. :P

If you have the willpower of a turnip, maybe these ads will be detrimental to you. Otherwise, odds are you won't notice unless you're actively looking for them.

 

[Norris]

But does it obstruct gameplay in any way? Is this billboard going to be placed in the middle of the map and act as cover? Stupid little things like this amaze me. It's as if the fact that "Drink Pepsi" is seen on the wall people grab their pitchforks and torches.

Even if it doesn’t work to detract from gameplay, there’s still reason to argue where things get to the point of it actually becoming “distractingâ€Â

 

[Skyla Doragono]

Man, people who complain about the cost of games these days just don't know how ridiculously expensive they were in the past.


Anyone remember the Noid? "Avoid the Noid" we were told in the early 90s and they somehow turned it into a decent platformer for the NES.

@First part: Hell yes. My copy of Breath of Fire I cost my parents $80. And that was when my mother worked at Toys 'R Us, and we got a discount. Owie. I won't even go into how expensive the Super Nintendo was. Or the Legend of Zelda we got with it.

@Second part: Yo Noid! Dude, that was the most annoying game in the world, but I loved playing it, if only for the fact that it was so damn difficult to get anywhere on it.

 

[arcthemonkey]

Hell, Chrono Trigger was $75 MSRP as I recall, and I don't think I ever saw a new 64 game for less than $65. (Don't even think about inflation here, wow)

I'd like it if the ads made the game cheaper, but it's already been said - this may well be the only thing to keep games from getting more expensive. The things cost $30mil to make nowadays. This may also allow developers to make sequals to games that didn't do so well.

Also, I wouldn't expect to see Pepsi ads in Final Fantasy XIV.

 

[Minkoff]

If it makes games cheaper to make, it's a good thing. When things are cheaper, publishers take risks, and when they take risks, they tend to innovate. And things like product placement are great. You don't even notice it. Everybody wins.

 

[Marcus]

Even if it doesn’t work to detract from gameplay, there’s still reason to argue where things get to the point of it actually becoming “distractingâ€Â

 

[Norris]

Have you ever been to a US Embassy? They're littered with ads and vending machines. It's still American soil, the heart of consumerism.

Except that it isn't the US embassy I'm talking about here.

The whole point of advertising is not to be inconspicuous, but to be in you face as much as reasonably possible. Call it nitpicking if you want, but I just hope the 'mediums' in which they choose to advertise the various products they sponsor (as well as the products themselves) will be able to fit in within the "context" of the game's real environment.

 

[Ellie]

Hmm... my mind roams back to a game called "Wipeout" on the origional Playstation console. In the tracks, were bilboards with "Ubisoft" and "Sony" plastered over them. That doesn't look out of place, even though they wouldn't exist (probably) in the time the game is set (far-far future).

I can't see ads working in games not set in the "modern era". Coca Cola being adversised in Camelot? It takes away the realism.

 

[Mega Flare]

advertising in video games are awesome. Come on in Fight Night Round 3 theres like burger king ads. It made me want Burger King, then i bought some and i was happy. PRAIES TO ADVERTISING IN VIDEO GAMES!