http://kiyone.blogspot.com/2006_05_21_archive.html

Product placement in M games doesn't appear to be new.

Adds that are appropriate within the context of the game are fine. So games set in modern day can have them without to much trouble as long as they are not obtrusive. eg. My elite strike team shouldn't have Soda adverts on their uniforms. However if we see a few billboards as we fly over the city in the helicopter its fine.

Games set in the future... well brand awareness is all you can get without ruining the context of the game. Devs are going to have to realize that, publishers are going to have to realize that and ad agencies are going to have to work with developers to make that work.

If the story has civilization ending in 2007, im not going to have a problem with old dirty car billboards advertising a 2007 Honda or ford. I would have a problem if the billboard was in perfect shape all bright and shiny. It shouldn't stick out like a sore thumb.

If I was moving through the city and I came across an abandoned car dealer ship with 1 or 2 cars in the showroom that were in moderate shape, then had to find a battery for them and some gas, no problem with that.

A good dev could do some advertising that the player would never notice, it would just be part of the game, and sometimes it could add to the game in the way of adding to the setting.

Its all about how its done.

Though it would be nice if PUBLISHERS would allow some of the add revenue to go towards making the games cheaper.

As for the head on commercials..... marketing genius. Every one hates the company, but they know the product, and when your desperate for good pain relief.... you might just grab head on despite the commercials... not that it does a damn thing for migraines.

"Who cares if this group of weirdos have nothing better to do than protest capitalism?"

And who cares if we're paying ever-increasing prices for games and downloadable content only to have advertising thrown on us as well? And who cares if eventually when these ads succeed, it's going to start affecting design choices and what genres of title get made because those decisions are going to be based around the best ways to display the ads? Oh but that's right, I disagree and therefore hate capitalism. Grow up.

my god have they seen what run on TV? in game ads will be no different......sigh

This is my first time posting, mostly because I think this concern is absolutely ridiculous.

"Advertisers are spending 56 million dollars on videogame ads. Using real-time ads that are updated automatically whenever there’s a connection to the web…"

And they spend even more on TV, should parents start cringing in fear every time their child turns on the television. After all, who knows what nefarious ad could show up. What if Little Jimmy sees a Victoria's Secret ad? He could be scarred for life!

"Experts worry that the ads are here today, gone tomorrow, with adults none the wiser."

The same could be said for television ads. Have you ever seen the same set of commercials run twice?

“The ads change all the time, so parents have no idea what’s being marketed to their kids”

Parents don't know what's being targetted to their kids while they're watching Spongebob, and they don't seem to care either.

I'm currently studying journalism in school, and we have a name for these kinds of news stories. They're called "fillers"

She has a point. In game ads have no regulation or oversite. Sure most are based on your cookies, but if it's a family computer and "dad has been surfin' what he ought not to" then little Jimmy will likely be bombarded with Viagra and Enzyte ads.
Also, there is the curious conclusions that ad companies derive from their marketting polls. Little Jimmy could end up staring at cigarette ads simply because he surfs baseball and nascar.
There are advertising laws for standard television, but those laws are pre-videogame. Do you really think that advertisers won't exploit that loophole in the letter of law?

I think the idea is to get parents to think "omg, they're in my kidz gamez, marketing their pronz"

seriously though, game companies seem to forget ads are a way of paying for things without actually paying. If Microsoft wants to send us ads for Best Buy while we're browsing the marketplace ,Xbox Live should be free.

I personally am against in game advertising. I understand the monetary gain aspect of doing it, but games are meant to be an escape from reality. Now they want to force reality back into it.

I also understand the concerns about what type of ads are being placed in games. I think that the publishers are making suret hat ads are appropriate for the rating the game recieves. So be assured that there iwll be no beer or tobaco ads in your kids Disney game. I even doubt there will be any such ads in M rated games. Right now ads seem to consist of Junk food and Fast food.

It doesnt work in Need for Speed Carbon either. At least in the UK - i somehow doubt an obviously US city would have ads for the Royal Navy or the Goverments "Ask Frank" drugs helpline.....

Also how is this any different/more sinister than on TV.

I'm sure most (all) parents don't have the spare time to monitor the adverts that children are watching between programmes.

At least in games advertising doesn't (usually) intrude on your fun, and force you to watch some poorly concieved, cheaply produced, crap!

usually isnt it the ads are picked from your type of cookies? or do i have the ad selection thing wrong?