Battlefield 2142 to Bundle Spyware?

An anonymous reader writes "Kotaku reports on a Shacknews Post. Battlefield 2142, the new Electronic Arts game, is expected to include mandatory spyware in the retail package. The software will apparently monitor web browser and other computer usage; this information will be used to deliver targeted in-game advertisements. Other popular game titles have included spyware in the past to aid anti-cheating measures. Is spyware acceptable to the public when it comes with a game, or has EA made a PR misstep?"

Great!

[badfrog]

I always love to have as many backround processes running as possible!

Dualcore...

[__aambat2633]

So this is why they need dualcore for the new games.

Fuck You, EA

[HaloZero]

I just called GameStop and cancelled my preorder.

I was all excited to pick it up and play, too. Just itching to order a new video card (over instead of buying a new Mac) to play this and a handful of other gems on. Guess I'll be sticking with the 360.

The line must be drawn here. Not even this far, certainly not any farther!

Business practices such as these really are an insult to the community. 'You're going to take our crap and like it!' - and the shitty part is that people do, over and over again. Stop cramming advertisements up my ass - I don't care about your shitty product. If I get my arm blown off in 2142, I don't want to see an advert for Bandaids. I certainly am not interested in a Dodge Neon.

I hope the lack of my sale takes money out of your pocket twice. I'll be encouraging all of my friends to cancel their preorders, now, and some of them are significantly more paranoid about Crapware than I am.

Re:The software is optional!!

[Anonymous Coward]

And the software is only activated when you are not playing the game and only while surfing the web.

Phew! What a relief! It sounded like spyware for a moment there.

Re:Great!

[IcyNeko]

Hey man, if EA Games wants to advertise for reality porn and hentai anime in their video games, by all means please install spyware on my system. For extra points, include free 7-day trial on each site advertised.

Ben Franklin said it best:

[merc]

"Those who would give up essential Liberty to purchase a MMORPG deserve neither Liberty nor a MMORPG."

Solution for TK'ing

[mrroot]

Maybe they could change the TK punish system so instead of subtracting 6 points, it makes you watch a 30 second advertisement. Now that would be a punishment.

Re:Illegal?

[Some_Llama]

I believe this software already exists, it's called AOL, comes on a CD.. maybe you've seen it?

Likely BF2142 Ads

[Hoi Polloi]

"I see you've been 'pwned', would you be interested in Viagra(tm) so you can feel like a man again?"

"I see you've been playing for over 4 hours, would you be interested in a coupon for Preperation H?"

"Your browser is open in the background to 'www.HornyTeenSluts.com', could I interest you in singles available in your area?"

"I was scanning your email while you were playing and found a letter from what appears to be your girlfriend who is breaking up with you. Could I interest you in a special at 1-800-FLOWERS? No? How about those available singles I mentioned before?"

Slashdot crossover advertisement

[Mister Whirly]

So does that mean if I visit Slashdot while Battlefield is running the game will be covered with ads featuring Natalie Portman and hot grits?

Re:Pathetic!

[paulius_g]

Who said that I'm going to pay?
By the time that Vista is going to be released, ReactOS will be stable!

Re:Not exactly

[revery]

I've decided to stop buying EA products - even Spore.

Now you've gone too far!! We're talking about Spore, here. Will Wright? The Sims? You're joking right? You were probably thinking, "I'll get people's attention if I make some outlandish claim." Well you jumped the shark with this one, my friend. Next time, try something believable, like "I eat babies" or "George Bush is my favorite public speaker".

Not even spore... you got me... oh, that's funny.

Re:Great!

[Anonymous Coward]

I thought about this too, I play games, and I look at porn - if the games package spyware to monitor my other behaviour I'm going to have Slashdot snippets graffittied on the walls of burning cities in 2142, and it'll look like the people of 2142 have an incredibly open, and sexually addicted society.

Then I thought about the other uses for the spyware they're applying, will they try to create games around what the demographics show? How many games can you create around Ariel the little Mermaid getting tentacle raped by Ursula the Sea Witch? How do you incorporate that into the Battlefield franchise? Underwater Sexual Battlefield 2143: Mermaids versus Slashdotters?

Re:Illegal?

[amuro98]

Yeah, and then the chinese ex-WoW-Gold-farmers would start spewing spam offering to "surf you long time" to drive up your score.

Re:Just great

[penguinwhoflew]

Or maybe he was referring to the fact that it advertises for the things you browse to, and hinting that most of his internet time is spent browsing 18+ sites. Just maybe.

Re:Great!

[PitaBred]

Even better: Dad looks at pr0n late at night, gets his surfing habits logged, and then Junior plays the games and sees billboards for "Titties Galore!". At least porn will be treated at the same level as violence in this country, rather than the current standard of Junior being able to kill people in full gore with no reprisal, but a seeing an unclad breast will cause him irreparable harm...

Re:I pre-ordered

[Whyte Panther]

Yeah, but then Steam goes "My god, he's staring at that one spot! We should put an ad there!"

Ad snipers?

[Gibb]

So according to that post on the BF2142 forum, the IGA code will record the amount of time a player has an advertisement in their view? Eventually players will try avoiding looking at ads, perhaps because there's a slight framerate loss, perhaps because they just dont like looking at ads. EA will get annoyed with low ad view counts and hire ad snipers to hide in the ads, forcing players to constantly have to look at ads as they walk through town. **over ventrillo** Guy1: Sh!t, there's a sniper in the Maxi Pads billboard! Guy2: Maxi Pads, wtf? I only see a Krispy Kreme billboard **bam** Guy1: Yeah that's the guy. Guy2: Sigh.