In-Game Advertising Poised for Explosive Growth 65
bart_scriv writes "A new study from Yankee Group predicts a fivefold increase in the in-game advertising market over the next four years. The market, which grew from $34 million in 2004 to $56 million in 2005, is expected to reach $732 million by 2010. Although in-game advertising is currently controlled by a small number of independent networks (IGA, Massive, etc.), the study suggests that the larger game companies will eventually dominate the market by bringing ad serving in-house."
So how would an in-game ad-blocker work? (Score:3, Funny)
Which is it? (Score:2)
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/14/ 1510238 [slashdot.org]
I can see it now.... (Score:5, Funny)
Great just what we need (Score:2)
No kidding. (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't mind seeing a Burger King sign in a racing game if it's in a place you'd usually see them like on a highway.
I don't want to come across a bard in the next Neverwinter Nights telling me how he got his iPod accessories at his local Best Buy.
Re:I can see it now.... (Score:2)
So who actually thinks this is a good idea? (Score:3, Insightful)
The way that things look to me is that two things will end up happening:
1. The only advertisement that will really continue to flourish are the sorts of things that make it to the Super Bowl commercials, which is to say that they'll actually be entertaining.
2. "Advertising" as an industry will basically keel over and die, because products will eventually reach a point at which they will stand or fall on their own merits. The internet means that the exchange of information is certainly possible; all that remains is for people to realize that 99% of advertisement has nothing to do with the product and everything to do with making as much noise to get as much attention (negative OR positive) as possible.
I really don't care about the advertising industry; I'm not the sort to know or care what's in fashion, I just buy what I want (or need) and any advertisement aimed at me beyond the introduction of new products is doomed to failure.
Re:So who actually thinks this is a good idea? (Score:5, Insightful)
Funny you should mention that because one of the most lauded features of Vice City was the use of real songs in the sound track. One of the other laudable features was just how similar to the cities they were portraying the levels were. GTA is one of those games that I think would have benefitted from in-game advertising. Just another step closer to being in the game. Then again, I'm talking about the soda machines advertising Sprite, not CJ stopping to pump up his Reebok shoes.
"1. The only advertisement that will really continue to flourish are the sorts of things that make it to the Super Bowl commercials, which is to say that they'll actually be entertaining."
This is a diverse market. One has to be careful about using the word 'only' when making generalizations like this. It's difficult to picture something like Google's text ads going anywhere any-time soon for the simple reason that they're relevent and the message is short and clear.
"2. "Advertising" as an industry will basically keel over and die, because products will eventually reach a point at which they will stand or fall on their own merits. The internet means that the exchange of information is certainly possible; all that remains is for people to realize that 99% of advertisement has nothing to do with the product and everything to do with making as much noise to get as much attention (negative OR positive) as possible."
VERY unlikely. Sure, you can go looking for stuff on the internet. Sure, you can go find it and read reviews. Fine, great, perfect. The problem is that there is SO MUCH STUFF to go out and buy that there will ALWAYS be a market for advertising. All an advertisement has to do is make you aware that a product exists. That's it. The work is done. When it's time for you to solve a problem that a particular product can solve, you'll remember it and look it up. This will not go away.
"I just buy what I want (or need) and any advertisement aimed at me beyond the introduction of new products is doomed to failure."
I find that rather unlikely. It is inevitable that you are going to find yourself with a problem that a commercial product can solve. Maybe it's a clogged drain. Maybe it's a new video card. Maybe it's dinner time. You're going to call up a list of solutions, and gee golly gosh, an advertised product is going to pop into your mind. Sure you'll do your omework on it. Sure you'll read 'honest' reviews. Sure you'll search for the best deal, as opposed to buying it at Circuit City where it was advertised. Doesn't matter. Advertising still made you aware of it.
Advertising isn't going anywhere. As long as there are products to sell, there'll be advertisements backing them up. The mode of advertisement might change (i.e. pop-ups, pop-unders, pop-reacharounds...), but the industry isn't doomed to death.
In other news, I'm going to put on my Nostradamus hat and predict that with the explosion in blogging lately, we'll see more companies offering referall rewards to people who write reviews of their products. I also see the demise of that system happening a year or two later.
Re:So who actually thinks this is a good idea? (Score:2, Interesting)
This I think is an interesting point, as there is a Spanish
Re:So who actually thinks this is a good idea? (Score:2)
"1. The only advertisement that will really continue to flourish are the sorts of things that make it to the Super Bowl commercials, which is to say that they'll actually be entertaining."
Right, because there is no advertising that is creative and witty that is not shown during the superbowl commercials where it
More realistic (Score:4, Informative)
Re:More realistic (Score:2)
Re:More realistic (Score:2)
Re:More realistic (Score:2)
if game makers make money on advertising... (Score:2, Interesting)
Heck, why not include some form of google ad sence that ties in with your brousing and PRESTO your new faverate video game not only sells you products but products specificly marketed to you
Re:if game makers make money on advertising... (Score:2)
Re:if game makers make money on advertising... (Score:1)
The cable company neither creates the content, or embeds the advertisements. Both of those are by the source originator. Companies like ABC, NBC, CBS, and so on that exist 100% by advertiser support. They existed actually before cable companies.
Cable companies thus had to find a different revenue stream. If t
Re:if game makers make money on advertising... (Score:1)
Re:if game makers make money on advertising... (Score:1)
No, they aren't. Your local NBC/ABC/CBS affiliate is, or the source network is when they provide specific feeds for specific areas. Comcast pays NBC/CBS/ABC/etc. just like everyone else to get their ads on their.
Re:if game makers make money on advertising... (Score:2)
No, they aren't.
Yes they are. For many (most?) national cable channels, part of the deal under which the cable company carries the channel is that the cable company gets a certain number of minutes per hour in which to run their own ads. This is why you might see a commercial for your local, just-down-the-block used car dealer on a national channel like Food Network.
Re:if game makers make money on advertising... (Score:2)
See Anarchy Online [anarchyonline.com]. You can play their "base" game for free, in exchange you get in-game ads. If you want to play the expansion packs, you need pay the monthly fee.
The in-game ads aren't all bad. The ones in town aren't too distracting and I've even stopped to watch the full motion(ie. video) ones. The annoying ads are the posters in the missions(dungeons). But for free it ain't all bad.
Re:if game makers make money on advertising... (Score:1)
Most high circulation magazines, and even newspapers, actually make very little money by their subscription fees, and instead rely largely upon advertisers as their business model.
Why do they charge a subscription fee, then? They charge because it gives advertisers faith that the paying customer base actually wants, and probably utilizes, the magazine, and probably assigns it some value. Thus the advertisers pay mor
Re:if game makers make money on advertising... (Score:2)
I got into this discussion once before with someone else here on Slashdot. I subscribe excusively to advertisement-free publications. Pennsylvania Magazine, Birds & Blooms, Backyard Living, to name a few. These publications are small ones, hence their production overhead is more significant to their bottom line, yet they can survive free of advertising. The National Geographic model (which typically includes only one car advertisment on the inside cover or something; I do
So what about non-modern games? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:So what about non-modern games? (Score:1, Insightful)
You can pretty much say goodbye to immersion, any games set in a non-modern setting, or both.
Re:So what about non-modern games? (Score:1)
Re:So what about non-modern games? (Score:1)
Re:So what about non-modern games? (Score:2)
ISpellbook: Cast Differently
(with Jobs in a robe and pointy hat, and a little winged demon on his shoulder that looks REMARKABLY like Bill Gates. . . )
Insiders view (Score:2, Interesting)
As long as its done right (Score:1)
But really I dont mind current advertising in games at all, like mentioned by others it adds a little realism to a game. Real ads on the boards in hockey games doesn't affect the gameplay, and the only times your really going to notice them are during cut scenes. Billboards on racing games also do little to detract from gameplay. I think the type of advertising that should be a non-issue is product placement in limited QUANTITY (no office I
Re:As long as its done right (Score:2)
If the entire history of the Western capitalistic market is any indicator, BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!
Deja vu? (Score:2)
For sure there was an article here on
Been seing in-game avertising for years now (just about any F1 game of the last 5 years has it) and yet it in-game advertising revenue remains a very (very, very) small part of the total advertising revenue.
With the notable ex
Wait and see (Score:5, Insightful)
I think "explosive growth" means logos and adverts during loading times and the like. If there's one thing we can count on, it's corporate greed.
Re:Wait and see (Score:2)
Unskippable advert start scenes - at the start of every level. Or hell, why not mid-level?
Constant overlaid onscreen ad graphics (a la TV station logos)
Product placement in cut scenes (already happening, see Splinter Cell:PT in which the hero practically fellates his Sony Ericsson cell phone)
Exclusive unlockable content, only available by buying a certain product and keying in personal activiation codes (bet this had been done already too)
The fact is, advertising doesn't
So.... (Score:4, Funny)
*cue game company execs staring idly at the ceiling tiles
er, pay the hardworking programmers and developers a bit more?
*more tile counting
Oh, line executive coffers and retirment plans?
*CEO and CFO highfive
Re:So.... (Score:1)
So we put up with these ads, whether they're built into the game using textures of put up on a splash screen when we login, but we don't get any benefit from them. The games will NEVER go down in price. Sure some mmorpg companies (like Funcom with Anarchy Online) have provided their games free of monthly fees if you have the ads, but I don't think we'll ever see a mainstream game disk go for $40
Re:So.... (Score:2)
What ads? (Score:1)
Ads in games (Score:2, Interesting)
Key issues include:
* does the user pay for the content? If not, as on TV, and users perceive that they are getting good content for not
This could be a good thing (Score:2)
No. (Score:2)
No explosion, just creeping. (Score:2)
I remember one or another of the old "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" games for NES, where every so often you'd walk past a Pizza Hut ad. That wasn't so annoying, pizza was part of their schtick, whatever. I think they even gave you a coupon for a free pizza or something with the game.
Re:No explosion, just creeping. (Score:2)
Re:No explosion, just creeping. (Score:2)
I'd be happiest in a word without ads, real or virtual, but I'm dubious that it'll be allowed to happen. I remember my dad, an early adopter of cable TV, being majorly pissed off decades ago when ads started to infiltrate the service he was already paying for. Nowadays in the age of QVC and all-night infomercials, people don't even notice that they're paying premiums for
Advertising = Bad Thing (Score:4, Insightful)
The last time I checked cable and satellite television is getting more expensive despite more advertising than ever before. The same goes for movies, which have absurd amounts of product placement despite ever increasing ticket cost.
These companies don't care about preserving immersion, they care about making a few extra bucks. GTA Vice City took place in the 80s, San Andreas took place in the 90s. If they put in real ads rest assured they wouldn't be advertising from each game's respective time period. We'd see big flaming ads for Dell XPS computers, Subway sandwiches, bad ringtones, some new SUV and lord knows what else. And then the best part is when they throw these ads in a player's face and force them to watch it. We'll have a game with completely destructable environments except for advertisements. And entire town will be obliterated but all the billboards will be pristine.
And for every one creative, well-designed ad there are 10,000 awful ones. This entire venture is about making money. These jerks aren't going to spend on anything if they don't need to which means we're going to see low quality garbage everywhere. Look for high quality advertising in the style of lowermybill.com.
I never liked advertising and I never will.
Re:Advertising = Bad Thing (Score:2)
If you really want to make a difference with this, you need to vote with your wallet and just not buy a game thats packed with ads. It annoys me that reviewers dont mention the number of unskippable ads or product placements in games. I wouldn
Fantasy games (Score:3, Insightful)
Of course what that means is we will start seeing less ads in the actual game world, and more ads in the interface, similar to the whole "ordering pizza through the command line" deal. Or possibly showing spots during zone loads. Of course then you have angry players who would rightly be suspicious that their uberfast connection and computer should load the zone quicker and that they are delaying the zone loading process just to show ads.
And lets face it...since the most popular (for the moment) game online is WoW...you KNOW someone will attempt it. Whether Blizzard will bite or not is another question. Would you object to seeing a food vendor selling chicken suspiciously labeled "K'ntuckee Fried Chicken"? I actually think that is one option advertisers have...parodying their brands. People can easily make the connection and see the joke, it would definitely be fitting in the setting...AND people would still make the same connection to the brand, and perhaps even appreciate that they didn't try to make a hugely flashing ad that completely broke the theme of the game world.
Re:Fantasy games (Score:2)
You have found... (Score:2, Funny)
In Game Ads with Theater Ads (Score:1)
And can you think of anyone who likes the ads before a movie? Ever wonder at the decreasing revenue for the film studios? I would say the opinions of t
Gamers don't want ads (Score:2)
And gamers are just as poised to 'explode' away from any game with ads in it.
Expect the anti-measures (Score:1)
Perhaps it will require a dedicated crack,it usually works this way.
In degree of complexity:
1.hosts IPs can be blocked separately.
2.textures/objects/generator scripts can be hacked to draw blank/disabled.
3.If all this is encrypted it will be decompiled.
4.server side authentication will be logged and reverse engineered.
5.If all else fails the client will be reverse enginered.(Unlikely and messy solution,but is very effective)
Its depends just matter if they game popular enough an
Sometimes Advertising Works Well in Games!!! (Score:2)