Gearbox defends in-game advertising
Category: Industry, Posted: 04/01/2008 at 05:38PM CDT by Demetri Kouvalis, Features Editor
Gearbox likes the idea of in-game advertising and isn't afraid of showing their support, even to the pessimists. Developer Randy Pitchford explained that their recent ad agreements would help improve authenticity in games and increase revenue to make them better. And he assured us that his team hates exploitative advertising as much as you.
"So, please don't judge us by the fact that some folks out there do it wrong and with exploitation as their key driving factor. This is not our motivation or intent. Don't judge us based on fears that may not turn out to be true," said Pitchford.
"Instead, judge us from the result. If you see in-game ads for some stupid product that has nothing to do with the context in which it occurs and actually detracts from the experience, then you can feel justified in bashing the developer, publisher, or advertiser that made that decision."
Pitchford went out of his way to actually show how Gearbox's latest game Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway is implementing in-game ads. And I completely agree; that is a very good way to put in in-game ads, as it doesn't intrude on the player's experience.
What do you guys think? Is this the way you envisioned in-game ads to present themselves, or are you still opposed of the whole idea?
[via eurogamer]
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Just so long as they're appropriate, blend in with the environment and knock a few quid off the sale price, I'm all for it.
The ad in that pic is pretty much perfect. It's not just some silly billboard with a giant Blu-ray player on it with "JUST $599" sprawled all over it. If there's more of the above then I will be more than happy for Gearbox to include in-game advertising.
The sad thing is, the in-game ads won't bring the price down.
^heh, true that.
I can't argue against in-game advertising used in-context as such seen here. In the end, it's just one more way to bring legitimacy to a virtual world.
That kind of advertising I can live with.
Yeah that ad is the shit, for real. Remember when ads in games were cool tho? "HOLY CRAP?!?! WAS THAT HERSHEYS?!?!?" and then you'd be all wanting of chocolate. No wonder gamers have high obesity rates....
My only beef with it is that there's a Starbucks in a WWII themed game, when Starbucks wasn't even founded until the 70's or 80's. The Philips sign might actually make sense, since the corporation was around prior to WWII, but it's just as detracting if they don't make the stuff accurate. It's better than most in-game advertising, sure, but still...if you're gonna talk about authenticity, then stick to it...
i think the news pic is a parody
Yeah, I dunno about the big "PHILLIPS" on top of some random building. Some street level shops carrying real world names would work when applied right, as well as some billboards. Don't do what Burnout Paradise did and advertise a company that's gone bankrupt, (CompUSA) instead do it like Crackdown, where the billboards are updated periodically through the regular patches, like some of the Dodge billboards turning into Shoot 'Em Up billboards.
So what do they do in medieval fantasy games? "Ye Olde Verizon Shoppe" and the like?
I don't trust them any further than I can throw them. They're easing their way into our anuses, nice and slow. After we get the full penetration, it will be too late to do anything about it. Ads will be all over shamelessly, and completely out of context.
It's fine with me, no real problem that I can point out, except the fact that Cobra just said that game companies or ass raping gamers with in-game-ads.
@bahamutbbob:
I was in the middle of getting a job at a compusa right when they closed the store. :^/
@bahamutbbob:
I was in the middle of getting a job at a compusa right when they closed the store. :^/