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In an average day in the western world you cannot escape advertising… adverts on television, posters on buses and even in schools. Companies such as McDonalds aim their advertising at children; they even have annual conferences to discuss new methods to increase their already massive profit.
So how far can these companies go to keep improving their wealth?
They have been known to kill natives in the Amazon Rainforests for cattle grazing, enslave children as young as five in sweatshops in the Third World and cut corners in safety for workers and consumers.
So what has globalisation got to do with gaming? Well let me just take a glance of what could happen.
In games today you can usually spot the odd billboard for Coca Cola or Nike, a way for the maker to cash in and make more money but should we really pay to see more adverts?
This could just be the tip of the iceberg; the gaming industry is another tool for these companies to use. The market available to flash their brand logo is enormous and growing, this could escalate into the brands gaining a foothold in the way the games are made. They could begin funding games then taking control and turning games into one large advert for them. You can just see your gaming character take a swig out a coke bottle with his Nike tracksuit on after saving the world.
Of course this is just my imagination running wild but I wouldn’t be that surprised if such events occurred so just look out in the future and boycott these places, if you want of course.
"Hello, John Anderton - You look like you could use a Guiness."
"Hello, John Anderton, how did you get on with those Nike Basketball vests?"
or
"Hello, John Anderton, when was the last time you cleaned your teeth with NEW Colgate Total 72?!"
Amid all the special effects and what not, you can see a plethora of brand name advertisements - and not just because there needs to be decent adverts in the film (to make it look believable,) but because the Head of Marketing at Nike decides that millions of people will see a Speilberg film, just because it's directed by him. Added to which, you have the millions of Tom Cruise fans; in addition to that you have the millions of movie boffs around the world; and on top of that anyone who actually watches the movie will no doubt concentrate on the futuristic adverts for the 30 seconds that Tom Cruise is actually walking through the mini-mall!
Advertising, like Sheepy said, is everywhere; and with the games industry turning over 9.something Billion a year it isn't hard to imagine tomorrows games being over-run by advertising deals. Do you think Adidas Power Soccer was funded by Adidas... well... no actually, is wasn't. But future games, even ones that need no advertising, will no doubt have a sea of companies asking for thier name or logo to be coded into the game.
But hey, it was inevitable, right. Radio was the thing, and people advertised on that. Then TV was the thing, and people advertised on that. Then Concorde was the thing, and Pepsi advertised on that. Then is was Movies, and still is. Video Games, the populatiry of which are soaring, are surely just another past-time that's industry is waiting in line to be branded by the fatcat companies of the world.
But hey, at the end of the day, if these little deals are just enough to allow EA to use Pierce Brosnans likeness for Nightfire, or to increase Rare's budget just enough so that they include an On-Line mode, Co-Operative mode and over 100 guns and levels in PD2 - then WHO CARES?!
I'd much rather have brand name advertisements in games to make them look a bit cooler, rather than 'Spiffy Hair Cream', 'Indiglo Sports!' or 'Prime-8' monkey food! It just adds nicer touches to the game to make it feel better.
And hey, another thing... it's just business. It's not like these companies are doing it because they like or dis-like anyone!
GAME
In an average day in the western world you cannot escape advertising… adverts on television, posters on buses and even in schools. Companies such as McDonalds aim their advertising at children; they even have annual conferences to discuss new methods to increase their already massive profit.
So how far can these companies go to keep improving their wealth?
They have been known to kill natives in the Amazon Rainforests for cattle grazing, enslave children as young as five in sweatshops in the Third World and cut corners in safety for workers and consumers.
So what has globalisation got to do with gaming? Well let me just take a glance of what could happen.
In games today you can usually spot the odd billboard for Coca Cola or Nike, a way for the maker to cash in and make more money but should we really pay to see more adverts?
This could just be the tip of the iceberg; the gaming industry is another tool for these companies to use. The market available to flash their brand logo is enormous and growing, this could escalate into the brands gaining a foothold in the way the games are made. They could begin funding games then taking control and turning games into one large advert for them. You can just see your gaming character take a swig out a coke bottle with his Nike tracksuit on after saving the world.
Of course this is just my imagination running wild but I wouldn’t be that surprised if such events occurred so just look out in the future and boycott these places, if you want of course.