Viewing Thread:
"In-game advertising - Dangerous?"

From their inception, videogames have always borne the ostensibly sole function of entertainment. A leisure activity. But as with most media, they have gradually succumbed to interpretation as a vehicle to convey the beliefs, statements and advertisements of those who wish to communicate their message to a wider audience. From political issues, religious proclamations and general protestations, right down to bigoted racist and nationalistic propaganda, certain games have been developed specifically as a mouthpiece for individuals who wish to publicise their opinions.

I consider this to be a potentially dangerous channel of imparting information, as the focus of the material presented is not always obvious. Young children in particular would little recognise the subtle undertones of something as seemingly innocuous as a colourful computer game. For a hypothetical example, a game where a heroic Bush has to combat a vilified Kerry super-villain might give many of its players a subliminal bias towards Bush.

I see this becoming the next hotspot for politicos. Recruit the kids at a young age. I think it will always be veiled, but indoctrination will hit on a large scale once these politicians stop bashing games and start using them.

A political game I discovered recently was President Forever, a realistic simulation of the presidential campaign between Bush and Kerry. You are tasked with giving a position on salient world issues such as terrorism and immigration, and running your own electoral campaigns. Interestingly, there are also several tactical options to increase your chance of winning, not least the ability to unleash foot soldiers to stop your opponents. The game is currently politically neutral, but it shows how easy it would be to create a brutal piece of gaming rhetoric to assault a political faction.

In a more mainstream interpretation of this issue, large companies are now advertising within games like any other form of media. Just as adverts and promotional hoardings invade every part of our life, so too videogames are becoming a popular addition to the list, publicising real world brands and products throughout their various virtual environs.

So long as advertisement agencies give the job to someone who can build a great game around the franchise then it’s all good. However, if these agencies expect the game developers to knock out another shooter just so they can slap the logo on a game, that’s going to severely affect the game’s quality.

I also worry about games that utilise various different brands within one title. All games naturally appreciate extra funding, but the problem arises when the in-game advertising actually starts having an influential effect upon the creation of the game.

Giving any sort of directional control to advertisers could very easily turn sour, even if the demanded changes were purely aesthetic. If Adidas insisted that every game character wear Adidas footwear, it could severely hamper both the visual style and credibility of a title. This also brings us to the dilemma of whether the advertising suits the game.

A Star Wars game where the characters wear Adidas trainers, drink Coca Cola in the taverns, and walk past Duracell hoardings just isn’t going to wash. In-game promotion has to fit in with the title’s setting otherwise the game will suffer. Advertising is really a barbed blessing. The age-old tradition of exchanging money for publicity works well for both parties, so long as the promoters don’t try and foist unreasonable demands upon the developers.

I reckon the actual impact that future brand marketing will have upon upcoming generations of games is primarily the fact that the supplementary developer income allows for a longer development period, which gives the potential for a higher quality game. The dangers are there, but if these can be successfully negotiated then advertising is a mutually beneficial concept.

For better or for worse, advertising has become an integral part of our gaming life, and it’s here to stay!

The best political game I've played would have to be Deus Ex 2. The whole double-dealing shiftyness involved is simply fantastic.

The best adverts have always been in the Duke Nukem games. That's a franchise that needs to hurry back.

Hedfix wrote:
> Hypothetically say I saw an alien. I would try and cautiously
> communicate with it and I wouldn't immediately club it to death
> because of all the movies and games I've seen where aliens are bad.

I think i would have my club ready just incase it moved, spoke, breathed or blinked. then *BASH..BASH....BASH* *SPLAT*

Woohoo free new technology for chippxero

Your right about it going either way though, i have found that i don't like highly popular things like Nike and reebok (or how ever it's spelt) they are just a brand.

I have some nice trainers that are good for dancing, running and look like shoes so i can go in clubs with them on. i don't even know who made them. (probably some child in africa)

Advertising something in a game wouldn't make me want to buy it, and chances are the items that will be advertised will be everyday things anyway that people are already drinking, wearing or eating.

I think it comes down to being aware of the difference between reality and fiction. Where one stops and the other begins.

Hypothetically say I saw an alien. I would try and cautiously communicate with it and I wouldn't immediately club it to death because of all the movies and games I've seen where aliens are bad.

Things are exaggerated in games, movies and books and anyone with a reasonable intelligence will realise this.

I think most intelligent people react to overdoses of certain viewpoints. When I was younger we were to sing hymns everyday at school in assembly. Far from making me want to go to church every sunday it has led to me having an instant distrust for thosesort of things.

Propaganda cuts both ways. It can turn as many against it's cause as it turns for it.

Yeah, there are more and more politically styled games arising all the time. Just imagine playing America's Army if you were a kid, being taught to kill all those foreign types. Ridiculous!!

Interesting, although I think politically dangerous games such as Americas army already exist - where the baddies are all? mostly? of non white origin, what effect this could have on impressionable minds is anyones guess.

Also I seem to recall advertising as far back as 1996 when Syndicate wars featured massive blade runner style bill boards advertising amongst other things Judge Dredd!

From their inception, videogames have always borne the ostensibly sole function of entertainment. A leisure activity. But as with most media, they have gradually succumbed to interpretation as a vehicle to convey the beliefs, statements and advertisements of those who wish to communicate their message to a wider audience. From political issues, religious proclamations and general protestations, right down to bigoted racist and nationalistic propaganda, certain games have been developed specifically as a mouthpiece for individuals who wish to publicise their opinions.

I consider this to be a potentially dangerous channel of imparting information, as the focus of the material presented is not always obvious. Young children in particular would little recognise the subtle undertones of something as seemingly innocuous as a colourful computer game. For a hypothetical example, a game where a heroic Bush has to combat a vilified Kerry super-villain might give many of its players a subliminal bias towards Bush.

I see this becoming the next hotspot for politicos. Recruit the kids at a young age. I think it will always be veiled, but indoctrination will hit on a large scale once these politicians stop bashing games and start using them.

A political game I discovered recently was President Forever, a realistic simulation of the presidential campaign between Bush and Kerry. You are tasked with giving a position on salient world issues such as terrorism and immigration, and running your own electoral campaigns. Interestingly, there are also several tactical options to increase your chance of winning, not least the ability to unleash foot soldiers to stop your opponents. The game is currently politically neutral, but it shows how easy it would be to create a brutal piece of gaming rhetoric to assault a political faction.

In a more mainstream interpretation of this issue, large companies are now advertising within games like any other form of media. Just as adverts and promotional hoardings invade every part of our life, so too videogames are becoming a popular addition to the list, publicising real world brands and products throughout their various virtual environs.

So long as advertisement agencies give the job to someone who can build a great game around the franchise then it’s all good. However, if these agencies expect the game developers to knock out another shooter just so they can slap the logo on a game, that’s going to severely affect the game’s quality.

I also worry about games that utilise various different brands within one title. All games naturally appreciate extra funding, but the problem arises when the in-game advertising actually starts having an influential effect upon the creation of the game.

Giving any sort of directional control to advertisers could very easily turn sour, even if the demanded changes were purely aesthetic. If Adidas insisted that every game character wear Adidas footwear, it could severely hamper both the visual style and credibility of a title. This also brings us to the dilemma of whether the advertising suits the game.

A Star Wars game where the characters wear Adidas trainers, drink Coca Cola in the taverns, and walk past Duracell hoardings just isn’t going to wash. In-game promotion has to fit in with the title’s setting otherwise the game will suffer. Advertising is really a barbed blessing. The age-old tradition of exchanging money for publicity works well for both parties, so long as the promoters don’t try and foist unreasonable demands upon the developers.

I reckon the actual impact that future brand marketing will have upon upcoming generations of games is primarily the fact that the supplementary developer income allows for a longer development period, which gives the potential for a higher quality game. The dangers are there, but if these can be successfully negotiated then advertising is a mutually beneficial concept.

For better or for worse, advertising has become an integral part of our gaming life, and it’s here to stay!