[_christian_]

hello everybody,


i am currently writing my thesis at university about "product placement in games" and comparing several games and their in-game product placements.

did maybe anyone play Return to Mysterious Islands 2? There is an iPhone appearing out of nowhere, while being on a deserved island with your avatar..



it would be of great help for me if you could tell me:

• 1.if you in general disliked in-game advertisement? or does it maybe depend upon sth.(creativity,enhancing realism?)
• 2.maybe you have any other examples of games, in which it was well (not well) used?? would you like in-game ads to be forbidden at all?

Thanks a lot for your help...
chris


PS:This one from Return to mysterious Islands 2 was elected first in the category worst in-game ad 2009...

[Kurufinwe]

If I'm not mistaken, the example you're giving is not an ad at all, it's to tell you that there's a (free) app that lets you play that minigame on your iPhone instead of your computer and then sync your progress.

Now, to return to your general question, ads are evil and I wish they would go away. Thankfully, there don't seem to be many (yet?) in adventure games (except that Sprint (?) product placement in SQ5 15 years ago, of course).

[rayvio]

if the advert isn't invasive then I can live with it. I'm certainly not going to go and buy something just because I see it in a game though. but then, I don't buy things because I see them during breaks in TV shows either

[booB]

If adventure games need to use product placement in order to improve their budget, then I am all for it, as long as the ads are not too invasive and gaudy.

[tsa]

Same here. I've never met ads in games but I guess we can't avoid them. As long as they are not too invasive like the iPhone thingy I'm OK with them.

[Jelena]

I haven't seen any ads in a game yet and I'd rather I never do.

[Shany]

The CSI games had product placement.
The 4th game even had a character talk about how Visa had great security or something. Ugh.

In my opinion, it's only (barely) acceptable in games like CSI that take place here and now. And even then only when it's in the background, not when it becomes part of the plot.
In any other game it immediately breaks immersion.

Also, since we pay for our games, we should not be forced to see commercials.

[kuze]

No.

That was me, posting a quick reply.

[booB]

Maybe we should put the ads in the walkthroughs. This would make adventure gamers less likely to use them.

[Bon]

Originally Posted by Shany

And even then only when it's in the background, not when it becomes part of the plot.

So if CSI investigated a murder which happened in, say, Microsoft's headquarters, that wouldn't be acceptable for you?

[Gamegirl]

It doesn't bother me at all if the product is placed properly in the game. An example is if your character is in a hotel lobby and there is a sign for Visa or Mastercard, that makes perfect sense. Same goes if you're playing a game and there is a billboard flashing advertisements on it.

[Sughly]

My thoughts on this are similar to what Lynch thinks for film.

[Shany]

Originally Posted by Bon

So if CSI investigated a murder which happened in, say, Microsoft's headquarters, that wouldn't be acceptable for you?

If someone was murdered over how awesome a Microsoft product is, then yes it's unacceptable.
If it just happens there, and they don't talk about the products it is ok.

By the way, I doubt marketing would allow such bad publicity. "People might think that actually happens here!"

[Bon]

I wouldn't have a problem with that if one of the characters thought Microsoft's products are awesome.. But only if that character was finely written, and if his love for products of Microsoft didn't seem out of character.

[booB]

What if the main character, well-written, loves Refreshing Cola-Cola (TM)? And he has a health bar, and the only way to replenish his health is to collect a Refreshing Cola-Cola (TM), and then drink the Refreshing Cola-Cola (TM)? And if you find a Pepsi (TM), it counts against his health bar?

[UPtimist]

Originally Posted by booB

What if the main character, well-written, loves Refreshing Cola-Cola (TM)? And he has a health bar, and the only way to replenish his health is to collect a Refreshing Cola-Cola (TM), and then drink the Refreshing Cola-Cola (TM)? And if you find a Pepsi (TM), it counts against his health bar?

Then I'd say it's not product placement but an advertisement in the form of a game. Huge difference.

Anyways, I'm on the side of rather not have advertising, but I don't mind if it's first of all implemented so that it's not obtrusive (i.e. if there's a billboard and it's not the centre of attention - fine, does it matter if the ad is real or not? But if it's something that's clearly meant as an advertisement somewhere where advertisements don't go (I hope you know what I mean, like a character talking about how great some product is) then it's just ridiculous and to me shows that the makers don't really care about the product - just about making money) and secondly it helps to make a better game (with more budget) or sell the game for cheaper.

And obviously it depends where it is. In a real-world, not-so-serious (and not-so-atmospheric) game they can go, in a fantasy game, a historical game, a very serious game etc. they just won't fit.

Also, for a multiplayer game like Counter-Strike (not that I've played that in years), I wouldn't mind an ad whilst you're onnecting to a server or something, just as long as it's not in the middle of a game (but then again, CS would be one of those games that's purely "mindless" fun in that it doesn't require any kind of investment, it doesn't have any kind of story and doesn't have any need for any kind of atmosphere really, so there you might accept ads much more easily than in a single-player, (more or less) story-driven (or at least story-having) game.

[Bon]

Originally Posted by booB

What if the main character, well-written, loves Refreshing Cola-Cola (TM)?

Yes.

And he has a health bar, and the only way to replenish his health is to collect a Refreshing Cola-Cola (TM), and then drink the Refreshing Cola-Cola (TM)? And if you find a Pepsi (TM), it counts against his health bar?

I never said that. Jokes are supposed to make sense if they are to be funny.

Originally Posted by UPtimist

something that's clearly meant as an advertisement somewhere where advertisements don't go (I hope you know what I mean, like a character talking about how great some product is)

You say that, yet no one has a problem with James Bond (for instance) driving a BMW. I don't see a problem with that if it contributes to the character. If I said to someone in real life that I like Pepsi, that wouldn't be an advertisement. Why should it be different in a video game? After all, writers of modern day games are trying to make their characters sound like real people, and real people say things like that.

doesn't have any need for any kind of atmosphere really

Actually, MP games do need atmosphere. I think it's more fun when you're in the character (another soldier in the front rows of WW2 fighting for his nation, for example), then when you're just playing to mindlessly kill some time.

[Lana Cherin]

I can't imagine anyone would like ads in games.

But, then again, there is always somebody (at least one somebody) who will argue anything. And as this one literally serves the purposes of commercialism... I'm sure there will be many too many willing to pay to be crassly solicited.

[thejobloshow]

[*]1.if you in general disliked in-game advertisement? or does it maybe depend upon sth.(creativity,enhancing realism?)
Depends, but it's a concept I hope stays in Pandora's Box. Usually it is seamless... like a character getting refreshed by going to a vending machine - but if it's like Frito Lays lying on the ground like health packs or Snake from Metal Gear Solid listening to an iPod then it's a problem.
[*]2.maybe you have any other examples of games, in which it was well (not well) used?? would you like in-game ads to be forbidden at all?
i wouldn't be upset if it were forbidden or legislation - in fact I'd be relieved. You can go here: http://www.ugo.com/games/video-game-product-placement to find examples of horrible placement.

[orient]

It's completely dependent on the context in which the ad is shown. For example, if a racing sim has billboards around the track then I'd almost prefer them to advertise real products rather than made-up ones because it adds to the realism.

Product placement is fine if it makes sense and the game doesn't go out of its way to focus on the product. I'm sure Heavy Rain had a few Sony products sprinkled throughout the adventure, but it was never intrusive.

However, it can be done poorly. In Alan Wake, there's a moment in the game where a car advert pops up on a TV, in a scene that is supposed to be tense and creepy. It's moments like these that have the potential to ruin the atmosphere of a game.

Ads within the GUI, before starting a game or during load screens irritate me a lot. In fact, with iPhone/iPod apps, if there's a payed option without ads then I'll always choose that.