In-Game Ads - A Great Opportunity if Indies Stay Away?
by Nick Zafiris · in General Discussion · 05/27/2005 (6:52 am) · 48 replies
From a Gamasutra article...
That's a lot of cash. I see two perspectives here. One is that what the big companies are doing with in-game ads and their whole commercialism is to further increase the gap between the two markets (indie/commercial) in terms of revenues, budget, exposure, and even separate the players further between hard core game players and indie game players. The reason is, I don't think indie game players want to see ads in their game. They're more interested in quality gameplay and fun. I personally don't want to see commercials in games. This could be a great opportunity if we stay away from in-game advertising by capturing the market that will turn their back to those big commercial games.
The other perspective is that we can get a piece of the pie from that $1 billion and that increased budget will certainly make us more competitive by enlarging our teams, buying better tools, marketing, etc. Sure, we wouldn't get GM car billboards or coca cola ads but smaller companies might be willing to pay a small amount for their products to be displayed. Don't know of any indie studio that couldn't use even $1000 extra.
I'm just curious what other indies think about this and what's best for us. Please keep it civilized.
Nick
Quote:- A study by survey company Yankee Group predicts that game-related advertising, as recently seen in Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, will be a $800 million market by 2009, up from its size of $120 million in 2004. Mitch Davis, CEO of in-game advertising placement company Massive Inc., supported the study with his own prediction that the income game-related advertising would reach $1 billion by 2010. The Yankee Group study further indicated that one-third of the revenue will likely come from advergaming projects, rather than product placement or sponsorship within retail games.
That's a lot of cash. I see two perspectives here. One is that what the big companies are doing with in-game ads and their whole commercialism is to further increase the gap between the two markets (indie/commercial) in terms of revenues, budget, exposure, and even separate the players further between hard core game players and indie game players. The reason is, I don't think indie game players want to see ads in their game. They're more interested in quality gameplay and fun. I personally don't want to see commercials in games. This could be a great opportunity if we stay away from in-game advertising by capturing the market that will turn their back to those big commercial games.
The other perspective is that we can get a piece of the pie from that $1 billion and that increased budget will certainly make us more competitive by enlarging our teams, buying better tools, marketing, etc. Sure, we wouldn't get GM car billboards or coca cola ads but smaller companies might be willing to pay a small amount for their products to be displayed. Don't know of any indie studio that couldn't use even $1000 extra.
I'm just curious what other indies think about this and what's best for us. Please keep it civilized.
Nick
#42
Now people mentioned movies and hating the previews, and yes there is normally one coke or pepsi commercial at the begining, besides that it's previews. Obviously if your watching movies you enjoy movies how would you ever know of a new movie before it came out without an ad? Read an article someone wrote on it? guess what that's advertising they let writers into early previews so they will write about it thus advertising it to people. Advertising is what makes it possible for a lot of industry to function. Same thing goes for video games, you wouldn't know about a new video game coming out unless you caught some advertising about it and once again that includes all articles and beta tests. So if those didn't exist someone woul dhave to randomly buy the game (from advertising on the box designed to ge tyour attention so without that it would just be the name in times new roman font and are you going to take the chance on just that?) then that person would have to like it and tell others, but unfortunatly he'd be advertising his enjoyment for the game then slowly others would have to buy it and the community wouldn't grow fast enough to be fun for online play.
So if your going to complain don't use examples that make no sense focus on in game advertising on something you've already paid full price for. Do I think it's bad, if it's a full priced product certainly. Do I think it makes some possibilities for indie gamers, yes. An Indie could sell is game for cheap and then put small amounts of advertising with it to help pay the bills, and there are more and more free games comin gout powered by advertising. I think that's a shown improvement, we went from online only games being an hourly fee to a monthly fee to some now being free of subscription.
And one last though think of game like WoW, and instead of paying each month you have to sit through some ads while it's loading and maybe some while it's unloading. It would be just like a commercial you could go get a drink while it's loading and closing if you wanted, the company is still paying for the ad. WoW would make plenty of money, you would save money. Win win thanks to corporation advertising
11/07/2006 (7:14 am)
This thread is insane, first off is the fact of people relating tv ads to in game ads. Huge difference, here's how a game you pay for the company is usually making it's profit off of the buyers so ads are just greed. TV ads are opposite for cable your paying to have the service come not for the tv channels. The channels pay for their programs that cost a lot to produce (especially when actors who make i tbig start demanding millions of pay for one season) and the way they bring this to the user for cheap is with advertising. So ya if you have ADD that you can't manage through 3 minute commercial blocks then well that's sad. Now people mentioned movies and hating the previews, and yes there is normally one coke or pepsi commercial at the begining, besides that it's previews. Obviously if your watching movies you enjoy movies how would you ever know of a new movie before it came out without an ad? Read an article someone wrote on it? guess what that's advertising they let writers into early previews so they will write about it thus advertising it to people. Advertising is what makes it possible for a lot of industry to function. Same thing goes for video games, you wouldn't know about a new video game coming out unless you caught some advertising about it and once again that includes all articles and beta tests. So if those didn't exist someone woul dhave to randomly buy the game (from advertising on the box designed to ge tyour attention so without that it would just be the name in times new roman font and are you going to take the chance on just that?) then that person would have to like it and tell others, but unfortunatly he'd be advertising his enjoyment for the game then slowly others would have to buy it and the community wouldn't grow fast enough to be fun for online play.
So if your going to complain don't use examples that make no sense focus on in game advertising on something you've already paid full price for. Do I think it's bad, if it's a full priced product certainly. Do I think it makes some possibilities for indie gamers, yes. An Indie could sell is game for cheap and then put small amounts of advertising with it to help pay the bills, and there are more and more free games comin gout powered by advertising. I think that's a shown improvement, we went from online only games being an hourly fee to a monthly fee to some now being free of subscription.
And one last though think of game like WoW, and instead of paying each month you have to sit through some ads while it's loading and maybe some while it's unloading. It would be just like a commercial you could go get a drink while it's loading and closing if you wanted, the company is still paying for the ad. WoW would make plenty of money, you would save money. Win win thanks to corporation advertising
#43
I dont buy games to watch commercials, I find it annoying enough when you cant close a logo splash screen. I've seen the logo, I bought the game, I obviously know who made it. I've never said to myself 'hmm who makes the game I play everyday?' Good thing that splash screen is there I'd never know!
And the consumer is never going to save any money by companies advertising. The companies will pocket the extra money. Do consumers save money at the the theaters where companies pay thousands/millions to place their product in the movie? The answer is no.
btw: be on the lookout for my new game: Commericial: where you watch the commercial and then decide which item to buy. It's so much fun you'll forget you're playing a game!
11/07/2006 (7:50 am)
You dont need in-game ads for the industry to function. Theres plenty of ways to advertise without putting the ads in during gameplay.I dont buy games to watch commercials, I find it annoying enough when you cant close a logo splash screen. I've seen the logo, I bought the game, I obviously know who made it. I've never said to myself 'hmm who makes the game I play everyday?' Good thing that splash screen is there I'd never know!
And the consumer is never going to save any money by companies advertising. The companies will pocket the extra money. Do consumers save money at the the theaters where companies pay thousands/millions to place their product in the movie? The answer is no.
btw: be on the lookout for my new game: Commericial: where you watch the commercial and then decide which item to buy. It's so much fun you'll forget you're playing a game!
#44
11/13/2006 (7:49 am)
Ya 8 bucks (some theatres 10 but that's the theatre upping the price not the movie distributors) for something that sometimes cost over 100 million to make, what a ripoff huh. Cracks me up that people complain about movies, when most of the "ads" are movie previews that believe it or not a lot of people like to see, people like to see what new movies are coming out.
#45
It does not take 100 million to make a movie... hell with CG graphics you can make a movie just as good or better with a lot less. Just look at any indie film (look up 'star wreck' : and its free to download). When they say it took 100 million they are just blowing smoke and people eat it up. 'wow it took a 100 million to make it MUST be GOOD! I gotta go see that!'
I dont care about ads in movies thats part of the movie going experience... but as far as playing a video game I dread the day I have to watch a commercial either before or during gameplay.. (well dreading the future to what it will become).
11/17/2006 (9:30 am)
Yeh but like I was saying that 100 million comes from their ads & paying their over-priced actors. 10 million from pepsi, 10 million from the gap, 10 million from starbucks... etc etc the studio is not kicking out that money... 'this special effect is brought to you by 'coca-cola'. Not to mention they are paying the actors 20+ million to make the movie (thats why it cost them 100 million to make). It does not take 100 million to make a movie... hell with CG graphics you can make a movie just as good or better with a lot less. Just look at any indie film (look up 'star wreck' : and its free to download). When they say it took 100 million they are just blowing smoke and people eat it up. 'wow it took a 100 million to make it MUST be GOOD! I gotta go see that!'
I dont care about ads in movies thats part of the movie going experience... but as far as playing a video game I dread the day I have to watch a commercial either before or during gameplay.. (well dreading the future to what it will become).
#46
12/02/2007 (11:13 pm)
No one is going to pay much money (if any) for product placement in a game that has a small fanbase. I think Indy games need to survive on quality of gameplay above all. 
#47
Certainly there are a lot of hurdles to get over, but in the beginning, it will be simple ad-gets from a service, with eventually standardized libraries, that eventually not only present the ad, but provide statistics (times view, duration viewed, etc). I wouldn't be surprised if future directx implementations don't have these functions in them...
And to make sure I'm clear on the subject, fuck advertising. I don't want it in my games. I don't buy games that have it. When it gets to the point that I don't have a choice (which WILL happen), I'll find another way to entertain myself other than commercial/indie games. God knows I need an excuse to be more productive, and boycotting advertising in games may be just that excuse I've been looking for...
12/03/2007 (2:28 am)
Ads will break into the indie scene via services like doubleclick and adclick. Not so much as banners that are accessed in game, but a standard plugin into the game that will grab updated ads on launch/patch.Certainly there are a lot of hurdles to get over, but in the beginning, it will be simple ad-gets from a service, with eventually standardized libraries, that eventually not only present the ad, but provide statistics (times view, duration viewed, etc). I wouldn't be surprised if future directx implementations don't have these functions in them...
And to make sure I'm clear on the subject, fuck advertising. I don't want it in my games. I don't buy games that have it. When it gets to the point that I don't have a choice (which WILL happen), I'll find another way to entertain myself other than commercial/indie games. God knows I need an excuse to be more productive, and boycotting advertising in games may be just that excuse I've been looking for...
#48
For some games, the advertisements don't bother me. For games that didn't bother me or that I liked, Crackdown on the 360 was fine, Forza 2 is fine (in fact, I wouldn't play it if it didn't have a Focus or Porsches). One game that bothered me was Guitar Hero III, with its Axe guitar; that's Axe "body spray". Using brand names of actual guitars in that game is nice, but branding a guitar with personal hygiene products is just silly. Previously, some people had mentioned similar reactions to other games and placements, so there's no point in beating that drum, too.
For the PS2, there was game that something of a city simulator and just looking at the box made me hungry for some Yoshinoya. I also know having "The Convini" based on Lawson's (a convenience store) wouldn't particularly bother me, either.
Despite my tolerance for in-game advertisements, my patience for for out-of-context ads is quite tiny. Context matters, and I'd like to say that if I were trying to run a studio full time I would stay true to my art. The simple fact of the matter is that I would rather pay my employees so they can live their lives and provide for their families, if the choice was to fire off my employees or take advertisements, it's quite an easy choice to make from a business ethics perspective. Luckily, this is mostly just a hobby for me, but even then some money would be nice.
01/02/2008 (7:44 am)
I wouldn't be averse to advertisements in my games, but I'm fine without them. Unlike many in this community, I have no personal aspirations to do full-time game development. My finances are solid enough that I could give away a game, but they aren't so great that I wouldn't give away what I could sell. Since my current projects are a fantasy game and a farming game, I'm not sure where I could get advertising that would fit the game. Thusly, it's a non-issue for those titles. For some games, the advertisements don't bother me. For games that didn't bother me or that I liked, Crackdown on the 360 was fine, Forza 2 is fine (in fact, I wouldn't play it if it didn't have a Focus or Porsches). One game that bothered me was Guitar Hero III, with its Axe guitar; that's Axe "body spray". Using brand names of actual guitars in that game is nice, but branding a guitar with personal hygiene products is just silly. Previously, some people had mentioned similar reactions to other games and placements, so there's no point in beating that drum, too.
For the PS2, there was game that something of a city simulator and just looking at the box made me hungry for some Yoshinoya. I also know having "The Convini" based on Lawson's (a convenience store) wouldn't particularly bother me, either.
Despite my tolerance for in-game advertisements, my patience for for out-of-context ads is quite tiny. Context matters, and I'd like to say that if I were trying to run a studio full time I would stay true to my art. The simple fact of the matter is that I would rather pay my employees so they can live their lives and provide for their families, if the choice was to fire off my employees or take advertisements, it's quite an easy choice to make from a business ethics perspective. Luckily, this is mostly just a hobby for me, but even then some money would be nice.
Torque Owner Gary P
Fortunately, their ads were easily disabled and I don't see them anymore in game. Sony may be getting paid for the ad, but it's not reaching me thankfully.
If my character in the game is talking to another character who just happens to be wearing Nikes and drinking a coke...that's ok. It still fits the environment (if in a modern setting). If I'm getting hit with billboards and plasma screens screaming at me....I'm either going to find a way to kill the ad or stop playing the game.