RE: ONLINE ADS>>advertising within games

From: Jim Dattilo <compsimgames.guide_at_about.com>
Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 11:18:14 -0500 (CDT)

I am the Computer Simulation Games guide at About.com and
have played my share or two (or dozens) of games. I think
this issue of computer games as a vehicle for branding is on
the horizon, if it isn't here yet.

The idea of branding within a game may be likened to a Pepsi
ad appearing in a motion picture, or a singer using a
specific product brand name in a song. These media are
approached with such deals as, "let Tom Hanks drink a bottle
of our soda in that scene." The more memorable the higher
the impact, so if Forrest Gump mentions, "momma says
drinking a Coca-cola can calm the stomache," that probably
has a powerful branding effect. It also lasts long: how
many times will the movie be rented, will a phrase become
part of our pop culture, etc.

I've seen the potential from branding in Duke Nukem (a
shooter style game like Quake), in which the hero stops for
a quick drink of beer before blasting away again. Was this
a subtle statement, "advertise here?" Certainly, gun
manufacturers are getting free branding when the end of a
level gives your new gift of a Franchi Spas Shotgun (and
this brings up a separate moral discussion on realism in
video games). This is also true of the growing fascination
of such games as "Browning Turkey Hunter" and "Field and
Stream(TM) Trophy Fishing." Wal-mart was planning on
releasing a computer game based on its Pro Bass Fishing
Championship, a game fully sponsored and branded with the
retailer's name.

Another possibility is in demo files accompanying the game.
Even now, your game of Quake III may have 3 demos on the
CD-Rom for other games made by Id Software. What's to stop
Id from selling disk space for an electronic commercial for
other products?

Finally, game players may flinch at the sight of an
advertisement within a game initially, but if the game is
exceptional then they won't be turned off by the commercial
message. As long as it doesn't affect game play, gamers
will be right there viewing that advertisement every time
they load up.

Jim Dattilo
Computer Simulation Games Guide - About.com
http://compsimgames.about.com/

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Received on Fri Jul 23 1999 - 11:40:28 CDT