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The issue of ads in games


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It might, or it could be done correctly. Putting a Sprite billboard in Everquest would be insanely stupid, but if there were a free MMO that was urban-based (say Matrix Online or City of Heroes or something) that had real billboards instead of the normal fake ones (there are billboards after all anyway), then it might actually ADD to the immersion factor. Moreover, if there were clever product placement (like a Sprite can as part of back alley litter, or real cars instead of generic ones), the game would be enhanced I think since it would be more like real life.

Nonetheless, if it's not done the right way, this could get bad fast.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ah, I can see it now... advertisements for Star Wars merchandise within Star Wars Galaxies. Maybe even new professions for players within the game, like selling little plastic replicas of stormtroopers or making and selling T-Shirts with Revenge of The Sith release related artwork on them.

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So long as you aren't fixing to snip an enemy when a pop-up ad flies out of the wall into your vision and you end up tripping an alarm trying to close it - while the enemies rush you and try soliciting you to buy their products after dropping their weapons and picking up flyers.

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Eve Online has billboards at every jump gate already. So far,the only ads appearing on these hazards to navigation are of the in game type.

But, always the big but, the images displayed on these billboards are loaded into a cache file every time you pass by one. After travelling through a huge portion of Eve's HUGE galaxy and encountering a billboard at thirty or more gates, this cache file grows quite large. Filled with hundreds of duplicate images to the point of slowing the game and my PC to a crawl.

If an online game starts putting in commercial ads to clog up my hard drive guess what?

I won't be playing the game very long.

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EVE has that stuff in it? Glad I didn't get that game then...

Pop-ups online are bad enough, you don't need crap like that showing up in a game you bought FROM them too...and SC? I'm glad you don't plan on doing that to us.

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quote:


Originally posted by Shadow5731:

EVE has that stuff in it? Glad I didn't get that game then...

Pop-ups online are bad enough, you don't need crap like that showing up in a game you bought FROM them too...and SC? I'm glad you don't plan on doing that to us.


They aren't popups. It's part of the game's background scenery. No commercial ads at all. Just things like in game wanted posters and storyline garbage. But it still loads this junk on your hard drive. Be very glad you didn't buy this wanker of a game.

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  • 3 weeks later...

So, how do you folks feel about ads in games, if they fit the game world, are non-intrusive etc?

For example, say you saw a transport ship in our game and it was bearing the UPS or FEDEX logo on the side, how would you react?

Note also that for years, sports games (e.g. racing, golf etc) have featured logos from real-world companies (e.g. Coca Cola, Penzoil etc) and with nary a peep from gamers. With in-game ads poised to generate revenues on par with [some] TV ads, it could be the much needed residual income that publishers and devs (indies) are seeking.

Remember that Hollywood have various outlets for generating extra income for their movies after the theatrical release. e.g. DVD, broadcast network, rentals etc etc. Games need that too; especially with the constantly increasing costs of game development in which only the self-funded and well established indies (like us at 3000AD Inc) can actually fund their own games.

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quote:

Originally posted by Supreme Cmdr:

For example, say you saw a transport ship in our game and it was bearing the UPS or FEDEX logo on the side, how would you react?

Note also that for years, sports games (e.g. racing, golf etc) have featured logos from real-world companies (e.g. Coca Cola, Penzoil etc)....

Yeah, as long as they're realistic. The ads in sport games usually reflect those seen in real life ... painted on race cars, pasted on billboards in ball parks ... Fed Ex trucks and planes used as a cover for some secret organization on a now-defunct TV program.

Just as long as it doesn't turn out to be a foot-in-the-door, "slippery slope" situation. The kind that allows someone to agrgue, "What's wrong with a few pop-ups ... nobody complained when we started pasting ads on jump gates??"

Realism. That's all I ask for. But keep in mind that Pan Am never actually made it to the moon-shuttle business.

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Actually, I think that a Pan Am logo on some civilian space transport would add to the atmosphere of the game. It would especially do well in a city enviroment where the designers could just toss up ad's (and prehaps even their goods, like buying a coke can to recover some health or some crap) instead of spending time making up ad's to make the city more believable.

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quote:

Originally posted by Supreme Cmdr:

For example, say you saw a transport ship in our game and it was bearing the UPS or FEDEX logo on the side, how would you react?


I would steal all their cargo and blow it up.....

I think as long as it didn't go overboard it would add to the realism of the game. And if it helps to generate extra revenue which could then be used in the future production of more 3000ad products, then I'm for it.

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Guest Hellbinder[CE]

quote:

Originally posted by Supreme Cmdr:

So, how do you folks feel about ads in games, if they fit the game world, are non-intrusive etc?

For example, say you saw a transport ship in our game and it was bearing the UPS or FEDEX logo on the side, how would you react?

Note also that for years, sports games (e.g. racing, golf etc) have featured logos from real-world companies (e.g. Coca Cola, Penzoil etc) and with nary a peep from gamers. With in-game ads poised to generate revenues on par with [some] TV ads, it could be the much needed residual income that publishers and devs (indies) are seeking.

Remember that Hollywood have various outlets for generating extra income for their movies after the theatrical release. e.g. DVD, broadcast network, rentals etc etc. Games need that too; especially with the constantly increasing costs of game development in which only the self-funded and well established indies (like us at 3000AD Inc) can actually fund their own games.

Dude, That would be awesome!! I would love to take out and or escort a Fed-ex courrier in a BC game !!

Heck.. Then we could destroy McCdonalds and Wendys and Pizza Hut and Edwards Theatres, and heck.. Wal-Mart on planet bases and cities

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quote:

For example, say you saw a transport ship in our game and it was bearing the UPS or FEDEX logo on the side, how would you react?

If you poke around in the Rebalance mod for Freelancer, there is a FEDEX Ship. Basically a very crudely done tractor trailer with engine pods bolted onto it, you can buy it as a freighter on a couple of the planets. I laughed my a$$ off when I first saw it.

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Guest Shingen

Please, please PLEASE put a Starbucks next to a Starbase!

I can nuke it from space, first thing in the morning!

I can hear those birds chirping already!

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Don't forget about Planet Walmart. But yeah, I don't mind ads if they're not disruptive to the game. And its funny because every venue developers think of to get away from publishers (like Steam for example, and now this) gets bitterly scorched by everyone. I mean, I think Funcom had a great idea offering free accounts if you play with ads. Heck, I might even play it but MMO's are garbage anyway. Well, I'm getting off-topic again, so that's that.

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