Sell Sell Sell

The first-ever Advertising in Games Forum represents, I think, a sad trend. I'm not one of those anti-advertising purists. I enjoy many ads on TV, I think they have a place in our culture, and I think kids can be taught to be savvy about them.

But I can't help comparing games to other media. Product placement is a big deal in film - there are people who get upset about it. And there was at least a stir in the publishing industry when it was reported that Fay Weldon was paid an undisclosed sum by the Italian jewelry company to write "The Bulgari Connection." I wonder, was that book cheaper for Weldon fans because they were essentially reading just one big ad? Are the games going to be cheaper for the consumers if they're sponsored by Coca-Cola? Somehow I doubt it.

No one, however, bestirs herself for the cause of keeping videogames pure. I look forward, however, to the opportunity for devilish protest as we come up with clever hacks to either erase or transform brand logos. That could be fun. Virtual vandalism!

Comments

[bowler]

I kinda like product placement in games. Like my piece here ages ago about how Project Gotham 2 felt so very real since they got not only the licenses for the buildings, but for other buildings (like Walgreens, Dunkin' Donuts, etc.) that are "corporate identities," much like the Best Buys in Need for Speed.

As far as bringing the cost down, I think that's slightly true, but don't look for those costs to be carried over to the consumers. Games are getting more and more expensive to make as the demands for better graphics, and larger more immersive environments take their toll on development. Companies maybe get 1/2 to a few million dollars total for all of the products or corporate logos placed in their games, and when the bare minimum game budgets these days is in the teens of millions (people are speculating for instance that the new EA title The Godfather is going to cost them $39 million to make, as an example on the high end), it's not like the product placement monies really represent a large enough savings to be passed on to the consumer.

In many ways, the savings is in the fact that the company is able to make a profit, stay in business, and bring us more titles.

[ClockworkGrue]

I think as long as advertising is handled tastefully, there's really no problem with it. Unfortunately, since this whole advertising-in-games thing is fairly new, developers are still trying to figure out how to do this intelligently.

My favorite EA game, SSX3, has advertisements for several different things, but it fits right in because sporting competitions in the real world have sponsorship. However, Gamespot gave a dubious honor to Need For Speed Underground 2 for their not-so-subtle product tie-ins. Of course, adding corporate sponsorship to an "illegal street racing" world requires a bit of developer judo.

[outsider]

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