Why In-Game Ads Just Won't Work

Why In-Game Ads Just Won't Work

Why In-Game Ads Just Won't Work


With today's revelation that Sony would allow IGA Worldwide to insert dynamic ads into PlayStation 3 titles, many expressed outrage.

Throughout the comments of that piece, our readers consistently decried the idea of being presented with ads in their games, whether dynamic or not. "Any game that supports these kind of stupid ADs will never see the inside of my PS3," wrote one commenter.

I've got good news for you, though, boys and girls: I don't think these ads work quite the way the ad companies are hoping. After a few years of failing to return the initial investment, they'll be a thing of the past.

Ad agencies, particularly IGA Worldwide, tout the idea of dynamic in-game ads as a win-win situation. These ads, they say, provide an additional, basically free-of-charge revenue stream for developers and publishers, and give gamers an enhanced sense of realism.

This enhanced realism is based entirely on the idea that ads permeate our daily lives to the extent that any recreation of reality lacking them will be unconsciously seen as less than perfect.

While that is probably true – it's almost impossible to find a public space not spackled with ads anywhere in the United States – I think these marketing types are giving far too much credit to the advertisements they spawn.

When I walk down the street and see a wall covered in ads, what do I see? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Like a toothache, the more you're exposed to ads the easier it becomes to simply ignore them, to the point where ads now often register only as blur, unless they're particularly clever or well-crafted.

When we play games, just as when we engage in any fiction, whether it be books or film, we're purposefully suspending disbelief in an effort to escape the same sort of real-world banality typified by our constant exposure to ads.

If our minds, minds that have become so desensitized to advertisements in the real world, are forced to experience the same dull ads we've purposefully tuned out in reality, our suspension of disbelief is going to amplify their presence – in short, they'll stick out like a sore thumb.

Therein lies the issue: These ads are supposed to "enhance realism" by blending into the background, but all they really do is momentarily distract from enjoyment of games. Inevitably this will only compound the anger gamers are already expressing at the idea of ad agencies finding yet another vector through which to push their wares.

I don't expect gamers to publicly boycott these companies – no amount of organization ever means anything with this crowd – but I think the effect that the ads will have on players will stick with them long enough to affect their purchasing choices the next time they head to the supermarket.

Image: anonfx/Flickr

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