Massive Exec Says Gamers Like Ads

[cleverlymadeup]

so it's not that we like ads it's that we like games that also happen to have an ad in them, so we like ads?

i don't really care for the ads, i don't care if they're real or fake, i don't pay attention to them

 

[Georgeman]

Nahhh... Real ads are boring. Fake Ads who parody real ads on the other hand are more interesting if they are well executed! Nuka-Cola anyone?

Having said that, ads are good only if they fit in the game mentioned like Sports, Racing, some Sandbox games, etc. AND if they are NOT intrusive. Otherwise they can back off. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that the developers will make them as intrusive as possible so that they can satisfy the sponsors...

 

[More Fun To Compute]

I suppose that being robbed adds to the experience of a holiday in a country with a high crime rate.

 

[similar.squirrel]

I have nothing against advertising in magazines, or on the internet. But in real life?It's filth. Nobody wants to see these garish pieces of crap pasted on every available surface. It's like being pestered 24/7.

 

[Woodsey]

So he's saying because we like games that may have ads, we like ads in games?

Idiot.

 

[Billy Sastard]

Damn right

 

[Kollega]

He has the point. When it comes to modeling a city,you need either real ads or satirical ones. They add to ambience. Real advertising would be really welcomed in city building games,i think,because it's hard to imagine a city without billboards trying to convince you to go and buy... something. But they must be relevant - it would be weird to see Honda or Sony advertising in the 50s.

 

[Flishiz]

Having walked through Times Square just 5 minutes ago, I have to day he's right.

 

[Darth Sea Bass]

I have nothing against advertising in magazines, or on the internet. But in real life?It's filth. Nobody wants to see these garish pieces of crap pasted on every available surface. It's like being pestered 24/7.

Amen! Except for internet advertising but that's why some clever bods invented ad blocing software i guess.

I actually quit using chrome because of the lack of ad blocking plugins.

 

[Blanks]

I prefer the fake advertisements that parody real ones rather than real ones themselves

even Saints Row 2 sold out with captain morgan though

 

[Khada]

fake and creative (especially humorous) adds will always be better than real adds.

 

[Murian]

Going even further, he claimed that gamers actually like ads, although only if they add to the experience. As an example, he described a hypothetical game set in Times Square [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square]; with zero advertising it just doesn't look real at all, while generic, fake ads improve the situation somewhat but still doesn't look right.

"Now imagine Times Square with ads you just saw on television or read in a newspaper-the latest movie release or television show or a new car model," he said. "Imagine further that it is up-to-the-minute, whether you played your game today or six months from now. That is much more realistic."

I think he's mistaking liking it when a gameplay setting based on reality looks authentic with liking a specific element of that setting. Seeing ads where you'd expect them is better than seeing them in odd, in-your-face places but they're still ads, and I'd rather not see any...

 

[luckshot]

well going off his example, that american's like living in america despite having to pay taxes then gamers enjoy games despite ads

people would like to not pay taxes, but that isn't an option. gamers would enjoy not having ads in their games, but unless they are in on the development they can't do anything about it

 

[Virgil]

JJ Richards, the general manager of online advertising firm Massive, says ads in games can add to the overall experience - and that gamers actually like them.

You know, I have to say that I actually do like some of the ads in Burnout Paradise. I think the "branded" vans are hilarious. Of course, I can't actually tell you what any of the brands being advertised in Burnout Paradise actually are, so I guess that's a big advertising failure.

 

[Rect Pola]

I would like ads if they decreased the cost of the game from all the revenue the developers are pulling in. That doesn't seem to be the case however.

That captures my main beef. I admit don't mind ads, real or otherwise, in "real world" games where they actively fit, like his Times Square discription; but we all know they aren't going to stop with ads there. They're going to litter them in every damn corner of games AND STILL make us pay 60 bucks for them.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

That guy is full of shit, I hate advertising! If you're going to recreate Time Square, give me the generic fake ads, realism be damned! I don't play games to have products shoved in my face, just as I don't watch TV to have products shoved it my face. The latter I can't do anything about aside from not watch TV, the former on the other hand...

 

[j0z]

I am split on this issue.
I think ads in games can be done well, and it will actually make the game better, many racing games do this, billboards, sponsor flags, etc, along the racetrack can make it feel "real".
Even in-game radio could have a few ads, if they fit the game and didn't take themselve's seriously, like this:

If we're flying through a city street in a stolen beater truck with the National Guard on our ass, it is hilarious to hear the radio calmly state "This block of songs brought to you by Ford. When you absolutely have to get the hell out of where ever you are, get Ford Tough!"

But I am COMPLETELY against ads that detract from the game, like the ads in (I think) a recent football game, (or was it a racing game? IDK), that actually slowed the game down, and detracted from the experience.

 

[theownerer]

If theyre just around the city or something i dont care at all, I barely even notice them. But if you stop my game to show me an add then il get pissed.

 

[Darth Pope]

As much as I hate to admit it, properly placed adds can add a certain degree of realism.