Poll: These Obnoxious Half-Screen ads

[ZombieGenesis]

This also means I can now never buy a Mass Effect game.
My rule is; if an Ad pisses me off, I will never buy the product it is trying to sell.

Started with a car advert that was, no joke, SIX MINUTES LONG and would play before every video I tried to watch on this one website.

 

[lacktheknack]

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/5494/hehp.png

Seems appropriate.

Anyways, if they REALLY annoy you, join pub-club. They don't get ads. They don't annoy me too bad (I thought the above pics were hilarious).

 

[lacktheknack]

This also means I can now never buy a Mass Effect game.
My rule is; if an Ad pisses me off, I will never buy the product it is trying to sell.

Started with a car advert that was, no joke, SIX MINUTES LONG and would play before every video I tried to watch on this one website.

Isn't it advertising an online Mass Effect game? If so, you're still technically available to buy Mass Effect 3, right?

 

[ZombieGenesis]

This also means I can now never buy a Mass Effect game.
My rule is; if an Ad pisses me off, I will never buy the product it is trying to sell.

Started with a car advert that was, no joke, SIX MINUTES LONG and would play before every video I tried to watch on this one website.

Isn't it advertising an online Mass Effect game? If so, you're still technically available to buy Mass Effect 3, right?

Nope, it's advertising Mass Effect 2.
So no ME shall ever plague my Harddrive.

 

[Kapol]

I find it extremely annoying. It takes up most of my screen and has been popping up on almost every screen now. I was considering getting the pub-club recently, but this kind of thing just pisses me off too much to want to give up my money. Oh well... not much I can really do besides stop visiting the site, and that's not going to happen as long as they provide entertaining videos and gaming news, so bleh.

 

[lacktheknack]

I find it extremely annoying. It takes up most of my screen and has been popping up on almost every screen now. I was considering getting the pub-club recently, but this kind of thing just pisses me off too much to want to give up my money. Oh well... not much I can really do besides stop visiting the site, and that's not going to happen as long as they provide entertaining videos and gaming news, so bleh.

...Or join the Pub Club, and stop getting ads.

 

[AetherWolf]

Oh damn, I hate when ads put a fake 'x' in their ad, leading to you clicking it and opening a billion pop-ups.

And adblock;

Y U NO WORK FOR OPERA?

 

[Kapol]

I find it extremely annoying. It takes up most of my screen and has been popping up on almost every screen now. I was considering getting the pub-club recently, but this kind of thing just pisses me off too much to want to give up my money. Oh well... not much I can really do besides stop visiting the site, and that's not going to happen as long as they provide entertaining videos and gaming news, so bleh.

...Or join the Pub Club, and stop getting ads.

Me being put into a bad mood makes me not want to give money to the place that put me in that mood, it's as simple as that. That'd be like paying someone after they kick you in the nuts.

 

[teknoarcanist]

I just wish they had a system in place similar to Facebook where I could tell them that I don't ever intend to play those games so that they could show me ads more pertinent to me. The Escapist has to make money, and ads are the way to do it. It just feels like a waste seeing ads for the same products I'm not going to buy over and over though.

Agreed. I'm never, ever going to purchase Dead Space. Ever. There is a 0% chance that I will ever become interested in doing so. Why bombard me with it? It's a waste of my time and your money.

 

[ZombieGenesis]

I find it extremely annoying. It takes up most of my screen and has been popping up on almost every screen now. I was considering getting the pub-club recently, but this kind of thing just pisses me off too much to want to give up my money. Oh well... not much I can really do besides stop visiting the site, and that's not going to happen as long as they provide entertaining videos and gaming news, so bleh.

...Or join the Pub Club, and stop getting ads.

Me being put into a bad mood makes me not want to give money to the place that put me in that mood, it's as simple as that. That'd be like paying someone after they kick you in the nuts.

Same, I refuse to join Publishers Club simply because the ads are being placed there to pester and annoy people until they do.

 

[lacktheknack]

I find it extremely annoying. It takes up most of my screen and has been popping up on almost every screen now. I was considering getting the pub-club recently, but this kind of thing just pisses me off too much to want to give up my money. Oh well... not much I can really do besides stop visiting the site, and that's not going to happen as long as they provide entertaining videos and gaming news, so bleh.

...Or join the Pub Club, and stop getting ads.

Me being put into a bad mood makes me not want to give money to the place that put me in that mood, it's as simple as that. That'd be like paying someone after they kick you in the nuts.

All right, but it would fix the problem.

 

[Burninator]

Hell, these things annoy me. Not just cause they pop up and DEMAND ATTENTION. I can live with that. But I had just typed up a 300-word post in the 'Flamethrowers' poll, and just when I hit 'post', an ad popped up. It registered my click on the ad, and took me to some fucking page I couldn't get out of. So yeah, I don't mind having to pay attention to ads. I mind having my content deleted cause of horrible timing. I'm not sure why the escapist is doing it, but however much they're earning with it can't be worth the costs.

Also, I'm not gonna buy or play either of the two games, just out of principle. I spent half an hour writing that post.

 

[TheIronRuler]

Gonna preempt this by saying I DON'T want it to become another one of those "JUST USE ADBLOCK" / BANHAMMER threads.

Just thought I'd voice my opinion that I, at least, find these gigantic hover ads, which block half my screen and force me to pixel-hunt for a tiny X, to be obscenely, ridiculously irritating. They make me want to read The Escapist / play [Insert Game] less. Advertising is all well and good when it doesn't obstruct usability. Banner ads? Cool. Hover ads off to one side of the screen? Okay, sure. But this shit's getting ridiculous.

Please tell me I'm not alone.

I don't really care since I have a very intelligent add blocker (including pop-ups).
It's more intelligent than my five year old brother, if that's any indication as to how awesome it is.

 

[teknoarcanist]

Don't get me wrong, I think the Escapist has every right to advertise, and it's certainly awesome that they've become a viable enough ad platform that AAA companies work with them now.

But blocking half my screen with an ad that obstructs me from using your site is roughly equivalent to designing a massive pneumatic billboard that thrusts up out of the middle of the highway.

 

[magicmonkeybars]

Wow, I'm glad I have the pub club membership, turning out to be money well spend.
This looks to be pretty annoying to have to deal with...

 

[Buccura]

I fully understand the need for ads but, seriously now this is just obnoxious, especially since I was tricked into clicking one and had to go back.

Not to mention it no doubt eats up plenty of memory and bandwidth.

 

[Cheesus333]

OH GOD IT'S THE ADPOCALYPSE

An ad, within an ad, within an ad-hating thread...?

We need to go deeper.

OT: They're pretty damn annoying, but the concept of those ads in particular is actually really good. It would be better if they weren't (literally) in your face about it, but it's still a good idea.

 

[Susan Arendt]

I find it extremely annoying. It takes up most of my screen and has been popping up on almost every screen now. I was considering getting the pub-club recently, but this kind of thing just pisses me off too much to want to give up my money. Oh well... not much I can really do besides stop visiting the site, and that's not going to happen as long as they provide entertaining videos and gaming news, so bleh.

...Or join the Pub Club, and stop getting ads.

Me being put into a bad mood makes me not want to give money to the place that put me in that mood, it's as simple as that. That'd be like paying someone after they kick you in the nuts.

Same, I refuse to join Publishers Club simply because the ads are being placed there to pester and annoy people until they do.

No, we don't run ads to get you to join the Pub Club, we run ads because that's how we earn revenue to keep the lights on. We recognize, however, that ads can be frustrating, and therefore make their absence one of the benefits of joining the Pub Club. We make far, far, FAR more money from the ads than we do from Pub Club subscriptions, I assure you, so it's not like we're trying to trick you.

 

[ZombieGenesis]

I find it extremely annoying. It takes up most of my screen and has been popping up on almost every screen now. I was considering getting the pub-club recently, but this kind of thing just pisses me off too much to want to give up my money. Oh well... not much I can really do besides stop visiting the site, and that's not going to happen as long as they provide entertaining videos and gaming news, so bleh.

...Or join the Pub Club, and stop getting ads.

Me being put into a bad mood makes me not want to give money to the place that put me in that mood, it's as simple as that. That'd be like paying someone after they kick you in the nuts.

Same, I refuse to join Publishers Club simply because the ads are being placed there to pester and annoy people until they do.

No, we don't run ads to get you to join the Pub Club, we run ads because that's how we earn revenue to keep the lights on. We recognize, however, that ads can be frustrating, and therefore make their absence one of the benefits of joining the Pub Club. We make far, far, FAR more money from the ads than we do from Pub Club subscriptions, I assure you, so it's not like we're trying to trick you.

As someone else has pointed out though, there are two GIANT blank spaces on either side of the screen that would make perfect ad space. I don't have anything against ads themselves, I wouldn't own The World Ends With You if it wasn't for gaming advertisements, but why on earth block the use of The Escapist itself?
It even covers the comments box- I'm writing this practically blind because I have Isaac Clarge hogging my screen right now.

It really is difficult to claim that such annoyance would have no affect on people buying into the PB out of sheer frustration- because by the sheer function of it, paying up for the members ticket would solve the problem. Whether intended or not, the function is certainly there.

 

[shintakie10]

I find it extremely annoying. It takes up most of my screen and has been popping up on almost every screen now. I was considering getting the pub-club recently, but this kind of thing just pisses me off too much to want to give up my money. Oh well... not much I can really do besides stop visiting the site, and that's not going to happen as long as they provide entertaining videos and gaming news, so bleh.

...Or join the Pub Club, and stop getting ads.

Me being put into a bad mood makes me not want to give money to the place that put me in that mood, it's as simple as that. That'd be like paying someone after they kick you in the nuts.

Same, I refuse to join Publishers Club simply because the ads are being placed there to pester and annoy people until they do.

No, we don't run ads to get you to join the Pub Club, we run ads because that's how we earn revenue to keep the lights on. We recognize, however, that ads can be frustrating, and therefore make their absence one of the benefits of joining the Pub Club. We make far, far, FAR more money from the ads than we do from Pub Club subscriptions, I assure you, so it's not like we're trying to trick you.

I understand the need to keep your lights on, but as I stare at my screen right now there are two very large spaces that have absolutely nothin in them other than the blue fade to black graphic. Wouldn't it be far less obtrusive for your users to use that space for ads, a space that currently isn't bein used, than it is to use popup ads that block peoples screens?