Question of the Day, June 12, 2010

[Necrofudge]

Well if it's an advertisement for another game made by the company or something during a loading screen, then this may be alright.

However if you're talking to an NPC in lets say fallout 3, it would be annoying for them to say something along the lines of "kill the raiders then come back and enjoy the 23 refreshing flavors of Dr. Pepper."

 

[FoolKiller]

How would it negatively impact immersion? If anything, it should impact positively!

Alan Wake actually did a poor job at it. I loved Alan Wake but there were a couple of billboards where I questioned not only the content of the billboard in such an out of place town, but I questioned the cleanliness of the advertisement. Some billboards seemed like they were brand new and didn't fit in with the old run down environment. It really did kill the immersion for me a couple of times.

An example of great advertising exists in the original Splinter Cell. Sam Fisher's PDA was a Palm device. It was evident, but it fit in so well that you weren't bothered by it.

Another great example is the updates by UFC Undisputed 2009. The automatic title updates change the ring advertisements to be up to date. A month ago, it was Iron Man 2 and UFC 114: Evans vs. Rampage. Now it is advertising UFC 115. It blends in because the real UFC rings are littered with advertisements anyways. This just makes it feel up to date.

 

[T_ConX]

I think the Deadrising 2/Playboy setup makes sense, given the Las Vegas setting. In-game ads are really only an issue for me when they really break the immersion, like how the devastated urban ruins of Bionic Commando seem like the last place you would expect to find a Pepsi machine in pristine working condition.

 

[Bob_F_It]

I saw an ad for a Bond film while playing Quake Live, and there wasn't really anything wrong with it considering the bloodsport side of the setting.

 

[Souplex]

Depends. If they were to use advertisements and give us the game at a reduced price, or use the adds to fill gaps in their developmental budget then I don't mind. Otherwise it's just greedy.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Depends. An ad during a loading screen could be okay while blatantly have your characters take time out from saving the world to take about Pepsi for 5 minutes would not work.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

If I'm driving, swinging, flying, crawling, running, murdering etc through New York city and I don't see advertisements, then it strikes me as being a little odd. Whether they are real or fake, I expect that New York would be swamped with advertising, and I would like to see that in a game. Likewise with basically any game set in either our world or a reasonable fascimile of our world but with a supernatural overtone.

If I am walking through Choora's Den and I see an advert for Diet Pepsi, it tends to break the experience for me (I know there are no Pepsi adverts in Mass Effect, I'm just taking an example). Similar problems might exist if I were strolling around Cyradil and came across a flyer attached to a tree proclaiming that 'Red Bull gives you wings.' I don't want them in my sci-fi/fantasy games. or indeed in any game where it doesn't make sense.

This does of course cut both ways, as aforementioned if it is absent from a setting which would logically contain it, it feels just as wrong.

 

[Serperoth]

I was playing Gran Turismo 2, a prime example of in-game advertising done right. When racing, you EXPECT ads for car companies, aftermarket parts etc. Now if instead of car-related (and exclusively such) ads it featured ads for fast food chains, perfume and long-distance telephone carriers, that would be BAD.

'Nuff said.

 

[Megacherv]

Mercenaries 2 and Saints Row 2 have recently been showing Lynx Rise (or Axe Rise in the US) billboards, which have never been there before as far as I know. That kind of thing doesnt bother me.

 

[superbatranger]

If it isn't just thrown into the game haphazardly so the corporations can get some more truckloads of cash, then yes. It has to blend in with the environment. It has to feel like it fits in.

 

[Kapol]

Honestly, as long as they don't force the player to view the ads particularly, then I think that the companies should. Hopefully that would allow for more creative ideas to be done instead of 'space marine 5.' When the company has extra ways of paying for the huge game development cost, they'll be more likely to take risk. I'm fine with things like billboards or even ads on TVs.

Let's take the biggest recent complaint in Alan Wake, The Boob Tube achievement. I actually think placing real ads in virtual worlds helps give the feeling that this is a real world instead of a make believe one. And you didn't HAVE to watch it. You could have come back later if you wanted the achievement. What would you expect to play on a random TV anyways?

Plus, people don't complain that there is product placement in movies. It's a similar thing, except movies actually FORCE you to view the product placement. Yet put them in a game for a minute or two or on billboards or something, and everyone freaks out.

 

[laststandman]

Worked fine for Rainbow Six

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

Yeah, I really never saw any problems with even the most blatant product placing.
At least they don't interrupt my gameplay like they do with me watching TV.

 

[nick n stuff]

GTA games would be lame(r) without the adverts

 

[klaynexas3]

I don't mind it as long as it fits the game setting, and is more subtle than this:

Spoiler: What fourth wall?

Like this one?

i love both films. let's see, like if it was in a game, like ratchet and clank, i think they could pull it off like the return of the killer tomatoes did, for a comedic effect. in fact, i think they might have done product placement a few times in that game, i can't really remember. it's funny, and advertises. now, if it's a serious game, like call of duty, have it on a billboard or something like that. don't shove it down our throats, just have it in the background. as long as it goes with the game, and not taking it out of the place of the game, i think it's perfectly fine to use it in games.

 

[OmegaXIII]

So long as it isn't gratuitous (i'm looking at you Quantum of Solace) then i see no problem

 

[oranger]

I don't wanna fire up my ps3 ten years from now and see ad's for products I hated back then.

 

[Tharwen]

Yes, if they are used as they would be in the world that the game is simulating. Any more than that, though, and it just starts to look forced and disruptive.