You get a say on gaming's most important issues.

Advertisements, those darn irritating little things that interrupt your favourite shows and pop up all over your web surfing, have begun to infest gaming. It's always been there in some form, but corporate sponsors have upped the ante in recent years. Red Bull featured in Worms 3D and Judge Dredd - is it the start of a regrettable trend?

Does advertising have a place in gaming?

CubeChris:

Senseless branding in games is not needed, as it detracts the user from from the game, and although this may seem like an extra level of realism it just over all seems cheap. Although in games were the products advertised are related this is much more acceptable, for example the Tony Hawk Series with ads for various skating gear like Volcom etc, and games like R: Racing with its advertisemnts for Michellin, but on a whole, no I do not want to see Mario on screen sipping at his Pepsi when you pause!

X-tacy:

As long as the advertising is done tastefully and does not distract from the game I am all for it. Advertising will make gaming a more profitable industry which will allow game developers a bigger budget. That being said the advertisement just would not work for some games. Games that take place in the past or in a fantasy world (Like Prince of Persia) cannot have advertisement in the game. Much like a movie of the same type. Product placement works for some movies such as Spiderman and The Matrix, but other movies like Lord of the Rings cannot have The fellowship all wearing Armani Sunglasses.

I think a great solution for these games would be a preview section much like you get when renting a movie. This would be great advertisement and would not take anything away from the actual game.

Ncon:

Advertising is needed for a game to be successful, but I believe the gaming community has been getting more hype than anything else. Advertising is about showing what a product is about, but hype is making something look or sound much better than it actually is, like the PS2 having graphics comparable to Toy Story. Another example, the Dreamcast sold because it was advertised well. The PS2 killed the Dreamcast from hype. So one system dies due to hype, the other sold millions. Some say it's bad, others say it's effective marketing, but we have to deal with it regardless.

kjatte:

I didn't mind the redbull in Worms 3D. What else would you call it? Energy drink? I think not. The carpetbomb in Worms Armageddon was "advertising" as you call it for a local carpet shop! It is a part of the humour in Worms.

D.Lo:

In my opinion, Advertising has no place anywhere. But then, my political views have been described as anywhere from 'Progressive Socialist' to 'If you like Karl Marx so much, why don't you marry him?'

Cross promotion within the genre could be ok. I mean, Smash Bros is basically a giant Nintendo ad! And even EA should be allowed to have NFL guys in Need for Speed or whatever.

But Tony Hawk's underground was ruined by the lame advertising of KISS. Skateboarding is an underground industry and Skaters listen to (or at least identify with) small indie bands. Tony Hawk 1 - 4 followed this idea, more or less. But I suppose they decided they've set up a franchise that doesn't need to please the culture it's based on by now, and will take cash from aging 'rockers' who have retired and come back several times.

Oh, and if advertising becomes accepted in games, EA will probably try to use the DS' second screen for Ads. That's a good eneough reason to ban advertising.

rokhed00:

As long as it doesn't intrude on the gameplay then I don't see a problem. Ubisoft have been advertizing their own games in Rainbow Six (I think), and there's nothing wrong with that. The Red Bull crates in Judge Dredd were hardly intrusive, were they? I haven't seen Worms 3D so I can't comment on that

One thing though; if the games developers and publishers are making extra revenue from advertizing, it would be nice if they could drop the price of the games a bit.

therealcarrotman:

We don't want senseless marketing in games, but if we pay less for them, and if it is done tastefully and discretely (like in F-Zero, where they advertised for the Gamecube, and in football games it actually adds to the realism), then I am not completely against it. However, I think if it becomes popular enough it will be overdone, so I'm not sure.

chuck12345:

I'm gonna have to say yes, although it depends on what type of game it is. I mean if it takes place in a futuristic and or city setting then, yeah, you could probably put some ads in there. If you have a game like Animal Crossing, I'd say what's the point? Certain genres just aren't made for advertising.

Sushi:

Advertising has a place in games, just like it does in movies. Anything that cuts production costs, and doesn't compromise the quality of the product should be welcomed. Product placement is common in television and movies, so why not in games?

Hellfire:

Well, advertising IN games, yeah, depending on the game. Games like FIFA, F1, GTA for example seem more realistic with ads. But I wouldn't really like to see a Pepsi ad on Mario Advertising of games, sure why not? It's an industry that has to sell, so it's only natural that they advertise. Of course high quality ads are appreciated, but that doesn't always happen.

That's all for this week's edition. Be sure to check out the latest thread for the next topic, and your name could be here next Saturday. Didn't contribute? You can still post your thoughts below.