Matthew Boulden

With the apparent downfall of traditional media on the horizon advertising agencies have had to adapt and innovate to remain in contact with the consumer. Recently in-game advertising has come to the forefront as one of several methods advertisers have available to sell their client's product. However as with all new mediums there comes unexpected challenges which advertisers must conquer in order to achieve their goal.

There has been much controversy revolving around in-game advertisements, much of the criticism coming from gamers, and how advertisers have gone about approaching this new medium. What advertisement agencies and their clients must understand is that not every game will be suitable when it comes to in-game advertising, and when advertising in games one must attempt to keep their advertisement within the theme of the game.

There are several key factors which must be taken in to consideration by the advertiser when considering the use of in-game advertisement. Before diving in to a largely untamed market every advertisement agency must learn that not all games are suitable for in-game advertising. Immersion is something which gamers (such as myself) admire and anything which breaks that, like in-game advertisements, can instantly become the proverbial "spawn of satan".

Good Placement Of In-Game Advertisements Is Vital

Some video games are naturally better suited to in-game advertisement then others. A classic example are sports games where the profileration of advertisements already happens in real-life, and so gamers usually accept the use of in-game advertisements in games such as EA Sports' FIFA. In video games where the profileration of advertisements already happens in real life the use of in-game advertisements can paradoxically help improve a video game's "immersion factor".

Effective in-game advertisement requires research and knowledge about the game your going to advertise in. Level design and camera angels can have a large effect on how much exposure your advertisement recieves in-game. For an advertisement to achieve maximum exposure it helps to research the design of each level\map, what the default camera position is and what camera angle the majority of players play the game at. For example, in a first-person shooter video game such as Modern Warfare 2 it helps to know where most of the fighting will occur so you can potentially achieve advertisement viewings.

For an advertisment to be sucessful it must not only be in the view of the player but also the advertisement must be well designed so the product is recognisable. As with any advertisement the person must be able to identify the brand product. In video games simple, easily recognisable advertisments will have the edge over more complex advertisements due to the fact that usually the player will be focusing on the game and not the advertisement. So the easier it is for the gamer to focus on playing the video game while also viewing the advertisement the greater the chance of the player recognising and remembering the product being advertised.

Considering that the players's eyes will be tracking the gameplay the placement of advertisements becomes essential in video games. Preferably you want the player to be able to focus on the game and also able to view your advertisement at the same time without having to take their focus off the game. The chances of the player viewing an advertisement which requires them to move their focus away from the gameplay are lower. The gameplay speed (the speed at which the game is played) and the mental focus usually required to play many video games are contributing factors to this.

In conclusion advertisement agencies have to remember a few key factors when advertising in video games. These factors being; "Is the game suitable?", "How can we keep within the theme of the game?", "Will we invoke the ire of the player and fail?", "Where will the advertisement get the most views", "Will the advertisement be in the eye focus of the player during the game?" and "Is the brand product being advertised easily memorised and remembered when viewed?". Without considering these factors advertisement agencies could see the success of their in-game advertisements flounder and fail.