Psychology of Video Game Ads

While publishers remain hesitant to fully pursue in game advertisements, it seems that simple psychology may help thm overcome the fear of putting ads in their games. The trick to creating effective ads in games explains David Edery, portfolio planner for Xbox Live Arcade is to create ads that aren't recognized as such. With 14 percent of gamers believing that in game advertisements ruin the game experience, Edery argues that "good advertisements arent seen as persuasions" He encourages publishers to look fo was to integrate the advertisements within the game.


As he explains, putting a present day movie ad in a futuristic game doesnt work because it sticks out. Things that stick out will be recognized as advertisements and thus are likely to be ignored or forgotten. Using a honda civic in a game instead of a generic car with blatent honda civic ads in the game world. He uses the example of Splinter Call: Pandora Tomorrow as a model for what ads in games should look like. The phone used by the character in the game was a Sony Erricsson, and his repeated use of it exposed the players constantly through the brand.


As a gamer i question the reliability of the information for which Edery is arguing. While i agree that it may be smoother for game publishers to integrate ads within the game, there also is the possibility that they may be overlooked. Having played splinter cell a great deal when it was first released, i never notcied the Sony Ericson brand on the phone used in the game. While a blatant advertisement may stick out more, it is harder to overlook. I have never thought either that an ingame ad had taken away from may game experience. It is up to the developers to balance whether they want to offend the 14% of gamers by placing ads in games, or risk exposing the ads the other 86% by blending them in.