Video Game Ads for Kids

Children have an enormous amount of influence over their parents. It can be seen everywhere from a child throwing a temper tantrum in the toy store to the types of movies families go to see on the weekends. With that said, Cookie Jar is looking to integrate kid focused ads into their upcoming MMORPG, Magi-Nation: Battle for the Moonlands. The game, which is based of the Kids! WB show Magi-Nation, signed an agreement with GoFish, a company that will be providing the in game ads to children. Ken Locker, Senior Vice President of Digital Media at Cookie Jar, is confident that these ads will have a great impact.

Ken Locker states some people refer to the power of children in the household as the "nag factor" Yet he comes back and states that he sees kids as influencers. He further explains that when you advertise to kids you are marketing to both the kids and their parents. The kids have a limited disposable income while they can in addition, as mention, influence the purchases of the household. Cookie Jar has previously introduced banner ads into their free online titles, yet this is the first time that the games will be integrated into the game. Ken Locker stated the proposed benefit of integrated ads by stating "...If the ads are contextual, they're less objectionable. ... Kids seem to accept it."

I have never been against advertising in games, especially if it makes the game free. I respect the right of aadvertisers to put their ads in games so long as they dont interfere with the gameplay. In this case however i do have concerns about whether it is ethical or not to integrate ads into a game that is meant for children. With a demographic of 8-14 year olds, Cooki Jar will in essence be advertising to a very young age group. This kids are very impressionable so the effects that the ads may have on them may be greater than that of an adult. Advertising to children has always been a hot ethical debate in terms of television, and i wonder if any debate has arisen concern video game ads as well. Whatever the case, i was pleased to see the message that Cookie Jar will not be promoting any unhealthy foods to kids. Ethically, i think that is a step in the right direction.