Survey: British (male) gamers not peeved by in-game ads

by Ross Miller { Sep 4th 2007 at 1:30PM }

The prevalence of in-game advertisement in interactive entertainment may not be a catalyst for waning interest, after all. According to a survey conducted by GameSpot UK and the Internet Advertising Bureau, only 14 percent of those questions said in-game ads "spoiled the gaming experience."

Female opinion was a statistical anomaly, however, as 98 percent of the participants reportedly male, 76 percent within the ages of 13 and 24, and most owning multiple consoles and playing more than ten hours a week. We feel confident labeling the pool of voices the hardcore gamer crowd. However, we're also betting that this is the crowd most likely to be averse to in-game marketing.

Forty percent said that ads added realism to the game, while 33 percent said they didn't even notice the ads. Though just 28 percent felt the advertisement affected the brand, 64 percent of those felt it was a positive effect.

Most important to the advertisers, at this point one-third of those surveyed were "very or quite likely to buy a product that they had seen advertised in game." The survey was completed by 3,575 gamers based in the UK, advertised on GameSpot's page between June 20 and July 11 this year.

Tags: europe, ingameads, uk

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

ill trooper @ Sep 4th 2007 1:36PM

Bummer. I wish this would bother more people, it's a sad trend but unfortunately, it's working, at least for the companies, I mean... _Our_ price for games has risen.

Stevo @ Sep 4th 2007 2:24PM

I'm confused...what's the big deal w/ in-game ads?

A lot of the time they add to the immersion factor for me...driving around a course in PGR3 and seeing ads for REAL companies or seeing that the score is being sponsored by Pontiac in EA Sports games (like they often are on ESPN).

I don't understand why gamers are on a crusade against advertising...there's much more pressing problems facing the industry for us to be worrying about...

Dan @ Sep 4th 2007 4:19PM

If 100% of people surveyed said that they hated ads in game, and that if they saw an ad in game they would commit suicide, devs would still proceed to put ads in their games. And here is the reason why:

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

ThornedVenom @ Sep 4th 2007 5:32PM

@ Stevo: It just depends on how well the ads are incorporated.

Sports game with a sports event? Ads are acceptable. But kicking ass on a futuristic dark battlefield, with hyper bright billboards asking you to enlarge your penis? No thanks.

Jeff @ Sep 4th 2007 1:39PM

Personally, if they only appeared on loading screens and stuff, I wouldn't mind.

I'd accept an MMO that had ads instead of a monthly subscription, or any game that brought the cost down by having ads in the loading screens.

Paying 60$ for a game, and then getting spammed with ads? Boycott.

Chris @ Sep 4th 2007 1:43PM

Yes, exactly what I was going to say. If we're going to have ads in the game, then we shouldn't have to pay the usual $60 for a game.

adolph vega @ Sep 4th 2007 1:40PM

oh its not that bad. That picture is awesome.
Now if they do drastic changes like instead of over shield in halo 3 you get 'Mountian Dew charged" than that will be a problem.

Fernando Rocker @ Sep 4th 2007 1:40PM

Thats a nice picture.

DangerMouse @ Sep 4th 2007 1:41PM

Duke Nukem's boot + Ronald McDonald's crotch = Win for me.

That's how you advertise.

Loi @ Sep 4th 2007 1:43PM

I think ads in games are a great idea, they're the least invasive advertisement I've come across, bar ones that I don't actually notice. =P

It's all contextual, if you running around in GTA and there are billboards advertising real products, I think it's a definite plus and adds a nice touch. If you're playing World of Warcraft and a questgiver is telling you how great pepsi is, that's when you can complain.

I really don't see the problem if it fits with the world of the game.

Jerk Face @ Sep 4th 2007 2:04PM

You said it perfectly. I mean, in a game like Gran Turismo ads for performance shops and real-life brands are an excellent touch. And the bill boards like you mentioned are fine, too. I'm even picturing a game like Fallout with old, dilapidated bill boards of real world products that fit the setting but still push the product. That would be cool, actually.

As long as they're in the back ground, no problem by me.

Wayne of Spades @ Sep 4th 2007 1:45PM

I think as long as the ads are actually contextually appropriate to the game or locale, and the placing of the ads make sense, then it would be fine by me.

drew @ Sep 4th 2007 1:53PM

what the hell. do gamers ever think long term? i'm firmly against it, for the simple reason that the whole concept of ads is a slippery slope. next thing you know, you're going to have mario wearing sketchers. everyone is still paying the priced fixed amounts, and for those who say they are "contextually appropriate," think of what you're saying. are ads in any context ok? shouldn't you be able to decide what you buy without these ads everywhere you turn. games are just that- games. but apparently they are also marketing tools to kids who are taught that the way to happiness is a steady stream of products. jesus.

Kazi @ Sep 4th 2007 2:15PM

So how would Mario wearing Sketchers effect the game? Not that Nintendo would ever need to do something like that, but really, it won't do crap to the game besides change a single graphic (besides, wouldn't they be Air Jordans?). Advertising in games is well over do. As long as they're not intrusive like TV adverts are we'll be fine. Why not have some ads on loading screens? Why not have a Pepsi machine in the mall? Why not fight hordes of zombies inside a Wal-Mart? Why not have a "Brought to you by" every time you boot up a game or below the title of the game? Why not have a Victoria Secret commercial in the Extras of Dead or Alive? Why not have your Sims drink Mountain Dew and eat out at McDonald's?

You're simply against advertising as a whole. There's a reason TV is free -- or cheap in the case of cable and satellite. While I don't know how advertising in movies work out, I'm sure they have a positive effect on the money in your wallet or the quality of the things around you in the theater or the production values of the movie. If someone finds a successful mix of advertising we could see more of it. After all, look at the recent free games from Ubisoft complete with advertising.

MasterInsan0 @ Sep 4th 2007 2:50PM

"shouldn't you be able to decide what you buy without these ads everywhere you turn"

You still have full freedom to decide what you buy. Ads don't force you to buy anything. Pepsi could spam me with ads all day and the only thing it would do is make me want a Coke.

ThornedVenom @ Sep 4th 2007 5:39PM

@ Kazi: I'd like to add to your comment that we're steadily heading towards a world where things are getting free. That concerns everything we consider of cultural value. Free TV, free radio... soon free mainstream games.

In that sense, advertising is probably THE solution (unless you opt for micropayments).

PS: To illustrate my point on "free culture", a lot of people download mp3s and movies illegally without any criminal guilt because they feel as if it were normal to share culture around.

Steve @ Sep 4th 2007 1:55PM

Sounds very unscientific. There are a variety of problems with internet surveys in general, but the biggest problem with this one is that they are asking people who click banner ads on web pages whether they mind advertising. Of course they don't!

Loi @ Sep 4th 2007 2:02PM

So in the case of a company recreating our world, you'd rather have them what, have inaccuracies by omitting ads that are present in our world? Or just have fake advertisements? You see billboards in real life, you see people walking down the road in Addidas in real life, yet if you had people walking down the road in a videogame wearing name brands it's wrong?

With the increase of development costs for games nowadays, and the lack of a proportionate increase in the costs, I think any money they can recuperate without hampering the game experience is damn fair on their part.

Too many gamers deem so many things their right. They have the right to things like full framerate, lack of bugs, products being actually finished, but adverts? Jesus, I don't get why people are so against advertising in the first place! This is the most mundane form, you watch 5 minutes of adverts in a 20 minute show, you have your internet browser struggling to keep pop ups at bay, but when you walk past an ad in a video game...THE HORROR!

samfish @ Sep 4th 2007 2:05PM

I'm not comfortable with in-game ads, personally. If they're going to do it, then we shouldn't have to pay less. By these companies accepting ads and then making us consumers pay the same amount, we're receiving no benefit or return.
That's just wrong.

samfish @ Sep 4th 2007 2:07PM

Er, I mean, we SHOULD be able to pay less if there are going to be ads in the game.

Loi @ Sep 4th 2007 2:26PM

I'm not going to go into detail, just make a reference to how fewer people were required and less money spent developing video games 20, or even 10 years ago. With the advent of HD, games are expensive to make. Though despite the huge increase in development costs games have risen in price marginally.

Wake up and smell the hundreds of staff that need to be paid for 3 years. Didn't need that to whack out Mario 3, believe me.

MasterInsan0 @ Sep 4th 2007 3:00PM

Yeah, Loi, it's a pretty sad state of affairs if you ask me. Games require so many people to put together it's insane, and hardly even profitable anymore. I mean, sure, you've got the big wigs like Epic, and Square-Enix, and Blizzard that do pretty well, but the small timers just can't keep up. Even casual games and hand-held games are requiring huge teams.

Think of this: back in the SNES days, a typical team size was anywhere from 10-50 people. 50 was on the high end, usually reserved for juggernauts like Final Fantasy 6. Today, it's usually 30-100 people, with even bigger teams on some.

Games today still cost about what they cost back then, even though team sizes are approximately doubled. It's the reason that EA runs their development houses like sweatshops: they need to save cash where they can, and rather than find a more efficient method of doing it, they took the easy route and made their current employees work 16 hour days.

Mike @ Sep 4th 2007 2:06PM

Give them an inch they'll take a mile. Expect to see spooling ads while the levels load.. oh and the level loads will be artificially extended so they can run long ads. BELIEVE IT.

Nushio @ Sep 4th 2007 2:22PM

Bah, 83.5% of all statistics are made up in thin air, and 41% of those aren't really understood.

Loi @ Sep 4th 2007 2:32PM

Also, all major mediums have advertisements (hell, even niche ones, like comics), people complain about games being dismissed, and now they're bitter that their games are so widely recognised that companies would have to be deaf, dumb AND stupid to not realise the money making potential of advertisements.

People against ALL advertisements in games are not living in the real world. They seriously expect games grossing more than many movies to not advertise?

Kazi @ Sep 4th 2007 2:35PM

I could see a 2 SKU thing happening in the future similar to what Ubisoft's done with their games making them free. One full price game with no adverts, then a half price version of the game with adverts.

Forsakyn @ Sep 4th 2007 2:40PM

Really nice job with the picture. I've talked to a lot of guys that are in spec ops, and the one thing they fear the most is the dreaded "Sneak King." To see a rare shot of the Sneak King about to ambush those soldiers with burgers - chills down the spine. Joking aside, it really is a cool picture. :)

Vegnagun @ Sep 4th 2007 2:53PM

Like many people have said on this post, ads are great for immersion as long as they fit the context, and I couldn't agree more. I love seeing pepsi billboards in racing games, or axe signs in Rainbow. Just don't make the products power-ups or something.

When the time comes that Mario starts popping enzyte to get big instead of mushrooms, that's where I'm drawing the line.

Happifungi @ Sep 5th 2007 12:51AM

well said, good sir

Justin @ Sep 4th 2007 4:23PM

The only thing that bothers me about in game ad's is that dev's might start only making games that support them. I mean how would you fit an ad for a contemporary company into Assassins Creed or The Elder Scrolls, it worries me that we could see the end of games like this if they can't advertise the latest movie or drink in them.

Sure the ad's in Rainbow Six were ok, but surly the greedy publishers like Activision, EA and Ubi are only going to green light project that they can sell advertising in soon.