Comments on: Questioning Heavy-Handed In-Game Ad Campaigns

By: David J Edery

David J Edery — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 15:16:25 +0000

Yup — looks like the guys at Joystiq did a bit of photoshopping of their own, but didn’t say so in their post. I got in touch with someone who said the screenshot is “similar” to what appeared in the game. I’ll have to track down more shots.

By: Philip Tan

Philip Tan — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 09:08:39 +0000

Oops, it’s from Joystiq. Oh well…

By: Philip Tan

Philip Tan — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 09:06:40 +0000

It’s also possible that Dave’s graphics card can’t handle modern lighting effects…

By: breath

breath — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 02:16:50 +0000

I don’t think that’s an in-game screenshot.

If you look at the Ars Technica article you linked to the other day, they have a very different screenshot.

Theirs looks much more unobtrusive, and it makes more sense because the ad campaign was for a $2.99 subway special, not Subway in general.

Your point is made, though. People buy games to get away from the real world.

Also, BTW, the comments page is completely hosed in FF 1.5, and extremely difficult to use in IE. I apologize for any typos — I can’t see half of this textarea.

By: Alec Austin

Alec Austin — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 09:16:09 +0000

There’s also the concern that in-game environments tend to be more limited than out-of-game environments, especially in multiplayer FPS games where you spend most of your time running around the same areas of a map again. And again. And again.

The psychological studies which have dealt with the subliminal priming effect suggest that it works because people only have so much energy with which they can resist being influenced, and that they tend to use it to resist the bluntest and most obvious attempts to persuade them. Without even getting into the whole question of consumer ill-will, I think it’s clear that the ad-infested counterstrike level shown above is pretty bloody obvious in its attempts to persuade and influence.