Random Noise

MTV: Gamers like in-game ads…

A friend pointed me to an article from MTV News titled “Multiplayer: Is In-Game Advertising Really Such A Bad Thing” (it’s buried in the middle of the page).

The author Stephen Totilo talks about a recent demo he saw of the upcoming PC game, “Hellgate: London“. Hellgate: London is a MMO style game that blends FPS and RPG characteristics. It takes place in a futuristic post-apocalyptic world. In the game, ads are integrated into places where you would expect them in real life:

Flagship CEO Bill Roper was running the demo and kept bringing his character to a grimy section of the London Underground subway system, which is nicknamed “the tube.” The walls had ads posted all over them, as they do in real life. I saw an iPod ad and one for Guinness…

The demo also included an ad for Children of Men, a movie that is also set in futuristic London.

This article is interesting to me because the author (and Flagship CEO) clearly understand how ads can enhance the gaming experience. They bring realism to the London Underground. They connect gamers with other subjects that might be interesting (like Children of Men) and other areas in the game that don’t have ads were noticeably “barren”. This is especially interesting because this is a game set in the future, not the present. Advertising in future worlds has been a hot topic ever since Battlefield 2142 announced IGA would provide in-game advertisements. But, if Hellgate: London does ship with in-game ads (the article points out the ads in the demo were just placeholders), it could change public perception.

Hellgate: London is expected to ship Summer 2007, there has been no announcement yet about in-game ads in the final version.