Johnny Cage May Become Midway’s New Advertising Exec.
Advertising has taken over most of what I enjoyed at one time. It starts small, but it grows in to the fiercest demon of them all. We now can’t even go to the restroom without being bombarded with advertisements. However, video games, at one time, were a sanctuary where I could relax and not be pressured into buying something.But, as some of you may know, with next generation gaming, there comes next generation advertising.
The ads for next generation gaming has already begun with the Xbox 360 through Xbox Live. But, for now, the ads are small, relevant, and don’t get in the way. But, with recent news from Midway, I get the feeling that the floodgates are going to be opened.
Midway Games today revealed they have struck a multiyear deal with advertising company Double Fusion to place ads in upcoming games played via online connections
The first game to utilize this brand new technology will be Stranglehold that was announced at last years E3 2005 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Before you think that I just hate big companies that advertise, please be aware that the concept of advertising is not evil; it’s just when advertisers ruin something that’s great that bothers me. I hope that gaming companies can utilize in-game ads but not at the cost of forfeiting a great game. I want companies to succeed in making money (it’s what capitalism is all about). Heck, if they can place ads in games to make them cheaper for me, it’s all good. But, I don’t want Johnny Cage coming on my screen asking me to buy his new Ray-Ban sun glasses.
Moral of the Story: Gaming companies need to be careful how they use advertising for next generation games.
3 Comments
Yeah, I’ve been seeing the news on all of these in-game advertisements, and frankly, it scares me a little. At what point are these guys gonna stop? Advertising is all well and good, but there’s a certain limit to what people will take, and I don’t want to see ads for Mountain Dew or Pepsi or Frito Lays everytime I play some game. Not cool.
Matt, I completely agree. And I know advertising companies are getting all excited because of this new medium for advertising, so i bet they’ll be willing to pay big bucks to get in.
[...] The Best Gaming Song … So Romantic Talk 2 Me Tuesday: Justin Interviews David White Johnny Cage May Become Midway’s New Advertising Exec. The By-products of the Gaming Industry Will Microsoft Launch the Xbox 360 in China? Add to: [...]