When assessing the possible growth potential of in-game advertising the thoughts and opinions of the gaming community are essential. The current media climate where the consumer is king is especially true within the games market. Few other consumer verticals are in as consistent and in-depth discussions with one another as the gaming market. It is a community that thrives on communication and the sharing of knowledge, whether it be on forums that are as old as the web or increasingly through the games titles themselves facilitated by the internet. Gamers represent a collection of consumers who have both the extent of technical know how and the drive to express their grievances at a badly executed commercial presence.

Talking to the IAB Jean-Paul Edwards at Manning Gottlieb OMD pointed out that the gaming community has grown to its current size with no help from advertising revenue; “in-game advertising is monetising a well established industry which limits the opportunities.” It also provides gamers with more reason than most other media to defend their pastime from ill-conceived marketing.

So what are the opinions of the gaming community towards in-game advertising? In January 2007 the IAB logged on to a selection of game-focused forums to conduct some qualitative research on the subject. We also spoke to Johnathan ‘Fatal1ty’ Wendel, ‘the world’s best known professional gamer’ and figurehead of the gaming community, to gauge his attitude towards advertising within the in-game environment.



Judging by the speed and the number of responses posted in response to our enquiries in-game advertising is an important issue for fans of computer and console gaming. The overarching opinion towards brands being present within games seems to be favourable, but only if a number of caveats are adhered to; the most notable being that advertising within a game has to be tasteful and non-interruptive. One 24 year-old respondent from Manchester commented that “when they [adverts] disrupt the game experience I’m totally against it and it will put me off buying games.”

Fears about intrusive marketing and the crucial issue of realism were raised on several occasions. A Peterborough based gamer, for example, finds it unrealistic if too few brands are featured in a synthetic environment, commenting; “if every billboard in a game is covered with adverts for one or two particular products I would find that distracting but if it was like we see in the real world and there were many different adverts it would actually add to the realism of the game.”

Despite the escapism associated with synthetic worlds gamers are still keen to make the gaming environments as believable as possible. The presence of real-life, commonplace brands within titles was identified within our research as a significant way to achieve this. Several different respondents commented about enjoying actual fast food outlets appearing in games. One 28 year-old respondent told us he dislikes adverts within games, but said; “I’d argue that placing a MacDonald’s burger bar in a game isn’t an advert, but a touch of realism. If advertising is as subtle as this, then sure, let the virtual world get a touch of realism.”

The Peterborough-based gamer went as far to say that his game playing experience is lessened if products featured within games are not real life brands; “To be honest if my character goes into a burger bar and it’s some made up (or even worse “amusingly” contrived) name I find that distracts from the storyline. Grand Theft Auto games for example. However, if it’s a McDonalds or a Burger King then it makes the whole game that much more believable…”

If a brand can not only not interrupt what’s happening onscreen, but also assist in the playing of the game in some way, this too was regarded positively amongst respondents. One gamer from Liverpool outlined the practical reasons for having real life brands within virtual environments: “I’d like to see McDonalds and KFC as well as Burger King, as in real life (for me anyway), they are very useful “landmarks” for getting places and meeting up...”

One respondent we spoke with, however, warned against product placement that is both unrealistic and unsubtle; “there are some games like Splinter Cell where the advertising has no realism what so ever. In some videos, the camera would actually focus on a packet of Airwaves or purposefully pan round to see a big bill board.”

World champion, professional gamer, Johnathan ‘Fatal1ty’ Wendel, makes an argument for more engaging adverts within games. It is his opinion that if an advert makes the audience laugh, they will not only gain the attention of a single gamer, but also achieve a viral uplift. “Ads that are funny and humorous in games are always great... I think it becomes a talking point, so if it’s hilarious and in good humour, it could be really great.”

The game players surveyed understood the need for a commercial presence within games. Several respondents were pleased that the injection of advertising revenue meant that although the production values of the games were increasing, the cost of the titles has remained relatively static: “Games are much more expensive to make but in terms of cost we have not felt the increase. HL2 was £30 and about 3 years ago then top game was £30 - £35. Prices have remained very level for PC Games… Advertising and sponsorship pays for most of the development costs” said a Scottish gamer, 34. ‘Fatal1ty’ was also pragmatic, understanding what the increased adspend can bring to the gaming industry, “I think its a great way to bring in revenue for the game developers and the community as a whole.”

Many consumers, however, would like to see a better return from the increase in advertising within games. A 26 year-old respondent from London felt quite strongly that in-game marketing should go some way to subsidising the up-front cost of the titles; “I would be quite happy purchasing a game for say a tenner on the proviso that I know it’s got adverts in it, however if they expect me to pay £40 for something that I know they’re then creaming cash off from the advertising, I find that quite repugnant.”

We asked the respondents about one of the particularly striking recent in-game campaigns, where a well-known pizza restaurant enabled gamers to order a real life pizza within a game, which was immediately dispatched to their address. We wanted to know whether further initiatives like this would be welcomed. The Peterborough respondent expressed concern that if they welcomed further marketing in a similar vein to this campaign they would be subjected to unsolicited sales calls; “I’m really not interested in Dominos or anyone else enabling me to buy stuff in-game. If it goes that way the next thing we’ll have will be Indian call centres trying to flog us double glazing.”

A similar concern was raised by several individuals from the gaming community who we spoke to regarding the amount of marketing that might appear in-game in the future. A 24-year old gamer from Leicester was worried that as the gaming industry grows and marketers gain increased understanding of what they can do in virtual environments that gamers might be subjected to a deluge of commercialism within their favourite games. “Advertising is big business and we are the target audience for a lot of companies. At the rate gaming is growing, advertisers are becoming aware of the possibilities that games have for their profits.”

What are the implications for advertisers?

What this small-scale research has found is that gamers are PC and media literate. They understand both the role of advertising and the fact that they represent a key demographic for many brands.

Moreover the most important thing for the gamers is the gameplay and the usability. If this is not interfered with, the audience will be more receptive to marketing messages.

It is also important to remember that gamers play games for one primary reason; they want to be entertained and interact to enhance their experience. If in-game advertisers consider this they are likely to more successful.

It is left to Johnathan ‘Fatal1ty’ Wendel, the professional, to have the final word. Summing up the general feelings of the majority of the gamers we spoke to, he concluded; “As long as the advertising doesn’t take away from the gameplay and the mood of the game… There is tons of room for in-game advertising.”