Advertising in video games
Template:Current-GCOTW Advergaming is the practice of using games, particularly computer games, to advertise or promote a product, organization or viewpoint.
The term was invented by early advergaming company YaYa (according to its ex-CEO Keith Ferazzi).
Advergaming normally falls into one of three categories. In the first a company provides interactive games on its website in the hope that potential customers will be drawn to the game and spend more time on the website, or simply become more product aware. The games themselves usually feature the company's products prominently. These games are often reworked arcade classics but occasional gems can be found such as the Dyson game, Intel's IT manager Game, and a classic from Nurofen
In the second form games are published in the usual way that are intended to interest the player in the game's subject and cause them to investigate further. The subjects may be commercial, political or educational. Examples of the second form of game include America's Army, intended to boost recruitment for the United States Army, and Special Force, intended to promote Arab resistance to the state of Israel. Games themed for a specific sporting organisation such as NFL or Formula One racing can also fall into this category. An example of educational advergaming is Food Force made by the United Nations World Food Program and Urban Jungle - an educational traffic simulation.
In the third category, there is often forms of advertising within a game, especially of that not advertising the game maker. This is similar to subtle advertising in films, where the advertising content is within the "world" of the movie or game. There are many ways and examples of how this can be done. A recent example is this racing game which puts advertising logos directly on the player's vehicle and around the racetrack. A fictional example is Pepsi banners lining the inside of a virtual Soccer stadium in a video game made by EA Sports. A final (but weak) example is a regular banner ad in a free small-time browser strategy game. The actual effectiveness of this method is unknown because it is pretty new. However it can be a way to combat costs that the game makers encounter and reduce the cost of the game to the consumer (especially games with monthly fees) while providing an outlet to advertise ones product. It also currently helps many people sustain free online games.