14 DAY TRIAL // Following the release of the record-breaking Rockstar game Grand Theft Auto IV, many people have started to either praise or to accuse GTA for all sorts of things - from the increase in violence to the lower income in cinema ticket sales. The latest accusation (if we can call it that) is about the in-game advertising which will boom also because of GTA IV.
Paul Jackson, principal analyst at Forrester, has told The Economic Times that now, because video games are capable of challenging blockbuster movies and since more people prefer to play games to going to cinema, renting DVDs or even downloading music, it seems only natural for companies wanting to promote their products to head to the gaming industry.
Even though it wouldn't be a first (games like Counter Strike or Splinter Cell - to name just a few, have already given away advertising space), an advertising campaign in video games will become the next big thing mostly because of Grand Theft Auto IV. Even though in-game advertising doesn't really exists in GTA IV (as you probably know, only fictitious brands are present in the game world), the analyst says that just looking at the ads and seeing how well they're implemented proves you that this is the future of advertising.
However, Paul Jackson suggests that everything has to be done flawlessly in order to have a positive result: "There's no point putting a Coke logo on a virtual vending machine if it's going to have a zombie's brains splattered all over it".
And, even though some people might be against the introduction of in-game advertising, I really think that it would be only for the gamer's own well-being: advertising means more money for the developers (money that will hopefully be invested in the development process) and, why not?, even cheaper prices for the games. I'd accept a big huge Coke banner in GTA V for that!