Advertising is Everywhere --Video Games

It sounds like there is a lot of research to do as far as the effectiveness of advertising in video games. The revenue that is coming in from game advertising is an indicator that companies think it works, but the connection between the ad and sales has not yet been defined. I agree that too many people spend too much time playing video games, but they are definitely a source of human attention so I believe advertising in them can work, whether consciously or subconsciously. I think that video game advertising will most likely follow more traditional marketing principles such as target ads to hit key demographics--the ones buying and playing the games. I think online video games may adhere more closely to the Google models that are more complex and take into account browsing history to maximize ad revenue and effectiveness. Because of this, I expect online video game advertising to increase in the coming years because it is more dynamic and has the potential to be more effective. Traditional games that are sold to consumers will not be as effective because they will not have the advantage of browser history to more precisely place ads. Furthermore, people who buy games will play them quite a bit and the same Coca-Cola ad in a purchased game cartridge will be seen over and over by the same set of eyes. Online games will have the advantage of new ads every time that person plays the game based on their history on the internet. Furthermore, online game players will play a wider variety of games (such as the Orbitz three minute games) which will give them more exposure to more products. Overall, I think gaming advertising will follow the same marketing trends we have seen with the coming of the digital age. The more dynamic the ad, the more effective it will be and the more revenue it can demand.