Captiosus
Shared on Fri, 11/16/2007 - 00:04I don't mind that advertising is here to stay. I don't mind product placement in games, so long as it's subtle.
What do I mean by subtle? Well, here's a couple examples:
Racing games: You pass a billboard with a Burger King ad.
Sports games: Product ads on the sides of the stadium or on the scoreboard.
Basically, here's my "litmus test" for game product placement: If it's something that would make sense in real life and doesn't detract from the immersion of the game, it's acceptable.
Guitar Hero 3, however, is a great example of forced product placement that not only breaks immersion but also borders on outrageous, if not embarassing.
These things are absolutely horrible because they're completely contrived and serve no purpose other than to shill ads to a captive audience. Worst of all, most of them are impossible to ignore. While you could choose to never use the Axe themed hardware, there's no way to avoid the Pontiac shit, no way to avoid the glaring, lit, McDonalds (or Led Zeppelin) signs and no way to ignore the Wrigley gum pack. Seriously, when's the last time you went to a concert and saw signs promoting some other band's forthcoming release? I've been to a hell of a lot of concerts at the VA Beach Ampitheatre, NorVA, The Boathouse and Hampton Coliseum and never once have I seen the level of forced product placement GH3 puts on the screen.
You'll notice what I don't mention are the "band sponsors" & amps, the guy wearing the Zildjian logo t-shirt, or the Gibson guitars. These are all subtle and make perfect sense. You'd need band sponsors & amps in real life. I've seen plenty of Zildjian t-shirts being worn and since it's a music game which Gibson has licensed, the guitars make sense.
GH3's forced product placement should set the standard for what game developers should not do.
What do I mean by subtle? Well, here's a couple examples:
Racing games: You pass a billboard with a Burger King ad.
Sports games: Product ads on the sides of the stadium or on the scoreboard.
Basically, here's my "litmus test" for game product placement: If it's something that would make sense in real life and doesn't detract from the immersion of the game, it's acceptable.
Guitar Hero 3, however, is a great example of forced product placement that not only breaks immersion but also borders on outrageous, if not embarassing.
- Setlist: Wrigley 5 Gum package.
- Second venue: A "Pontiac" themed garage.
- Desert Rock Festival venue: McDonalds ads on the billboards.
- Desert Rock Festival venue (Boss DLC): Led Zeppelin DVD ads on the billboards.
- Red Bull cans scattered about on various stages.
- Axe-themed Guitars and Basses.
- Axe-themed "stripper" dancers.
These things are absolutely horrible because they're completely contrived and serve no purpose other than to shill ads to a captive audience. Worst of all, most of them are impossible to ignore. While you could choose to never use the Axe themed hardware, there's no way to avoid the Pontiac shit, no way to avoid the glaring, lit, McDonalds (or Led Zeppelin) signs and no way to ignore the Wrigley gum pack. Seriously, when's the last time you went to a concert and saw signs promoting some other band's forthcoming release? I've been to a hell of a lot of concerts at the VA Beach Ampitheatre, NorVA, The Boathouse and Hampton Coliseum and never once have I seen the level of forced product placement GH3 puts on the screen.
You'll notice what I don't mention are the "band sponsors" & amps, the guy wearing the Zildjian logo t-shirt, or the Gibson guitars. These are all subtle and make perfect sense. You'd need band sponsors & amps in real life. I've seen plenty of Zildjian t-shirts being worn and since it's a music game which Gibson has licensed, the guitars make sense.
GH3's forced product placement should set the standard for what game developers should not do.
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Comments
Submitted by Falelorn on Fri, 11/16/2007 - 00:46
Submitted by pp2 on Fri, 11/16/2007 - 04:52
Submitted by KingBayman on Tue, 11/20/2007 - 08:09