Don't make EA send their goon squad over to make you buy their games...
Posted on 10/14/2008 2:53:47 PM PDT by rattrap
WASHINGTON (AP) - Too busy playing video games to watch presidential ads on television? Barack Obama has found you, too, by becoming the first presidential candidate to buy ad space inside a game. Nine video games from Electronic Arts Inc., ranging from the extremely popular "Madden 09" football game to the street racing "Burnout: Paradise," feature in-game ads from the Obama campaign. The ads—they appear on billboards and other signage—remind players that early voting has begun and plug a campaign Web site.
The idea of embedding advertising temporarily inside a video game is relatively new, having only begun about 18 months ago, and Obama is the first presidential candidate to buy space, company officials said.
The Democrat's ads are aimed at gamers who like sports, including NASCAR, NBA, NHL and skateboarding, meaning EA Sports' motto, "It's in the game," now applies to presidential politics as well.
EA spokeswoman Holly Rockwood would not say how much the ads cost, but she said they are running on the Xbox Live versions of the game through Nov. 3. They began earlier this month.
The timing of the Obama ads within the video game varies from state to state. Players in smaller states may see the Obama ads for the whole month, while users in bigger states may see them for a shorter period.
"It reaches an audience that is typically hard to reach—young males, roughly 18 to 34," said Rockwood. "That's very appealing to our advertisers."
For those who still associate video games with clunky "Pac Man" or "Space Invaders" consoles, here's how in-game advertising works: The Xbox 360 console connects to the Internet, so it can be updated with new features, including ads. In the case of "Burnout," the game came out in stores in January, but the Obama ads were only inserted this month.
Rockwood declined to say how much revenue the company generates from selling ad space in its games.
"What we're trying to do is offer ads in games where we're simulating a real-world environment, so our racing games, our sports games lend themselves to that," she said.
I don’t have a RROD-machine. =]
I guess Madden’s either a Dem or one ticked-off Republican.
How dare they accept advertising! lol. Video games are for kids anyway. That’s part of the problem with our culture. Grown men acting like children.
Um, they paid for the ad. It’s called business.
They can accept the advertising, I’m not calling for a law against it I’m just not going to give them any more of my business.
I’m sure they’ll be crushed.
Now, I'm "terrified"! He's got so freekin' so much money, he even threw it away by buying an add on the outdoor channel in the middle of the hunting program we were watching--one place I thought we were SAFE!
Your internet tough guy persona is turning me on.
That is what happens when a candidate takes in 300,000,000.00 in foreign money. FEC? Hello? Anybody home? Hello?
Ha! Go play some games.
“Um, they paid for the ad. It’s called business.”
Gee, really? I had no idea, LOL! (It makes no difference regarding the point of my comment, which you missed, apparently.)
You think John Madden decides what ads go on the virtual billboards of his games? LOL.
These ads were purchased. I guess this is a new frontier for the AD industry.
“You think John Madden decides what ads go on the virtual billboards of his games? LOL.”
Yeah, right, that’s exactly what I think, and that’s just what I meant by my comment, too, couldn’t ya tell? (You just aren’t getting it yet, are you.) I guess the nuance of the comment was just a bit too subtle for you to grasp. But I’m not going to go to any more lengths to explain the obvious(at least to most). Would that I had put the word “happy” in front of “Dem” have helped you understand it clearer? Bye bye!
He’s even begun running ads on The Weather Channel! Of course, NBC owns them now.
Don't make EA send their goon squad over to make you buy their games...
I honestly can't believe this is going on in our country. Guess this is what happens after so many years of a public school system that no longer teaches students to think.
Seriously--isn't it obvious that very few people can use REASON anymore? You never hear that word. I'm teaching my kids formal Logic, but I often sigh to myself realizing that they will end up feeling pretty lonely and isolated amongst the sheeple...
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