I hate to criticise TheEscapist but....

[The Sane]

The current selection of adverts for me (all of them are forced videos):
- Sucker Punch
- Homefront
- Prowl
- Motorstorm

Sucker Punch and Homefront have both been running for fuck knows how long, it really is time they moved onto newer ones.

Prowl is a bit newer, but gets on my nerves just as much because its simply a terrible trailer... *whiny female voice* "OMG a road trip?! That sounds like so much fun!". I suppose if I actually watched that movie I could look forward to her impending brutal murder, but still.

Motorstorm is the newest, but I don't have a PS3 and so I really don't care to be told repeatedly about it.

 

[Eggsnham]

I agree with OP, but it's not going to change. They aren't making enough revenue elsewhere to support all the awesome things they've got going, so I understand Ads.

Now, the "captchas" on the other hand. Those are the true reason for criticism.

Honestly, they're annoying, they get in the way, and they're so ridiculously unreadable, that they have the capacity to be time consuming.

Why the "captchas"? Why?

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

I don't get Ads before videos, only after, which of course is fine.

Combine that with the fact that I get NO video Ads on Youtube at all, and you realize that, sometimes, Living in the "Third World" is pretty fucking awesome.... [smug face]

 

[Findlebob]

I didnt mind the one ad as they need the money, but two is over the top. Allso it doesnt help that for me some ads just break and i have to keep refreshing til i get a differnt one, two ads doubles the chance of this occuring.

 

[Davey Woo]

They used to play ads in the beginning of video clips, but they stopped that now.

I still get ads before my videos D=

One thing I've noticed with the ads is sometimes I'll get 5-10 seconds into a video, and then an ad will come up, which is a bit annoying, also once I started watching a video, and then skipped back to the first few seconds, and an ad popped up over the front of it, that was REALLY annoying.

 

[ZephrC]

Yeah, catching up on some older videos and watching that same stupid, way-to-loud Alienware ad for the upteen-millionth time in the last twenty minutes until I want to take that stupid laptop and shove it up that douche-bag's ass is probably not a productive use of anyone's time or money. I get it. The Escapist has a big promotion going on with Alienware right now. Could the site maybe shut the fuck up about it for, like, two whole minutes?

If I was ever considering buying an Alienware computer before, these stupid ads have certainly convinced me that it would be a really terrible idea. Seriously. I hate Alienware now.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

Join the Publisher's Club. It's worth it. But I will say I've gone on the Escapist where I wasn't logged in and the ads are unreasonable. I mean, there are ads at the top, bottom, and sides of every page and the ads at the beginning of every single video last far too long. Honestly, if I wasn't a member of the Publisher's Club I wouldn't regular the site like I do. I see threads like this all the time and I understand that the Escapist has to make money in order to stay up but I remember when people were talking about this minute long Slim Jim advertisement and I probably would have stopped coming if I had to watch those.

 

[webby]

But these ads are getting silly.

What did you watch that showed you 2 ads?

I just loaded up the first Hit with Axe and it went straight to it.

I remember watching every Top 5 the other week with friends and we laughed at the same ad at the beginning of every episode, but it's only 30 seconds.

Maybe it's because you're on the other side of the pond(why that would matter, I have no clue), but I've never seen back to back ads.

Gotta say, in the UK every time I try to watch anything I have to watch an advert. I can't think why but region certainly does seem to have an effect.

I don't really mind the adverts that much but they are frustrating at times, but I'm not willing to pay for pubclub so it's all swings and round-a-bouts. I will say though that the advertising isn't particularly effective. After seeing the same advert a dozen or so times, sure I remember its name, but I kind of resent it and am bored of the very concept of whatever it is they're trying to sell by the end of the week.

Back in the UK many years ago now we had adverts that would play really loudly so you had to grab a remote and turn them down. That practice was quickly banned. But if someone does something that annoys you you're not going to buy that product so ideas like that (and in turn, this) make me less likely to buy/see/play whatever it is they're trying to sell me.

 

[EvilPicnic]

Ads are fine, The Escapist has to support itself somehow.

But I wish they would get some more variety for the ads, or at least put some restriction on how many times you get played a certain thing - I've just been shown the full 20 sec commercial for 'Prowl' at least five times in the past couple of hours. It's a bit heavy-handed.

If I have to hear, 'Oh my God a road trip, that sounds so fun' again, I might start actively campaigning AGAINST the film...

 

[Pilkingtube]

Whoa, why are you criticising The Escapist? You trying to become Sir John the Net Knight or something?

OT: If the ads are such a problem for you, why not join the publisher's club? As much as we all love the escapist, it's still a company that still needs money to survive. With your specific problem however, it would be pretty difficult to somehow log "how many adverts has this IP address seen recently?" since most people block cookies. If you can suggest a proper fix for it, then go ahead!

 

[StormShaun]

I think they need a front page like IGN, easy access and also seperate system menus (360,ps3,PC) liek IGN, so make it an better IGN....I just use The Escapist for ZP and good forums to comment on, because most people are smart on here unlike IGN or youtube...

 

[Stoic raptor]

Your post seems so contradictory. Or would a better word be hypocritical?

No, a better word would not be hypocritical, please explain why that would be a better word.

Now I see that hypocritical is not a better word. Thought he said "I don't mean to criticize, but".

 

[ztara]

But these ads are getting silly.

What did you watch that showed you 2 ads?

I just loaded up the first Hit with Axe and it went straight to it.

I remember watching every Top 5 the other week with friends and we laughed at the same ad at the beginning of every episode, but it's only 30 seconds.

Maybe it's because you're on the other side of the pond(why that would matter, I have no clue), but I've never seen back to back ads.

I get one advert 60% of the time and 2 adverts 40% of the time, i never jsut get to watch it straight off the bat. I get bulletstrom, prowl,homefront, BT and the UK census (although im pretty sure those two are UK only ) and Suckerpunch.

Not being able to mute or pause the ads is tres annoying as i have a sllloooow connection so i get it bit by bit for a good minute.

 

[Evil the White]

Your post seems so contradictory. Or would a better word be hypocritical?

Well, I never like ads, but the escapist is not that obnoxious with ads. They used to play ads in the beginning of video clips, but they stopped that now. They just show the ad around the video, which I think is better.

They still do that, it's just not as common anymore.

Really? I've had it for more or less every single video I've viewed now.

 

[DefunctTheory]

SNIP

Probation stick inbound.

 

[drbarno]

Your post seems so contradictory. Or would a better word be hypocritical?

Well, I never like ads, but the escapist is not that obnoxious with ads. They used to play ads in the beginning of video clips, but they stopped that now. They just show the ad around the video, which I think is better.

They still do that, it's just not as common anymore.

Really? I've had it for more or less every single video I've viewed now.

Less common for some people then, I generally only get it a few times a week, but I don't really watch that many video's, unless I do a series run-through, which the last time was doomsday arcade.
EDIT: I must not be paying attention to my typing, I mean, sticking my post into the quote box, what must I have been thinking?

 

[GeorgW]

Join Pubclub. It's about the money, the site would go away without it.

 

[wildpeaks]

Well if you really dislike ads that may be motivation enough to join the publishers club, ad free browsing is nice.

Comes with a lot of other nice benefits too.

+1, I didn't even know there were ads in the video nowadays.