What will make western gamers more accepting to "product placement"

[gyrobot_v1legacy]

In beat them ups like Yakuza you see a lot of product placement from drinks to cell phones and even real franchises with the occasional promotion based of their franchise as seen here.

Yet, when we mention these words in a Grand Theft Auto or Crime Sandbox game the gamers cringe at any thought of product placement. From the Keighley Doritos incident to EA's DLC. We have spit at the product placement by games.

So tell me, how will games accept product placement, a game like GTA can be even more popular if we can go to a mcdonalds and chow down.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

The problem with the Western examples you cited it that they were so forced. A GTA game would be perfect for product placement; being able to go to a KFC and chow down would make sense within the world. Having a gigantic Nissan sign outside of a power station that somehow draws no energy and converts your citizens into the happiest, most hardworking people in the multiverse is just... excessive.

 

[Thedutchjelle]

Make them guns.

All of BF3's weapons were real rifles that one can buy, and I heard no outcry over that.

I guess because they blend in with the game - don't make your ads stand out but make them blend in and people will accept them sooner.

 

[Shpongled]

I'm sorry but.. is the notion of being able to go to McDonalds in a GTA game really that exciting? I don't want product placement in my games because i do not particularly like being advertised at. I do not want to be manipulated into separating myself from my cash by a multinational multimillion dollar burger corporation whilst i'm playing video games, thank you very much. I get enough of that watching TV, and browsing the internet, and going to the cinema, and driving to work, and walking through town, and so on ad nauseum. There are very few areas of my life left where i'm not being barraged by adverts.

Seriously, yet more advertising is not a good thing. I'd be a little more supportive if it were advertising for local businesses or some such, but it's always the same fucking corporations, corporations the names of which are already ingrained into society itself the world over.

Seriously, fuck advertising, fuck big corporations that have enough money to force their fucking advertising right into my living room. If we must have advertising advertise for that local independent shop that just opened down the road, not fucking McDonalds. I'm already well aware of McDonalds. (And by "McDonalds", i mean all the usual big names that you see plastered everywhere you go)

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I'm sorry but.. is the notion of being able to go to McDonalds in a GTA game really that exciting? I don't want product placement in my games because i do not particularly like being advertised at. I do not want to be manipulated into separating myself from my cash by a multinational multimillion dollar burger corporation whilst i'm playing video games, thank you very much. I get enough of that watching TV, and browsing the internet, and going to the cinema, and driving to work, and walking through town, and so on ad nauseum. There are very few areas of my life left where i'm not being barraged by adverts.

Seriously, yet more advertising is not a good thing. I'd be a little more supportive if it were advertising for local businesses or some such, but it's always the same fucking corporations, corporations the names of which are already ingrained into society itself the world over.

Seriously, fuck advertising, fuck big corporations that have enough money to force their fucking advertising right into my living room. If we must have advertising advertise for that local independent shop that just opened down the road, not fucking McDonalds. I'm already well aware of McDonalds. (And by "McDonalds", i mean all the usual big names that you see plastered everywhere you go)

FIGHT THE POWER.

Seriously though, advertising could be a VERY good thing for the games where it's not immersion shattering. That's a huge cash pipeline, which could go directly into development costs and result in a better, richer game.

It's also another way a developer could be put in contact with money and perhaps bypass publishers entirely, allowing them a lot more freedom in terms of the kind of game they want to create and how many resources they have to make that game.

 

[ToastiestZombie]

The problem with the Western examples you cited it that they were so forced. A GTA game would be perfect for product placement; being able to go to a KFC and chow down would make sense within the world. Having a gigantic Nissan sign outside of a power station that somehow draws no energy and converts your citizens into the happiest, most hardworking people in the multiverse is just... excessive.

I dunno, GTA's charm is the blatant parodies of various pop-culture icons and businesses. Just having KFC in the game instead of a parody would actually look out-of-place in-between the massive amount of parodies the games have.

OT: I don't mind product-placement if it's used sparingly and non-obtrusively. The product placement in MGS4 (Just finished it so it's still on my mind) was bad because well, why is EVERYONE in the game either using Apple Macs or Sony Erricsons? It just brings you out of the game if you see everyone using the same brands.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

I dunno, GTA's charm is the blatant parodies of various pop-culture icons and businesses. Just having KFC in the game instead of a parody would actually look out-of-place in-between the massive amount of parodies the games have.

True enough. Maybe something like Sleeping Dogs would be a better fit? Like @BloatedGuppy said, it's a great way for the developers to earn a bit of extra money to go towards helping them make more games.

More subtle product placement works better on me, personally, too. When I see someone drinking a Coke in a movie or something, sometimes it mkaes me want a Coke. I mean, already like Coke, but that's a Coke I wouldn't have bought otherwise. Coke.

The "Doritogate" thing, on the other hand, made me uneasy about buying a product I like. I mean, it didn't stop me altogether, that'd be a silly reason to stop buying something you enjoy. I have found myself buying fewer packets of Doritos, since, though.

 

[aba1]

For me it doesn't really matter all that much unless it takes away from the game.

 

[Tazzman]

The real question is why have them in the first place. I don't see how adverts could improve a game in any way. If any thing it'll just make a bidding war between corporations and then gaming would get ugly. That or developers would use it s a form of microtransaction: "Niko just bought a burger, pay £0.69 to have the burger upgraded to a big mac" haha

 

[sextus the crazy]

The thing is that, for the most part, we don't want product placement in our games. Outside of the realistic weaponry in military shooters, it seems out of place or as in the GTA example goes against the parody nature of said game.

 

[Windcaler]

The issue I have with product placement is they usually have no place. I recall Bionic commando being the one that had the biggest problem. First off you couldnt pick up and toss those pepsi machines at enemies unlike just about everything else in the game. Then as you were swinging through a freshly nuked city you found ads (I think they were Nokia ads) in perfect condition. It was immersion breaking

If they were able to put in product placement that I didnt notice or didnt seem out of the ordinary I would be fine with it but thats yet another problem because an ad is trying to get your attention. Its a catch 22

I cant think of product placement that was done well yet

 

[gyrobot_v1legacy]

The problem with the Western examples you cited it that they were so forced. A GTA game would be perfect for product placement; being able to go to a KFC and chow down would make sense within the world. Having a gigantic Nissan sign outside of a power station that somehow draws no energy and converts your citizens into the happiest, most hardworking people in the multiverse is just... excessive.

I dunno, GTA's charm is the blatant parodies of various pop-culture icons and businesses. Just having KFC in the game instead of a parody would actually look out-of-place in-between the massive amount of parodies the games have.

OT: I don't mind product-placement if it's used sparingly and non-obtrusively. The product placement in MGS4 (Just finished it so it's still on my mind) was bad because well, why is EVERYONE in the game either using Apple Macs or Sony Erricsons? It just brings you out of the game if you see everyone using the same brands.

And now you can pay Rockstar to make jokes about your company, it helps with PR since it says "We are thick skinned." Similar to Murdoch's attitude towards simpsons' mockery of Fox. So if they want to replace burger shot, have it reported on the news and later at the restaurants on how McDonalds waged a deadly fast food war on Burger Shot here in Los Santos/Vice City/Liberty and has replaced their branches.

 

[Lucem712]

I don't know, we get so many ads everywhere else, it would be kind of annoying to boot up a game and see 'Golden Arches' everywhere.

Even in some movies it can be kind of annoying when every person seems to own a desktop Mac and some expensive Mac Airbook or what have you. AND every single shot of them on the Mac is situated so the Apple logo sticks out.

If Mac/PC/Linux stats were based on movie appearances, it would be Apple=80%, PC= 19.99%, Linux= .01%[footnote]This is an exaggerated statement[/footnote]

 

[Mr.Squishy]

I already accept it completely. As long as it's not in your face and makes sense. As in, signs besides roads in need for speed, gta or other contemperary set games for example.

Agreed. For example, a McDonald's in Neverwinter or Sigil would be idiotic and completely immersion-shattering.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Having a gigantic Nissan sign outside of a power station that somehow draws no energy and converts your citizens into the happiest, most hardworking people in the multiverse is just... excessive.

Yeah, there is a huge issue of balance with games like SimCity where buildings have to have expenses to balance their benefits, but the companies giving the advertising won't want their product to be seen to be negative in any way.
However I could see stuff like real companies advertising on a few in game billboards in GTA or simply having a coke machine in an office building in a modern set game as passable advertising.

Anyone remember the chewing gum cameos highjacking cutscenes in Splinter Cell Chaos Theory. Heck there would be some important dialogue between characters on a high tech jet and the camera would be showing... a close up of chewing gum on the table. That was really dumb, and the way it stays with you as a completely negative aspect of the game means that it does detract from the overall game, even if it's only a nitpick.

 

[devotedsniper]

I'll pass, it was annoying enough seeing the same adverts over and over again in Rainbow Six Vegas. And lets face it if we started allowing it our games would be flooded with companies fighting for space. Oh and don't even get me started if they start using video/sound in the adverts...

I don't see why anyone would really want it, would it really matter if you saw MacDonalds or KFC rather than a made up name? really?

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

When it doesn't break immersion.

Unfortunately that is something that will never happen because advertisers are morons.

Captcha: Shit (what? it said describe this brand with any word(s)!)

 

[Genocidicles]

Seriously though, advertising could be a VERY good thing for the games where it's not immersion shattering. That's a huge cash pipeline, which could go directly into development costs and result in a better, richer game.

Just like how all the advertising on XBL has brought us a better, richer online experience? Right?

Oh wait no, it's still the same price, if not slightly more expensive, and the service hasn't improved in any way at all.


If they start putting adverts in games all the money they'll bring in will just go straight in some greedy CEO's wallet. They've made profitable games without money from adverts, so why spend the advertising money on improving the game?

 

[CaptainChip]

Sports and driving games had a lot of product placement. The other day I was playing Tony Hawks Underground 2 for the first time in years, and there was advertising EVERYWHERE. There were butterfinger vending machines, cars with jeep logos on them. It was strange to look at.