AdverGaming
Advergaming is the practice of using advertising techniques in games and within game play. With the bloom of the information revolution and the internet bubble the use of advergaming has greatly increased. One of the most widely used purposes of advergaming is to reinforce certain brands and encourage frequent and/or repeated traffic to the websites and/or games. Advergaming is used by marketers to help collect data and with the possibility of further promotion by " word of mouth" with the gamers and their friends are also considered. Games for advertising are sometimes looked at as a type of serious game because these types of games have a strong influence either educationally or training purposes other than solely entertainment. [1]
Contents
Types of AdverGaming
Above the line (ATL) AdverGaming
Common examples of about the line advergaming include promotional software in hope that potential customers will be attracted by the game and spent more time playing the game which could be on the company’s website or hope that the customer becomes more product aware.
These games themselves often all about featuring the company’s product and are sometimes redrafted arcade classics or may be originally programmed for the company. [2]
Below the line (BTL) AdverGaming
Common examples of below the line advergaming include traditional in-game advertising and recruitment tools. The subjects that are advertised for this type of advergaming may be for commercial, political, or educational purposes. For this technique of advertising within the game, advertisements like billboards or fliers and especially product placement are used with the interplay between the player. These elements permit for a great degree of virtual advertisement.
In game below the line advergaming can potentially lower costs that the makers of the game experience, which can therefore reduce the cost of the game for the customers. The challenge here is to find the perfect balance for the amount of advertising so that the gamers do not gain a sense of irritation from the advertising.
Through the line (TTL) AdverGaming
Examples of through the line advergaming include “link-chases” and viral marketing. Through the line advergaming tries to provoke the player to visit websites that typically contain below the line advergaming with the use of URL hyperlinks which are with in the game itself. The strategy to get the player to visit these URL’s differ form game to game. Websites that use TTL advergaming often lead players on to other links which lead to more links and so on and thus warranting the name "link-chases." [3] In games such as Enter the Matrix, I Love Bees and Lost Experience, they have URLs make up a part of the backgrounds of the games such that certain plot details can only be learned by following the link that is provided in the game. The knowledge of such plot details are normally not required to complete the game, but adds to the experience of the game with a fuller story for fans.
References
- ↑ Ernest Adams (2009-07-09). "Sorting Out the Genre Muddle". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
- ↑ ""What Kind of Advergame is it?" - Four Categories That Make Actual Sense.". Sneaky Games. April 10, 2009. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
- ↑ ""Advergames, Viral games, and online flash games design" Front Network". Frontnetwork.net. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
