Obama woos voters with in-game advertising

I would call it a good move. It’s time gaming fanatics glue to their screens to come out and play their role in politics. This is the first time any presidential candidate has shown the desire to actually penetrate and make an impact on a generation apparently oblivious of the scenario. Barack Obama would feature, curtsey Electronic Arts, on billboards and other signage in eighteen video games including “Guitar Hero”, “Burnout Paradise” and “Madden 09” to promote VoteforChange.com. The ads will target players in different states, however, not all at the same time. Players just have to connect their consoles to the Internet to get the updated features including in-game advertising.

The recent launch of Google’s AdSense for Games brings out the potential of the market, which was largely untapped until now. As Jake Swearingen over Bnet rightly states, with “a third of US households owning a Xbox 360, Sony PS3 or Nintendo Wii”, the gaming community would certainly be flooded with more of these. However, it depends how deftly companies and developers are able to avoid the wrath of players and still generate considerable amount of revenue. Video game advertising has to emerge as an altogether different breed if it has to carve out its own niche and target players who would not entertain a slightest of distraction. By this, I mean not only the quality and the right placement, but also age, demography and other minute aspects of the targeted gaming community.

However, I’m sure it will take some time to actually pull gamers off their couches. It stands true for fast food, but politics is a different game altogether.

Thanks Jake Swearingen

Via: BNet