In Game Advertising

We all know that advertising is a huge part of how this world financially works. Anywhere you go you'll be surrounded by some sort of advertising letting you know of a product that you can purchase. There's nothing wrong with advertising. Our society thrives because people buy products to make their lives better, easier, or more enjoyable. It only becomes a problem because everyone is fighting for your attention.

So where do we drawn the line? Take for example you're walking down the street. You have all the advertisers lined up holding up their signs. I think it's when one of those decides they want to jump out of the line and try to make themselves more noticeable. Because of this others will start to follow suit in order not to be left behind and then you have chaos. But then again their will be those who argue that it's not necessarily that instance. They could stay in line and get bigger signs trying to garner more attention and that is already crossing over. There will also be those who say that because of this line of advertisers, they can't see the grass or scenery covered up behind them.

What does this have to do with video games? I was having lunch with a friend who works in advertising. We discussed how the industry was changing for both video games and advertising. She specifically talked about a game like Dead Rising which advertising could greatly change the game experience. Instead of just having Bob's discount CD's, it'd be cool to actually have a shop that resembled what it would be like to walk into a mall. She felt that they missed out on an opportunity and that if a sequel were made, that would be the next step to take it.

I thought that was a great point, but I worried about the amount of time it would take and secure these licenses. Also the companies would want a say in how their "virtual" store looked and felt, slowing down the development process. I do think it's an amazing idea though. Just in Yakuza 3 I've already seen the depth and detail of this concept. There are stores in Yakuza 3 that I've been to in real life Japan, realistic down to the jingle they play when you walk into the store. It was an awesome feeling to be reminded of something with that small of a detail. I could see how it would add to game play but I really thinkg it's a slippery slope that could turn into a real pain in the ass.

Thanks,
David

Don Quijote is a all in one store. They sell all sorts of random items. Everything from costumes to lunchboxes. It's only one of the example that I can pick out but..

At around 40 seconds, it'll show an ingame Don Quijote, listen for the theme music, it goes. Don-don-don, Don-Quijote. Also don't forget to stick around until 51 seconds for the best part of the trailer.


Now here's a recording of the theme done by someone visiting Japan.


It's a pretty cool thing to see video games get that immersive.