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Advertising is any paid form of nonpersonal communication about an organisation, product, service or idea by an identified sponsor. The non personal aspect of this definition relates to the mass media; being tv, radio, newpspapers etc, which is able to transmit a message to a large group of individuals, at the same time Wikipedia defines product placement as whereby characters in a movie, book or television program use a real commercial product, where the intent is for a product to be placed in a highly visible situation.
Although product placement is a tactic traditionally employed by marketers in conjunction with movies and television programs, recent studies show that marketers are beginning to adopt games as a medium to reach consumers.
Balint (2002) indicates that game developers recognise a players need not to feel manipulated and sold to while playing a game, however, advertisers are sidestepping this by incorporating brands in ways so that it appears to be a natural part of a game.
According to Balint (2002), there is a blurring of entertainment and advertising arising. Game developers perceive using brands in games as a way to enhance their virtually created worlds, with brands making the game more realistic. Although some game developers purport that utilising a brand within a game enhances the credibility and authenticity of a game, it can also be seen as a manipulative tool, whereby players are subjected to a brand over and over again. The ethical conduct of advertising within computer games is then called into question.
Advertising to children continues to be a controversial issue in today’s society. Although primarily involving television advertisments, video games cannot be excluded as influential.
According to the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), corporations have realised the value of targeting to children, with $12 billion spent in the United States alone in 1999. The effect of advertising is reflected in the $800 million spent by children per year (RACP, 2005). In 1995, Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority, extended regulatory reach to computer games, after complaints were filed because of product placements in games, yet it appears that this trend is on the rise not the wane.
Blatant advertising with the use of computer games are apparent on food websites, such as Kellogg’s.com.au, who create games targeted at children, heavily incorporating their products into the game. Although the games may have an educative potential, it is primarily drilling the product constantly into the players mind. Furthermore, a popular game site for children, Neopets, introduces children to raising pets, including earning points to feed and purchase materials for the pet. It is in playing games offered on the site which generate points for the player. However, the ethical issue of advertising arises, as the site obviously condones the use of brands in the games, even providing ‘virtual shops’ such as McDonald’s on the site. This can be seen as manipulative and unethical to children, who are not yet developed mentally to comprehend the advertising strategies in play.
Balint, K. (2002). Brand-Name Products Show Up in Video, PC Games. Knight Ridder Tribune Business News(1).
British Advertising Group to Regulate Video Games. (1995). Wall Street Journal, p. B6.
Physicians, R. A. C. o. (2005). Retrieved October 5, 2005, from http://www.racp.edu.au/hpu/paed/media/print.htm
Wikipedia. (2005). Product Placement. Retrieved October 10, 2005, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_placement
