Google Buys AdScape Media

In an interesting move that proves Google is as much an advertising company as a research company, it seems that Google has decided to buy AdScape media. AdScape has been in the news a lot recently because of a bleeding-edge market that they've almost created, and that is advertising inside videogames. Apparently last year Microsoft bought Massive, another prominent in-game advertising. It also continues the Google trend of buying non-web advertising companies. Google has recently been testing selling ads on the radio and in print newspapers in magazines as well. Apparently they are setting out to bring the highly-targeted advertising systems to less-targeted places such as TV and such. It may be working, because profits are way up this past quarter. But we'll only find out as time goes on.

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The interesting thing about in-game advertising is that, while the advertisers may lose if it's done badly, the game makers definitely also get their reputation killed by all the fans who don't want it there. It could be a really hard market to get to work well, but if targeted right, it could be great for everyone.

Well, yeah, if it distracts from the game, somebody's not doing their job well, in my opinion. The only way ads are cool is if they fit with the game. For example, I can see billboards in GTA or real sponsors on the sidelines of NBA Live 2007, but I surely don't want Coke logos all over Battle for Middle-Earth 2.

Advertising within video games has become something of a joke as well as a massive annoyance amongst avid video game players. Things like having "Xbox" logos on the sides of tanks in Battlefield 2142 or advertising The Incredibles (for example) on in-game billboards becomes ridiculous after a while, and tends to distract from the "other-world" feel of a video game. What would be awesome (but won't happen) is if Google has this company focus their resources on something else entirely. Unfortunately, and as video game players should know by now, if there is money to be made that has anything to do with video games, someone's going to take advantage of that.

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