Double Fusion, who is basically the Michael Jordan of video gaming research has just conducted a breakthrough research project that will forever change how marketing is done for future games. Why is this important? Chances are if you are reading this, you are the ones being targeted for their findings.  Here are some of the major highlights in the study:

• 75% of gamers engage with at least one ad per minute across most, but not all, game types; 81% of gamers engage at least every other minute
• Less-cluttered ads are three times as effective at garnering gamer notice than ads that are either cluttered or within cluttered environments
• While both contribute positively to ad engagement, placement of the ad in the primary camera plane (eye-level) is more important than large size ads
• Not all ads are created equal – dynamic billboards, around-game interstitials, sponsorships, and interactive product placements all offer different levels of user engagement and pervasiveness in the game
• The data obtained from the study forms the basis for a new view on gaming measurement, which will allow gaming media plans to be constructed in a way that is both comparable and additive to other media plans

It seems that the focus will be for in-game advertising or product placement.  Some examples are the Axe ads or GM cars in Rainbow Six Vegas.

“The program we conducted for Double Fusion measures actual viewing and gives precise information on how to plan for ad units, how to design ads, and what to expect in terms of gamer engagement,” commented Michael Dowling, CEO, Interpret. “

Furthermore, it was also reported that Eidos has hired Double Fusion to help with ad placement in no less than 10 of their upcoming titles. 

I suppose the moral of the story is that you will see A LOT more ads in games, so don’t feel like your developers are selling out, they are just trying to meet sales quotas. On the other hand, if I see a Home Depot sticker on a Warthog, I am going to be thoroughly disappointed.