I wonder if it will make it to EQ1 also.



http://money.cnn.com/2005/02/17/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/index.htm?cnn=yes

Heh, well you knew it was coming. Anyway, kinda related to the current /pizza thread (http://thedruidsgrove.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10822) we've got goin on too...

Advertising in game? /em cancels her EQ2 account
I log into games to get away from rampant advertising.

If there's money to be had from it... Sony will be all over it :(

Just like every other company.

"We don't want to do anything that will take people out of the game experience," said Chris Kramer, director of corporate communications for Sony Online Entertainment. "We don't want to create armor that has the Nike swoosh or you have to drink Coke for health. Our subscribers would freak out."

This is good enough for me. I couldn't give two hoots about a /pizza command (if anything it's pretty amusing) as I'll never use it or see it unless I want to. However if ever they do pull away from that ethos and start plastering Coke adverts arround Norrath, I'll be out of EQ2 like a shot!

Same thing if I ever see an advert such as a broadcast message sayin "Hungry? Why not order a /pizza!" while I'm sneaking around Stormhold.

I have to admit I got a good laugh at the /pizza command. When someone told me about it I thought they were fooling. I remember, years and years ago when I was a baby druid hanging out with friends and staying up all hours of the day and night talking about "don't you wish you could just order food without having to get up?" And pizza is good because it's flat and they can just slide it under the door :elfgrin:

As long as it remains unobtrusive I don't think it's that bad an idea. As long as they don't start hanging billboards everywhere.

Should the experiment succeed, expect to see similar sales programs go into effect – this time with the billing tied directly to the credit card number players give Sony to cover the game's monthly charges.

"Our goal is to grow our business so that ultimately we're offering a number of services online," said Kramer. "Slash-pizza is the first step. We see a much larger additional revenue stream coming into the company."
/sigh

The Future of EQ2 (http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/index.php?t=archives&date=last)

This is why I made the following comment elsewhere:

The point is, SOE has already clearly stated in their press release that they are testing the customer's reactions to the "/pizza"-type commands. If most customers can accept this, most assuredly there will be more such real-world product to EQ2 tie-ins.

All these posts are just one of many ways customers are providing feedback to SOE, telling SOE "Hey, you've stepped too close to the line. Please step back!". Other means include sending emails, quitting, contacting customer support as well as NOT using the /pizza command (probably the best way).

So we are not just speculating about kinds of advertisments SOE will be including in the future... It is also about customers putting our foot down, and declare to SOE the kind of fantasy worlds we want play in.

Stuff like this makes me want to pound my head with a high-heeled shoe.

Stuff like this makes me want to pound my head with a high-heeled shoe.Be glad to give you one of mine. I refuse to wear them any more. If I want to be taller I get a step stool :)

/pizza ? The beginning of a new Bazaar. Subliminal messages and "/" shopping. What's next? /weddingring after a night of cyber? *laugh* I can see the petition queue now... "/petition I haven't gotten my pizza yet and I ordered it 45 minutes ago!", "/petition I want to return this ____ I ordered and need the mailing address". Fortunately the stock response is "I'm sorry but I can't help you" already :)

Advertising dollars + your monthly fee and/or $50-$70 and up one time purchase price.

Open your wallet and repeat after me.

"Help yourself."

Advertising dollars + your monthly fee and/or $50-$70 and up one time purchase price.

Open your wallet and repeat after me.

"Help yourself."

But "Advertising dollars" don't come from the players wallet.

/pizza is a way for SOE to make more money, yes. But it's away for them to make more money without cost to the player. What's wrong with a game company trying to increase profits at no cost to the consumer?

As long as I don't get random pop ups trying to sell me stuff in game, or anything that obviously looks out of place (ie a Pepsi logo on a building or something) I'm fine with that.

wow thats just too freeky - just get up and pick up the phone LOL

What's wrong with a game company trying to increase profits at no cost to the consumer?

The danger is that the game company puts external revenues as a priority over quality. Cinema goers might want Disney to concentrate on it's core business and make better films, even though all the subsidiary products provide Disney with most of it's profits. I think that media integration is pretty inevitable though and we'll just have to hope that game designers do it with style as well as function.

I look forward to the day when I am filling in my budget on excel and type "Albertson's" then a pop up comes on asking if I'd like to see their weekly specials.

NOT.

I look at games as a sort of art form, like reading books or movies. I didn't particularly like when movie theatres began to show commercials before the previews. I don't want to see ad inserts in my novels either.

It is a fine line and will happen if we let it. I suspect we will let it.

Yes, Tea, but you dont actually expect SOE to either put that extra revenue into maintaining the game that it came from, OR kick back some of that profit to the customers in the form of reduced subscription rates... That would almost be ethical!

Movie ticket prices sure didnt start going down when they started putting product ads at the beginning. Instead we went from one ad 20 years ago to a half hour of ads today... and they wonder why theatre attendance is suffering and people try to pirate a crap quality version of the movie off bittorrent just so they dont have to sit through the bs ads and overpriced ticket.

The whole /pizza thing is fine, really, so long as *that's it.* Pure convenience functionality is a good thing for everyone concerned... but it far too easily and inevitably slides into full scale in your face advertising which pisses off customers and hurts the industry.

Anyone remember when cable didn't have advertisements?

Along the same lines....

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/anarchyonlinethenotumwars/news_6119195.html

Soon, Anarchy Online players will see advertisements on billboards stationed in central regions of the game's futuristic landscape. Online game developer and publisher Funcom, based in Sweden, announced today that it has inked an exclusive deal with New York City-based Massive Inc., one of a small number of companies creating a viable market in in-game advertising.

I guess this is how are managing to give everyone a free year.

EDIT:

I found this quote especially interesting.

. "We are sure advertisers will cherish this revolutionary new opportunity to reach the extremely valuable 18-34 demographic...[and] we know that most gamers want in-game advertisement to heighten the sense of realism."

Well, they already had advertising ingame anyways. It was just fake. It also fits in a lot better with the likes of CoH/AO than EQ.

If a game is free or extremely cheap, advertise away, I get what I pay for.

If I pay fair market value for it (there is a subjective term) I don't want to also have to see ads.

However, what I want is irrelevant.

But "Advertising dollars" don't come from the players wallet.

/pizza is a way for SOE to make more money, yes. But it's away for them to make more money without cost to the player. What's wrong with a game company trying to increase profits at no cost to the consumer?That's like saying that you're getting freeway improvements that don't cost you anything just because you don't pay a toll to use the road. Advertising dollars are related to the cost of goods just as any other company expense would be.

I hate the idea of having advertising in a game that I play for relaxation. You know that it will be progressive. Today /pizza, tomorrow popups and selling tunics with the Coke logo. I suppose one day we will, just as we do with the "free" forums and other "free" web sites, find a day when we can play a game with a "premium service" that has no advertising. When that day comes and we are paying double for our monthly usage fee to be "ad free", remember who pioneered in-game ads.

But "Advertising dollars" don't come from the players wallet.

Where does this advertising money come from?, you may ask.

Don't get upset over advertising money, because that money doesn't come from you, the consumer! It comes from... uh... the advertising budget!

Sorry, that statement tickled me funny bone.

Where does this advertising money come from?, you may ask.

Not from me. I quit SOE's greed was too much for me. However I hope continue on this path. The more they keep this up the more people will see they don't care about the game as much as they care about gettting your money.

Well technically it isn't your money they are getting with /pizza... Unless you own Pizza Hut! :P

It is if you ever buy pizza from them. 8)