Ad space invades 'Space Invaders'

When punk-popsters Green Day roll out their new single this month, it won't be on the radio or MTV. It will appear as part of the soundtrack on the "Madden NFL 2005" video game.

The move is just the latest example of how video games, more and more, are setting the pop-culture agenda. As sales of video games approach $14 billion - and push advertisers' coveted audience of young males to spend more time gaming rather than watching TV - the ailing music industry and the major advertisers of consumer products are both eyeing Joystick Nation for relief. It's a trend that is of concern to some parents and consumer watchdogs.

"You're interacting with fewer people [than with TV advertising], but in a much deeper way," says Aaron Carpenter, director of presence marketing and publicity at Levi, Strauss & Co., which has negotiated a deal to be featured in a new NASCAR video game. "These games live for so long; in some cases, four or five years in someone's house."

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