Advertainment or adcreep? What game players think about product placement in computer games

Professor Michelle Nelson at the University of Wisconsin was the lead researcher on an intriguing study* that examined what game-players thought about product placements in computer games. Using netnography and questionnaires, Nelson studied 805 postings on a blog called Slashdot that revealed gamers' beliefs about the effectiveness and appropriateness of product placement tactics as well as how it affects them. When discussing the topic, players were fairly positive about brands when they added 'realism' to the games. Those who were negative about product placements were also negative about advertising in general. While some players did not think they were influenced by product placements, others reported instances of purchasing a brand that they became very interested in as a result of the game.

A survey of gamers tested the comments and observations gathered from the netnography. Relationships between attitudes toward advertising, attitudes toward product placement in games, and the perceived impact on purchasing behaviors were all positive. Thus, gamers' attitudes toward product placements in games functioned as an intervening, mediating factor on how brand advertising affected their purchasing behaviors.

A much discussed instance of where a brand influenced gamers' purchasing behaviors was Red Bull in the game "Wipeout." Several players told stories of how they came to know and use the high-energy drink as a result of the game. Some first thought Red Bull was a fake brand within the game, as they were familiarized with it almost two years before the product hit local store shelves. One player commented: "I freaked when I realized that it was a real drink and immediately picked some up (good stuff!)." In other cases, game-players expressed disappointment because they could not purchase the brand where they lived.

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