So I’m sure you’ve read the stories making their rounds all over the internet; ads are making their way into video games. A company called Simulmedia has struck a deal with a handful of gaming companies which also includes everyone’s favorite guy to hate, EA to put ads into free-to-play games.
They’re supposed to be non-invasive and offer rewards to players that watch until the end. Let’s talk about the obvious cons and a couple of possible ok outcomes here. And be sure to check out Axios’ article which was the original piece that broke the news.
Firstly, if EA is involved with something that has to do with increasing revenue in ambiguous ways, it’s really something that needs attention drawn to it. We all remember the Star Wars: Battlefront II fiasco from a few years back as well as the ongoing microtransaction (gambling) issues with their sports titles. Remember when they killed Anthem because it wasn’t making enough money?
I really don’t want to beat a dead horse again but I just can’t believe that EA is trying, yet again, another obvious ploy that has real potential to rub their consumers the wrong way. Yes, I understand that these are “only” supposed to be implemented into their free-to-play titles but at what point does it end?
Is it a decent idea for EA to give adults like myself a chance to save a buck here or there by pretending I’m watching their ad while I scroll through Twitter or make fun of it to my buddies? Yes. But this will also create an even bigger problem for children who consume all of it.
The parents that you see in those news articles that say “Dad Had To Sell Car Because Kid Overspent On In-Game Junk” is going to increase more and more. Is that partially the parents’ fault? Of course but it’s also terrible that these companies are taking advantage of the situation.
Of course, these companies are going to say that their target demo is 18+ but we know what’s really going to happen. And even though they make it sound as if they’re doing you a favor, you know it’s really not. I don’t think these ads are really going to be worth the time at all. Just take the mobile game ads as an example of what you’d get in return.
We as gamers went from paying for sprawling expansions to smaller DLC packages, to cosmetic pieces, and then finally to these microtransaction (gambling) machines. We’ve fought them tooth and nail along the way but it just doesn’t seem to stick with the majority of these publishers.
May I remind you that Middle-Earth: Shadow of War had single-player microtransactions? There’s nothing to stop the likes of EA or any other company for that matter from implementing microtransactions into your single-player games, then adding ads in them so that you don’t have to spend the cash.
It’s a majorly wrong concept that I’m hoping is something that a handful of companies try and then pull away from. I didn’t mind the in-game rewards like skins and stuff with logos on them back in the day but I’m guessing it costs too much money to create something that actually warrants interest.
There are a lot of great things that I have to say about some of the projects that EA publishes but it really comes down to its developers that deserve the recognition. I really want them to prove me wrong on this and if it isn’t a trojan horse then I’ll eat my words.
It also just boggles the mind that these companies still don’t think that we consume enough advertising. This is one of the most capitalistic periods in history and yet we still don’t spend enough. Yikes. Is that scary or is it just me?
EA Play Live is happening later this month and EA has actually announced some additional events taking place before it. Let’s wait and see if any of this news is talked about at any of their events.
July 8th, 1 pm EST - The Future of FPS
July 11th, 1 pm EST - EA Originals <3 Independent Studios
July 19th, 7 pm EST - Madden NFL 22 All-Access: Scouting
July 22nd, 1 pm EST - EA Play Live
What are your thoughts on this? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter to talk about it. This is a really important topic that gamers should be talking about.
