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Bring on the Advertising

Should we have advertising in games? Is it an inevitable step? Would advertising absorb some of the risk and allow more people to keep their jobs?

Brenda Brathwaite, Blogger

February 28, 2009

2 Min Read
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Unless you’re illiterate or oblivious to the things going on around you, this industry is hurting. I haven’t seen anything like it since 1989 and before that 1983, but there were a lot fewer of us then. People are losing jobs left and right, north, south, east and west. These are good people and more than just game developers. They’re my friends that I have known for years and with whom I exchange ideas and share laughs. These are amazing people who are out of work. They have families and bills just like me (and maybe you). There are so many of us now.

So, I am making an official plea to introduce real advertising into games. Put it on the loading screen, on the save screen, on your intro menu. Every piece of screen real estate except for the game itself should take the opportunity the industry has long resisted and integrate advertising to fuel the rising development costs that make risks riskier and bombs much more painful than they otherwise need be. From the first load, all I ask is that the magic circle of the game be preserved. Once we are in, please let us have that. I need less opportunities to fight the BK King.

Ah, revolt, revolt. But get past it, eh?

Behold your coveted Facebook. Witness CNN.com. Think of movies what movies do. The first 20 minutes presents us with advertising for other movies, Coca-Cola, and Disney World. Think of television - even the shows you love so much - who stop your viewing every few minutes to pay the bills that will bring you yet another episode next week. Think of the advertising all over stadiums and racing cars and in the pages of glitzy magazines.

My friends need jobs.

brendabrathwaite.com

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About the Author

Brenda Brathwaite

Blogger

Brenda Brathwaite is an award-winning game designer, artist, writer, and creative director with 30 years of experience in the industry. Before founding Loot Drop, Brenda worked for a variety of game companies including Atari, Electronic Arts, Sir-tech Software, and numerous companies in the social games space. She has worked on many Facebook games, including Cloudforest Expedition, Ravenwood Fair, Critter Island, SuperPoke Pets!, SPP Ranch, Garden Life, Rock Riot, and Top Fish. Brenda served on the board of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and presently chairs the IGDA's Women in Games Special Interest group. Brenda was named Woman of the Year by Charisma+2 Magazine in 2010 and also was a nominee in Microsoft's 2010 Women in Games game design awards. In 2009, her game Train won the coveted Vanguard Award at IndieCade. She was named one of the top 20 most influential women in the game industry by Gamasutra.com in 2008 and one of the 100 most influential women in the game industry by Next Generation magazine in 2007. Nerve magazine also called her one of the 50 artists, actors, authors, activists, and icons who are making the world a more stimulating place.

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