Many of us see adverts everyday now; on buses, TV, the internet or even when gaming. Many games have started to feature adverts inside them whether for other games or sometimes completely unrelated products; but do in game adverts actually work?

This is a question that the Nielsen Company, along with EA and Gatorade, has now answered. The companies conducted a study into the purchases made by two groups, one group who had bought one of six EA sports games featuring Gatorade advertising and one that hadn’t. The study also took into account sales made before advertising was introduced into those games and those sales made afterward.

The study “shows that in-game advertising increased household dollars spent on Gatorade by 24%, and offered a return on investment of $3.11.” This shows that spending money on product placement is definitely a viable advertising solution for increasing sales within a brand.

The study has been heralded as a “milestone for interactive entertainment” by Elizabeth Harz, Senior Vice President of Global Media Sales at EA who went on to say that “For the first time, advertisers are able to link the value of their in-game marketing or sponsorship to actual sales. Now brands can feel confident adding gaming as a core media channel for their advertising.”

With this study showing the success of games advertising it is likely to remain or even grow as an advertising means, but will this be welcome within the games community?

I’ve heard opposing opinions ranging from advertising adding realism to some games whilst others have claimed a dislike to the adverts which they find off putting when relaxing with a game. If you have any thoughts on this topic, whether you would like adverts to stay or go, please leave them below.