Violent video games help sell in-game ads

Violent video games are the advertiser’s friend, leading to better brand recall than non-violent games – even though players pay less attention to them.

In a recent academic study by the University of Luxembourg, US and European researchers tracked the eye movements of participants playing a blood-spattered car racing game, where the goal was to mow down pedestrians.

Players showed “significantly better” ad recall than those who played a family-friendly version, the MIT Technology Review reported. This is because when violent games are played, the brain reacts as though the images are real.

Yesterday, the TAC announced a contract to place virtual billboard ads in Microsoft racing games and Guitar Hero. It is not known whether the TAC will place ads in more violent games.

PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts the in-game advertising industry will be worth US$1.4 billion by 2013.