When asked the question of in-game advertising, many hardcore gamers grimace at the thought of selling out like Hollywood and Television. Will in-game advertising really suck the soul out of a game like the car did for the Transporter? The fact is, games require huge budgets these days that rival movies but unlike movies, they only have one form of profit, the gamers. With used game sales a consistant problem that is hard to combat, there exists a need for alternative sources of finance. A few well placed in-game advertisements can do just that. I enjoyed Fight Night despite the hardly explainable Burger King advertisements that were posted all over the game. As long as it is not too omni-present, a billboard or two in Liberty City can even add an air of realism to a game. I ask those hardcore gamers, would a few advertisements that would ultimately give the developers more money to develop a better game or quite possibly even lowering the price of the game itself be so bad?

Of course the other side of this argument is that it would take gamers out of the moment. Many people play games for the escapist fun it provides, gamers (myself included) simply want to take some time out of the day to detach from reality. Gamers tend to want a game that is completely unique and that may include any ties to reality (such as in-game advertising).

Let us know if you guys have an opinion on the matter