New Sony patent puts game-interrupting advertisements in games

[Schala Zeal]

http://www.gamesthirst.com/2012/05/25/youve-got-to-try-this-soda-sony-patents-game-interrupting-advertisements/

If there ever is Chrono Break, expect to know whether or not Paxil is right for you, when you play it.

[maggiekarp]

I hear that they're making it so you always have to be online when playing a game, even if it's single-player stuff.


But I guess this will mean a new type of Game Shark/Ad Block hybrid baby's in the works

[Nangbaby]

This has to be one of the the stupidest ideas EVER in human history.

When you're playing a game, your mind is on focused the game and what you must do to progress in that game.  As a player, you are dependent on the visual and audio feedback in order to perform.  Putting an advertising in a game like this completely mucks with that process, even in a non-action based, slow-paced video game.

Advertising is supposed to be noticeable, but when it obstructs the very medium it's advertising, it's worthless.

[chi_z]

they gonna start doing this to films? c'mon, product placement, trailers when the person hits new game, etc. anything but this shit.

[Schala Zeal]

I hear that they're making it so you always have to be online when playing a game, even if it's single-player stuff.


But I guess this will mean a new type of Game Shark/Ad Block hybrid baby's in the works

Diablo 3 was only the beginning.

[Lennis]

My guess is that Sony's thinking aloud to keep their shareholders happy.  I can't imagine them actually implementing this.  The feedback from consumers would be so overwhelmingly negative, that whatever money they make from ad revenue would be a drop in the bucket compared to what they would lose in market share.

Still, the fact they're even talking about this is very disheartening.  It makes me wonder how much longer I'll be participating in modern gaming.  I won't play if there are too many strings attached.  (Besides, I have plenty of older titles to keep me busy.)

[Schala Zeal]

Online-only single player has already killed my interest...

[HeadlessFritz]

Imagine if there were advertisements for each spells.

*Marle cast Haste
Game pauses.
This haste spell is brought to you by Red Bull.
*Haste starts

[maggiekarp]

Welp.

The patent we're freaking out over was filed by Sony way back in 2006 and modified about a year ago, and it does in fact spell out how while playing, your game would slow down and give you warnings before displaying a TV-style commercial. Then, when the game resumes, it would "rewind" your progress just slightly so you wouldn't be coming back exactly where you left off and fuck everything up. Though anyone who has ever touched a game knows that it will absolutely fuck you up.

What they don't spell out is what type of games these would be used in (if it's ever even used at all), and that's pretty important, because from a logical standpoint, it seems to me like they're setting themselves up for the free-to-play market. It's the only method they can use to compete with the ridiculously lucrative "dollar app" market, and aside from charging for in-game perks and products the way Facebook does, in-game commercials seems to be the most logical way to make money off of them. If you think a company can just throw out a game for free without collecting at least some form of revenue in return, you need to stop reading this article and come back when you have some hair on your ass.

This idea isn't new by any means. Pull up virtually any flash game on the Net, and you'll see it in action -- and this is the type of setting I believe they're going for with this patent. No, I don't predict you'll see them interrupting your multiplayer face-sniping matches just as your crosshairs center on your friend's balls, because Sony prefers that the Molotov cocktail content of their offices remain under a certain percentage. They didn't just start making games last year -- they understand that gamers would riot in the goddamn street with a change like that. Or at least say "This is bullshit" every time an ad pops up, while continuing to buy and play their games like they've always done.

[Schala Zeal]

They needn't worry about anyone with a good soul infringing that patent at least. Just other heartless corporations.

[Mr Bekkler]

They needn't worry about anyone with a good soul infringing that patent at least. Just other heartless corporations.

What? I don't understand what you're talking about here. Why would anybody knowingly infringe on a patent, heartless or not? And how does that apply to magikarp's linked article, which basically debunks the whole overblown claim that this is a new thing that threatens gamers?

[Schala Zeal]

What? I don't understand what you're talking about here. Why would anybody knowingly infringe on a patent, heartless or not? And how does that apply to magikarp's linked article, which basically debunks the whole overblown claim that this is a new thing that threatens gamers?

Because some are absolutely rediculous, like Microsoft's patenting of the 'isnot' keyword in programming languages.