That could be an important factor influencing the growth of the medium, which appears destined for more clutter. Among the 800 gamers surveyed by comScore 46 percent of heavy users and 39 percent of "light/medium" users said more ads are "inevitable." Only a fraction of these users said the presence of in-game ads make them "consider buying the product/service" (see table below) raising questions about the efficacy of the medium for advertisers.
Game sites reached 71.6 million consumers during April 2006, nearly 50 percent of the Internet universe, according to comScore's data. Among them, 25 percent are deemed heavy gamers (people who play 15 or more ours a week on two ore more game platforms). About 17 percent of gamers fall into the coveted 18- to 24-year-old demo, while 23 percent are ages 35 to 44. Games tend to be in higher income homes and are equally split along gender lines.
Attitudes Toward In-Game Advertising | ||
| Heavy Gamers | Light/ Medium Gamers |
These ads make me consider buying the product/service | 17% | 9% |
This type of advertising is inevitable and will be in all or most games of the future | 46% | 39% |