When Advertisements Are Ok

I have been playing Akiba’s Trip: Undead and Undressed. This is that weird game where you rip off the clothes of people to fight in the game. Don’t ask. It’s Japanese. That should be enough explanation. But the weird thing is that the load screens are advertisements. Unlike the other games with ads on your phone, these ads I really enjoyed since they were really fun to see. I realized three things that made it more enjoyable compared to other games with ads.

1. Advertisements to the World

Akiba’s Trip takes place in Akihabara, the consumer-rich shopping district. So the ads actually made it feel like I was in the real world. Sadly, this also comes with the problem of dating the ads too, since eventually products go extinct. However, this problem can easily be solved with modern “Updates”.

Example of an ad used during one of the load screens. I cannot read Japanese, but I believe this is for a book store. To be more specific, a manga store.

2. Variety

Did you ever go to a supermarket for milk and walk all the way to the back to get it? On the way there, you look around the aisles thinking, “Oh! This thing is cool!” or “Hey, I needed these!” Seeing stuff you were not looking for made it feel like browsing.

Another example of an ad for meat. Occasionally losing track of time while playing this game, you might have a craving for it.

3. It's Not What You Want

This might sound a little counter productive, but hear me out. If you search online for PC parts via Google, you will find more Newegg and BestBuy ads on Facebook afterwards. But when you see them, you already closed your tabs for your PC search. You are done searching and you had your fill of PC parts. You already have the information you wanted, but with the ads popping up afterwards, it feels like they are nagging you to come back. The advertisements in Akiba's Trip however, made me want to explore the city to see if the products still existed in real life.

The takeaway here is that if ads are implemented in a nonintrusive manner, and in a way that piques curiosity without taking away from the main gaming experience, there are some instances when in-game ads are acceptable. Additionally, with Akiba's Trip, the placement of in-city ads were relative to the setting, and actually added to some of the believability of the busy shopping center. Games often need the supplementary funding that comes to them in the form of in-game advertisements, and in the case of Akiba's Trip, I respect them for being clever and considerate.

Have you noticed this kind of clever and non-intrusive ad usage in games? What is your opinion on in-game advertisments? Let us know in the comments below!