An advergame is a form of

advertising in video games Advertising in video games is the integration of advertising into video games to promote products, organizations, or viewpoints. There are two major categories of advertising in video games: in-game advertising and advergames. In-game advertisin ...

, in which the video game is developed by or in close collaboration with a corporate entity for purposes of advertising a brand-name product. While other video games may use

in-game advertising In-game advertising (IGA) is advertising in electronic games. IGA differs from advergames, which refers to games specifically made to advertise a product.Matthew Yi (2005-07-25). "Advertisers pay for video games - Product placement tradition no ...

(such as an advertisement on a virtual billboard or branding on an in-game object), an advergame is differentiated by the

Interactive Advertising Bureau The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is an American advertising business organization that develops industry standards, conducts research, and provides legal support for the online advertising industry. The organization represents many of th ...

as a "game specifically designed around heproduct or service being advertised". An advergame is considered a type of advertainment. Advergames are commonly targeted to minors, who tend to be more responsive to persuasive messages that can be embedded in such games. Concerns have been raised by parents and advocates for children that such advergames can influence children's habits, particularly food-based products.

History

Advergames (a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordspolo sport game tied into the clothing brand

Polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small ha ...

, which

Carol Shaw Carol Shaw (born 1955) is one of the first female game designers and programmers in the video game industry. She is best known for creating the Atari 2600 vertically scrolling shooter ''River Raid'' (1982) for Activision. She worked for Atari, In ...

had been developing for the

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocesso ...

around 1978, but which had been cancelled prior to release. The first known released advergame was '' Tapper'', a 1983

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade vi ...

. The game had been originally sponsored by brewer

Anheuser-Busch Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV ( AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple ...

, and predominately featured the brand's logo and with gameplay based on serving beer. Its release was targeted for bars or other establishments for adults, but the game proved popular, and a non-branded version ''Root Beer Tapper'' was released for general arcades, with beer replaced by

root beer Root beer is a sweet North American soft drink traditionally made using the root bark of the sassafras tree '' Sassafras albidum'' or the vine of '' Smilax ornata'' (known as sarsaparilla, also used to make a soft drink, sarsaparilla) as the ...

. Numerous advergames were developed through the 1980s and 1990s for home video game consoles and personal computers, but with the introduction of wide-spread availability of the Internet,

browser game A browser game or a "flash game" is a video game that is played via the internet using a web browser. They are mostly free-to-play and can be single-player or multiplayer. Some browser games are also available as mobile apps, PC games, or on ...

s became a popular route for advergames. Such games were cheaper to produce compared to previous advergames as well as to other traditional advertising routes such as television advertising. A

Kaiser Family Foundation KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), also known as The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, is an American non-profit organization, headquartered in San Francisco, California. It prefers KFF since its legal name can cause confusion as it is no longer ...

report in 2006 found that 73% of 96 food product companies had established dedicated sections of their websites with advergames that were targeted at children, with many of these offering multiple advergames. The term "advergames" was coined by Anthony Giallourakis in 1999. The Internet domain www.advergames.com was purchased that year by Giallourakis and several years later (in 2008), a high quality free web portal showcasing a curated selection of the best browser based advergames was launched. This site was considered the premier online player destination for a wide variety of advergames sponsored by some of the most recognized brands in the world. Millions of visitors from over 50 nations visited the site's comprehensive directory to come play some of the most entertaining advergames ever created. Advergames developers from many nations generated additional seeding for their works through their relationships with Advergames.com. Advergames moved into

mobile game A mobile game, or smartphone game, is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any portable device, including from mobile phone ( feature phone or smartphone), tablet, PDA to ...

s by around 2014, due to the proliferation of mobile devices and their common use by children.

Other examples

Other examples of advergames that have achieved widespread awareness include: *''

Yo! Noid ''Yo! Noid'', known in Japan as is a platform game, platform video game developed by Now Production and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was first released in Japan on March 16, 1990 and was localized in the Uni ...

'', a 1990 platformer released for the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...

to advertise

Domino's Pizza Domino's Pizza, Inc., trading as Domino's, is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960 and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware domiciled and headquartered at the Domino's Farms Office Park in Ann Arbor ...

. its cult fanbase eventually led to a fanmade 2017 sequel called '' Yo! Noid 2: Enter the Void'' which eventually got a deluxe edition called "Yo! Noid 2: Game Of A Year Edition" * ''

Chex Quest ''Chex Quest'' is a non-violent first-person shooter video game created in 1996 by Digital Café, originally intended as a Chex cereal promotion aimed at children aged 6–9 and up.Thompson, Stephanie. "WatersMolitor Promo Links Chex and AOL." ' ...

'', a non-violent first-person shooter developed for personal computers in 1996 for the

Chex Chex is an American brand of breakfast cereal currently manufactured by General Mills. It was originally produced and owned by Ralston Purina of St. Louis, Missouri, using the name Chex starting in 1950. The Chex brand went with corporate s ...

cereal brand. While the game was a total conversion of ''

Doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * ...

'', it is considered one of the few advergames that was enjoyable to play. * '' Pepsiman'' released for the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...

in 1999, was developed by KID only for release in Japan. It focused the player on avoiding obstacles to save dehydrated people by bringing them a can of

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi wa ...

. * '' Sneak King'', ''

PocketBike Racer ''Pocketbike Racer'' is an advergaming title developed by Blitz Games for the Xbox and Xbox 360 video game consoles. On November 19, 2006, Burger King started selling it for an additional $3.99 USD ($4.99 in Canada) with any value meal. It is o ...

'', and ''

Big Bumpin' ''Big Bumpin is an advergaming title from Burger King for the Xbox and Xbox 360 video game consoles. published by King Games and developed by Blitz Games. On November 19, 2006, Burger King started selling it with any value meal. It is one of t ...

'', a series of

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...

video games paid for by

Burger King Burger King (BK) is an American-based multinational chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based restaurant ch ...

in 2006, and available through meal purchase at most Burger King restaurants. Of the three, ''Sneak King'' became popular and sold more than 2 million copies that year. * ''

America's Army ''America's Army'' is a series of first-person shooter video games developed and published by the U.S. Army, intended to inform, educate, and recruit prospective soldiers. Launched in 2002, the game was branded as a strategic communication devic ...

'', released for personal computers in 2002, was developed by the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

as a recruiting tool for teenaged players. *'' Citroën C4 Robot'', released in 2008 for promoting a car model

Citroën C4 The Citroën C4 is a small family car/compact car (also classified as a compact crossover SUV since 2020) produced under their Citroën marque, from the French automaker PSA Group, and later Stellantis. It was positioned to be the successor to ...

published by

Citroën Citroën () is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded in March 1919 by André Citroën. Citroën is owned by Stellantis since 2021 and previously was part of the PSA Group after Peugeot acquired 8 ...

exclusively for

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

Legal concerns

Protection for children

Because video games generally draw significant interest from minors, there are ethical and legal concerns around advergames. Whereas adults generally can recognize and resist persuasive advertising in games, younger children may not recognize that an advergame is a form of advertising and can be drawn in by statements made by the game. One key market area of concern was food product-based advergames. The increased used of browser and mobile advergames in the mid-2000s led to concerns that such games would lead to an increase in the childhood obesity rate. In particular, many food-based advergames promote less nutritious products like

snack food A snack is a small portion of food generally eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home. Traditionally, snacks are ...

s. However, research has shown that the influence of advergames is not limited to foods with poor nutrition, as a study using advergames designed around healthy food choices led to the monitored children to select a healthier snack when presented a variety of choices.

False advertising

Advergames can run afoul of laws established related to truth in advertising. Making false claims, even if in language not intended to be advertising, in advergames can result in penalties and fines by the national or regional

consumer protection Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...

agencies. In a notable case, the

Gatorade Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was first develo ...

company, a subsidiary of

PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manufa ...

, had published a free mobile game ''Bolt!'' which featured

Usain Bolt Usain St. Leo Bolt, , (; born 21 August 1986) is a retired Jamaican sprinter, widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time. He is the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay. An eight-ti ...

and challenged the player to "keep your performance high by avoiding water". The state of California asserted this claim was false, as Gatorade had been shown to be more harmful to the human body than water, and with the game targeted to youth, send the wrong message. The state sued Gatorade, and the case was ultimately settled with Gatorade paying a fine to the state, part of which the state used to promote health-conscious water-drinking habits for children.

National regulations and oversight

In the United States, attempts have been made by the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

to give the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction o ...

(FTC) authority to oversee online advertising aimed at children, including advergames, but had been challenged by lobbies representing the food industry and effectively shut down such attempts. Nevertheless, the propagation of online games and advertising aimed at children led to passage of the

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) is a United States federal law, located at (). The act, effective April 21, 2000, applies to the online collection of personal information by persons or entities under U.S. juri ...

(COPPA) in 2000, which set strict standards for what type of private information websites could collect from minors, with the FTC overseeing any such fines. In the United Kingdom, advergames regulation was brought into coverage by the

CAP Code The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing (CAP Code) is the rule book for non-broadcast advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing communications in the United Kingdom. It is written and maintained b ...

or the Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing in 2016. The CAP code, updated frequently, provides specific guidance on what advergames (among other types of advertising) can and cannot do, with specific attention to how such games may influence children. CAP code violations are monitored and penalized by the Advertising Standards Authority.

Other concerns

Messaging in advergames may backfire and impact the reputation of the brand the game promotes. A notable example from

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...

, which had published in 2004 ''The Intel IT Manager Game'', a browser-based game that attempted to give insight into the job opportunities of an

information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of Data (computing), data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information te ...

manager, including simulating the hires of new employees. However, the game only allowed male employees to be hired by design, and Intel received criticism for discounting female hires. The game was taken offline and later replaced with a new version that had equal gender representation. While the situation could be compared to a similar problem around the game ''

Fable Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that illustrat ...

'' which also forced players to male avatars, the real-world setting of Intel's game was seen as a more serious flaw, and at the time, gender representation in the information technology industry was a serious concern.

References

{{Video game genre Video game terminology