America's Army Is Not Too Quiet on the Advergame Front
Five years ago, the idea of an official U.S. Army computer game might have seemed impossible. But today, America's Army is the gold standard by which all advergames are often measured. What started out as a small, unlikely project within the federal government is now a bona fide franchise with millions of players. Designed to educate and promote the U.S. Army to gamer-age people, the game was developed via the Army Game Project within the Army's Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis over a two-year period for about $4 million. After being released in 2002 as a free PC game, America's Army quickly became the Army's most effective marketing tool as well as a hit game.
Chris Chambers, deputy director of the Army Game Project, spoke about the virtues of advergames at the Game Developer Conference's Serious Games Summit this week.
"We've created an entrepreneurial, business-like organization that can innovate and act quickly," Chambers said. "And we're very proud of that."
TwitchGuru caught up with Chambers at the Game Developer Conference to get his take on advergames as well as the popular title's latest developments.
RW: What kind of impact has America's Army had on the gaming community?
CHAMBERS: I think it's had a hefty impact. The depth of what we achieved is pretty monumental. We're one of the largest games out there today with more than seven million registered users. We add anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 new registered members everyday, so the game is still growing. The impact on popular culture has been greater than what we expected. America's Army has gotten a lot of exposure. Young people are actively seeking us out now. So we showed on a large scale that it's possible to create cost-effective advergames and hit your target audience.
RW: So it's better than, say, traditional advertising on television?
CHAMBERS: I think so. Again, people are seeking us out rather than the other way around. It's pull versus push. Plus, it's a more cost-effective program than traditional advertising. With America's Army, you're spending maybe 25 cents per player and delivering a stronger impression than a television commercial that usually costs $5 to $10 per viewer. In branding and advertising, your return on investment is usually a mystery. But the gaming experience is richer than a banner ad. It's immersion rather than impression.
