Google dives into video game advertising

Mountain View (CA) - Google is getting into video game advertising with its purchase of Adscape Media for an undisclosed amount of money. Adscape and the search engine giant have released a joint FAQ on Adscape’s website, but are keeping most of the details under wraps.

In recent years advertising has expanded from the traditional print, television and radio ads into other venues like movies and televisions. Everyone has probably seen "product placement" ads in their favorite movies where a well-placed Coca-Cola can or Rolex watch can push some people to make an impulse buy. Perhaps the most blatant offender has been the recent James Bond flicks which tout everything from BMW and Mercedes cars to Sony Vaio laptops.

In-game advertising like virtual billboards or video walls could become the next big thing as games become more graphically intense. Sony plans on pushing this type of advertising with video wall advertising and banners inside of its Sony Home virtual environment for the PlayStation 3. Another virtual environment, Second Life, has already seen billboards and virtual lounges for products and companies.

So how much revenue could Google make from in-game advertising ? How about this uncharacteristically corporate answer from Google, "We don’t release specific projections but we think there is great value in video game advertising," says Google.