In-game advertising (IGA) is advertising in electronic games. IGA differs from advergames, which refers to games specifically made to advertise a product.[1] The IGA industry is large and growing.[2]
In-game advertising generated $34 million in 2004, $56 million in 2005,[3] $80 million in 2006,[4]
and $295 million in 2007.[2]
In 2009, spending on IGA was estimated to reach $699 million USD, $1 billion by 2014[5][6] and according to Forbes is anticipated to grow to $7.2 billion by 2016.[7]
The earliest known IGA was the 1978 computer game Adventureland, which inserted a self-promotional advertisement for its next game, Pirate Adventure.[8]
IGA can be integrated into the game either through a display in the background, such as an in-game billboard or a commercial during the pause created when a game loads, or highly integrated within the game so that the advertised product is necessary to complete part of the game or is featured prominently within cutscenes.[9] Due to the custom programming required, dynamic advertising is usually presented in the background; static advertisements can appear as either.[10][11] One of the advantages of IGA over traditional advertisements is that consumers are less likely to multitask with other media while playing a game, however, some attention is still divided between the gameplay, controls, and the advertisement.[12][13]