Video Games Contain Obama Ads

**HiredGoon** · October 15th, 2008, 05:22 AM

'Madden,' 'Guitar Hero' Contain Obama Ads

Video Game Ad Blitz Targets Hard-To-Reach Young Men

Wednesday, October 15, 2008 – updated: 3:19 am EDT October 15, 2008

Too busy playing video games to watch presidential ads on television? Barack Obama has found you, too, by becoming the first presidential candidate to buy ad space inside a game.

Eighteen video games, including the extremely popular "Guitar Hero" and "Madden 09," will feature in-game ads from the Obama campaign in the final weeks before the election. The ads -- appearing on billboards and other signage -- remind players that early voting has begun and plug a campaign Web site that encourages people to register for early voting.

Obama campaign officials said the video game ads target 10 states that allow early voting, including several battleground states: Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Montana, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Nevada, New Mexico, Florida, and Colorado.

"These ads will help us expand the reach of VoteforChange.com, so that more people can use this easy tool to find their early vote location and make sure their voice is heard," said Obama spokesman Nick Shapiro. The campaign did not say how much it cost to launch the ad blitz on gamers.

The idea of embedding advertising temporarily inside a video game is relatively new, having only begun about 18 months ago, and Obama is the first presidential candidate to buy space, according to Holly Rockwood, a spokeswoman for Electronic Arts, Inc., whose company is featuring the Obama ads in nine of its games.

The Democrat's ads are aimed primarily at game players who like sports, including NASCAR, the NBA, the NHL and skateboarding, meaning EA Sports' motto, "It's in the game," now applies to presidential politics as well.

Rockwood would not say how much the ads cost, but she said they are running on the Xbox Live versions of the game through Nov. 3. They began earlier this month.

The timing of the Obama ads within the video game varies from state to state. Players in smaller states may see the Obama ads for almost an entire month, while users in bigger states may see them for a shorter period.

"It reaches an audience that is typically hard to reach - young males, roughly 18 to 34," said Rockwood. "That's very appealing to our advertisers."

Rockwood declined to say how much revenue the company generates from selling ad space in its games. The company has struck past ad deals with Ford Motor Co. and Puma.

For those who still associate video games with clunky "Pac-Man" or "Space Invaders" consoles, here's how in-game advertising works: The Xbox 360 console connects to the Internet, so it can be updated with new features, including ads. In the case of "Burnout: Paradise," the game came out in stores in January, but the Obama ads were only inserted this month.

**RocketFoot** · October 15th, 2008, 06:04 AM

WTF? Isn't anything sacred? The only good thing would be smashing through an Obama Billboard in Burnout: Paradise! LOL

**Kaos** · October 15th, 2008, 08:14 AM

yeah, or launching a fucking RPG through one in call of duty.

**5711-Marine** · October 15th, 2008, 10:29 AM

Or just imagine the possibilities if he advertised in GTA

**billamj** · October 15th, 2008, 10:46 AM

I am not surprised in the least. The far left has been doing their damnedest to affect the thinking of kids for decades now and it is now worming its way into all aspects of daily life. This is just one more example of it.

**djturnz** · October 15th, 2008, 12:55 PM

They said that there were more than just Madden and GH. I wonder if there are any shooter games? That would be funny.

Especially Youtube vids of someone shooting up the sign in a GTA type game.

**adymond** · October 15th, 2008, 03:24 PM

Does this scare anyone else?

**Dredly** · October 15th, 2008, 04:57 PM

Originally Posted by adymond

Does this scare anyone else?

what REALLY pisses me off is that the game developers make money off this bullshit but the game still costs 60.00 and XBLive still isn't free. We started seeing these in Rainbow Six: Vegas where they would change the billboards around to reflect movie premiers and other such items... most people didn't notice but all gamers were pissed about it.

Now what is even better is Obama supporters get to PAY money to Obama so that he can PAY money to put commercials in programs that the supporters PAY for via a network service that they PAY for...

talk about having to pay through the nose to be converted :P