Putting brands into play : how game difficulty and player experiences influence the effectiveness of in-game advertising

The aim of the study is to shed more light on the effectiveness of in-game advertising, focusing specifically on the impact of medium context. Using an experimental design, the study investigates the relationship that exists between the effectiveness of in-game ad placements and a person’s psychological experiences in reaction to the content of the game. It is argued that the numerous emotions and experiences that occur during game play (e.g. enjoyment, tension) might have an impact on how players process the game environment, including in-game ads. In order to test this, a between-subjects experiment was conducted in which participants played an online PC game that contained several in-game advertisements. We increased the difficulty of the game, hereby successfully manipulating several player experiences. This manipulation ultimately resulted in an effect on the processing and evaluation of the brands featured in the in-game ads