Comments on: Microsoft Developing MMO “Advertars”

By: Betty

Betty — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:08:17 +0000

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Betty

http://adoptpet.info

By: beepcomp

beepcomp — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:31:28 +0000

good news from MS.

By: Ron Workman

Ron Workman — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 10:03:47 +0000

Sony actually owns the Trademark for 'Avertar”

Also, could you provide the patent info next time please?

By: Name

Name — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:29:58 +0000

This will clear out players in a hurry…

By: ElTopo

ElTopo — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 05:37:42 +0000

This analogy is entirely wrong and yet for some reason people keep coming back to it. (Why in hell some idiots are defending M$ for screwing them over I don't know). You pay the cable company to supply you with an appropriate tier of channels. This money goes into a very large upkeep of the cable network system, this money does not go back the actually stations. The stations provide "free" services in their content that you watch, this is then payed for entirely through advertising. Do you see how this is completely different? If M$ was running it like this, your games would be free.

Instead what we have here is M$ charging you to use a very basic service, which requires very little upkeep, and then also supplying advertising while offering the customer no further benefits or incentives. Not too mention this only affects Gold Memberships, ie: paying customers. Its complete bullsh*t.

Microsofts big $ is ruining gaming. Its bad enough some games subject you to in game advertising, but now something simple as just turning the system on, subjects you to a multitude of bullshit unrelated products. Not too mention, pre-order only virtual items (ie: guns for pre-order customers, special abilities to people who bought the game at a certain chain, special characters), DLC that could be reduced to little more then a cheat code or skin swap, the massive influx of shovelware pouring out of development houses with little to no quality assurance.

Gaming is changing, and in many way for the worse.

By: UnscathedFlyingObject

UnscathedFlyingObject — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 05:09:23 +0000

Great because everybody likes paying for a service and getting advertisement up their ass. Well cable TV is like that and ironically I have cable TV (just because of a couple channels the parents watch.)

By: chidesd

chidesd — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:41:01 +0000

kinda lam isnt it?

By: Name

Name — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:45:02 +0000

I thought usually paid subscriptions take away ads, not funding them to invent more ways to put ads in our console.

By: ElTopo

ElTopo — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:32:12 +0000

Lol I play video games to avoid advertising. It seems like I can only enjoy this for so long. Im hoping this doesnt migrate across the pond to the PS3 and Nintendo platforms any time soon. Advertising on the menu of my gaming device is not something I'd be too pleased about. That sh*t should really be able to be turned off or ignored. I mean whats next, boot up windows and before I get to use my computer I have to watch a 30 second spot about dog food?

Or "Hey I noticed your playing Call of Duty 4! Before you get into that how about a word from our sponsors..." Cue the advertisement.

I really hope this bullsh*t move from Microsoft gets so much negative feedback that they really think twice about expanding this crap.

By: Pesmerga00

Pesmerga00 — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:17:48 +0000

Wow this is just...... I don't know? Dashboard ads piss me off enough as it is.

I can live with billboards and such in racing games, because they are true to life, and sometimes add to immersion. People running around screaming adverts will get very annoying, especially if there is voice chat. I can see people spamming thousands of bots in WOW for profit. People will do this. Just look at comments on youtube every other one is some fake line having nothing to do with the topic ending in an advert(Usually repeated ten times for maximum effect). This can only end badly.

The only acceptable place I could see this would be free to play MMOs. Even then though, just ugh.

Is nowhere safe?

By: maxchain

maxchain — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:03:03 +0000

They will absolutely have my attention if something comes of the “virtual pet” part of the patent, and the sole way to keep it alive turns out to be answering ad questions.