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Product Placement in Games (Questionnaire)

Chris J

Chris J

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Hi everyone! As some of you are probably aware, it's exam period and I've got a Media Studies exam on Tuesday *eep*.

For my Critical Research I am trying to find out the effects of product placement in computer and video games and I'd be REALLY thankful if you could answer this questionnaire for me! Just copy and paste, and fill in the answers.

1. Do you notice product placement / advertising in video/computer games?: (yes/no/don't know)


2. Choose and name a video game which attempts to reflect at least semi-realistic worlds that contains Product Placement (eg. The Sims, Battlefield, Burnout etc - give reference to specific title in franchise if possible):


3. Does product placement in this game enhance the realism in the game for you? (yes/no):


4. Does the product placement in this game make it more enjoyable, annoy you, or perhaps take away from the escapism of playing a game? Explain with as much detail as you can:


5. Moving away from this specific title, has an example of product placement in a game made you MORE likely to purchase the item it is targetted towards? If so, which game, what did the product placement consist of (billboard? interactable object? sponsorship notice? etc), and why do you think the product placement was successful?:


6. Has an example of product placement in a game made you LESS likely to purchase the item it is targetted towards? If so, which game, what did the product placement consist of (billboard? interactable object? sponsorship notice? etc), and why do you think the product placement was NOT successful?:


7. Which method of product placement do you think is most effective: in-game billboards, interactive objects (eg a Ferrari in Burnout, Ikea furniture in The Sims), sponsorship signs/notices, or other (please specify)?:


8. Would you pay for product placement items to add onto your game to enhance your enjoyment? (eg new real-world cars for Grand Theft Auto, TOPSHOP/TOPMAN clothes for The Sims), and if so, which products, and would the fact these items existed make you more likely to purchase these items in the real world?


9. If you HAVE bought such a product, please name it:


10. Have you been put off purchasing a game because you knew it contained product placements?


11. Do you have anything else to say about product placement in games?


Thankyou so much for your time!
 
1. Do you notice product placement / advertising in video/computer games?: (yes/no/don't know)
Yes

2. Choose and name a video game which attempts to reflect at least semi-realistic worlds that contains Product Placement (eg. The Sims, Battlefield, Burnout etc - give reference to specific title in franchise if possible):
Metal Gear Solid 4 (Apple computers, iPod)

3. Does product placement in this game enhance the realism in the game for you? (yes/no):
Yes

4. Does the product placement in this game make it more enjoyable, annoy you, or perhaps take away from the escapism of playing a game? Explain with as much detail as you can:
In most cases product placement adds to the enjoyment of the game because noticing intricacies in games is always interesting and if it's something relatable like a brand name, it's usually that much more interesting.

5. Moving away from this specific title, has an example of product placement in a game made you MORE likely to purchase the item it is targetted towards? If so, which game, what did the product placement consist of (billboard? interactable object? sponsorship notice? etc), and why do you think the product placement was successful?:
Product placement has never worked on me as an advertising tool to make me go out and buy the product. I rarely see it as advertising, though that's what it blatantly is. I just see it as some cool reference to real life.

6. Has an example of product placement in a game made you LESS likely to purchase the item it is targetted towards? If so, which game, what did the product placement consist of (billboard? interactable object? sponsorship notice? etc), and why do you think the product placement was NOT successful?:
Again, as an advertising tool, product placement doesn't work for me. So just as I don't go out and buy a product I see advertised in a game, nor do I resist that product.

7. Which method of product placement do you think is most effective: in-game billboards, interactive objects (eg a Ferrari in Burnout, Ikea furniture in The Sims), sponsorship signs/notices, or other (please specify)?:
Billboards are too obvious. I prefer smaller details like the logos on computers, cars, food packages etc. Something that you have to pay attention to notice. So that when you do notice it you think to yourself, "oh, that's interesting".

8. Would you pay for product placement items to add onto your game to enhance your enjoyment? (eg new real-world cars for Grand Theft Auto, TOPSHOP/TOPMAN clothes for The Sims), and if so, which products, and would the fact these items existed make you more likely to purchase these items in the real world?
I've never done it, but I think if I was playing a game that allowed it, I would probably do it. Though I don't think it would affect my buying in the real world. I just think it would be a great way to cash in on the players' consumerist tendencies.

9. If you HAVE bought such a product, please name it:
n/a

b10. Have you been put off purchasing a game because you knew it contained product placements?
No.

11. Do you have anything else to say about product placement in games?
I think it usually adds to a game. As I said, noticing intricacies is always cool. On me it doesn't affect my buying the real world. Though it might on others. But it probably would affect my buying in the virtual world if I was able to pay to have brand-name items in the game. So that's how I think product placement works best. Video games are a form or escapism. So once you in the game, people will generally not focus on the real world too much. So when you show them a coca-cola can they aren't usually thinking of stopping the game and going out to buy a can of coke. One they're in the game, they're in. So it's better off trying to make them buy real-world products that they can use within the game. I think that's a better technique than trying to influence their real-world buying habits outside of the game.
 
Ahh thankyou so much Bob George! Very helpful answers, really appreciated :)

It really does seem to me that product placement isn't really doing what it's supposed to do, people just like it for the fact it adds realism to games, and publishers like it for the extra cash the advertising brings in. The advertisers don't really seem to be benefitting at all, although I'm now looking at whether or not placing the products in the game simply gives players a positive attitude about the products who might then subconsciously choose the product in the real world over its competitors without really realising why.
 
1. Do you notice product placement / advertising in video/computer games?: (yes/no/don't know)

Yes, although it doesn't tend to feature that much in the videogames that I tend to buy.

2. Choose and name a video game which attempts to reflect at least semi-realistic worlds that contains Product Placement (eg. The Sims, Battlefield, Burnout etc - give reference to specific title in franchise if possible):

Grand Theft Auto, except that they tend to be satirical about well-known brand names such as Coca-Cola and Budweiser. Another videogame called Yakuza set in Japan features existing brand names such as SEGA and a supermarket in Japan which is very popular called Don Quijote.

3. Does product placement in this game enhance the realism in the game for you? (yes/no):

Product placement does enhance the realism of game where they are creating a sandbox environment where you are supposed to be in a living and breathing city, small things such as brand names for soft drinks, computers and fast food chains etc. In other games which are much more linear and not free-roaming product placement tends of have less of an impact for me.

4. Does the product placement in this game make it more enjoyable, annoy you, or perhaps take away from the escapism of playing a game? Explain with as much detail as you can:

It is dependent upon how it is used. If is integrated in the game so its part of the environment then it can increase enjoyment. However it can be extremely annoying when every attempt has been made to make sure that the gamer will know that they are advertisement i.e. kind of like a pushed right in your face approach. To me product placement is only enjoyable when it is placed in the right context rather than when its done in a very overt manner.


5. Moving away from this specific title, has an example of product placement in a game made you MORE likely to purchase the item it is targetted towards? If so, which game, what did the product placement consist of (billboard? interactable object? sponsorship notice? etc), and why do you think the product placement was successful?:

Product placement in a videogame has never made me more likely to purchase that item, it may create some novelty interest, but that is all. Product placement in games in my opinion doesn't really create new customers, not amongst the adult community anyway but I would imagine that it would be more effective with younger players.


6. Has an example of product placement in a game made you LESS likely to purchase the item it is targetted towards? If so, which game, what did the product placement consist of (billboard? interactable object? sponsorship notice? etc), and why do you think the product placement was NOT successful?:

None, since they don't really have an effect on me either way


7. Which method of product placement do you think is most effective: in-game billboards, interactive objects (eg a Ferrari in Burnout, Ikea furniture in The Sims), sponsorship signs/notices, or other (please specify)?:

The only games to me where product placement could be considered effective is driving games such as Juiced 2, Need For Speed and Burnout etc.

8. Would you pay for product placement items to add onto your game to enhance your enjoyment? (eg new real-world cars for Grand Theft Auto, TOPSHOP/TOPMAN clothes for The Sims), and if so, which products, and would the fact these items existed make you more likely to purchase these items in the real world?

No I wouldn't pay to add product placement into the game unless it was really going to have a significant impact on how you play the game in terms of outcome or opportunities. Again, product placement wouldn't make me more likely to purchase those items in the real world.

9. If you HAVE bought such a product, please name it:

N/A

10. Have you been put off purchasing a game because you knew it contained product placements?

Not really since there aren't that many games that have product placement.

11. Do you have anything else to say about product placement in games?

Product placement in videogames probably only works for a limited demographic and that's probably for much younger players in terms of creating a new customer who wil purchase the item that is being promoted. Most people though depending the context of how product placement is used only consider it tool to enhance the realism of the world in a videogame rather than making them a potential customer of that product outside of the game environment. Product placement/sponsorship is a great way of creating extra revenue for the game developers/companies since it is becoming and extremely competitive and expensive market due to the high production costs of videogames these days as well as public expectations but I don't think it generates any real signficant extra sales at all for the companies that pay for the product placement. People mostly see videogames as a form of escapism and the only way product placement in a videogame could impact upon a user in a real-world is if it was an integral key-part of how you play a game and even then there is a danger of overexposure and turning-people off that product.
 
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