THE FRONT PORCH: Has Ad culture gone too far?
Ads are something most of us have grown accustomed to. They fill our social media feeds, streaming services charge us extra to remove them, and now, those same ads may be making their way into PC and console gaming.
By Dakota Baker, RealWV
Ads are something most of us have grown accustomed to. They fill our social media feeds, streaming services charge us extra to remove them, and now, those same ads may be making their way into PC and console gaming.
Recently, Microsoft filed a patent application for what it calls an “ad credit system.” The proposed technology would allow targeted advertisements to be displayed during natural pauses in PC and console games.
The system would use game data to identify moments when an advertisement would be less disruptive, such as loading screens, menus, or after completing a boss fight. Before the first ad appears, players could receive an initial ad-free window based on either a set amount of time or their progress in the game.
Once an ad is displayed, watching it would reward the player with an “ad credit.” That credit could then be used to delay the next advertisement, essentially creating a system where players earn additional ad-free gameplay by engaging with the ads.
While this is currently only a patent application and does not necessarily mean Microsoft plans to implement the system, it raises questions about how advertising could become a larger part of the gaming experience in the future.
If ads can start appearing in loading screens, menus, and other parts of our games, where do we draw the line?
