GDC 2005

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Ivory Tower Research

• Kim Gregson, Ithaca College assistant professor
• http//www.ithaca.edu/faculty/kgregson
• Research-oriented undergraduates
• Mike Potter, programming, business, scriptwriting
• Stephanie Belsky -consumer marketing research,
  account planning
• Yvone Chun - consumer marketing research

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Literature Review

• Deal, D. The ability of branded online games to
  build brand equity An exploratory study. IGRA
  2005 Paper. http//hdl.handle.net/1892/1544
• Nelson, M., Keum, H., Yaros, J. (2004, Fall).
  Advertainment or adcreeep Game players
  attitudes towards advertising and product
  placement in computer games. Journal of
  Interactive Advertising. http//www.jiad.org/vol5/
  no1/nelson/index.htm

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Literature Review

• Hernandez, M., Minor, M., Suh, J., Chapa, S.,
  Salas, J. (2005). Brand recall in the advergaming
  environment A Cross-country comparison. In
  Stafford, M. Faber, R. Advertising, Promotion,
  and New Media. Armonk, NY ME Sharpe. 298-319.
• Youn, S. Lee, M. (2005). Advergame playing
  motivations and effectiveness A uses and
  gratifications perspective. In Stafford, M.
  Faber, R. Advertising, Promotion, and New Media.
  Armonk, NY ME Sharpe. 320-348.

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Literature Review

• Kleeberger, J. (2002). Online-gaming as marketing
  and sales catalyst. Unpublished Masters Thesis.
  University of St. Gallen. http//www.gamasutra.co
  m/education/theses/20030721/Kleeberger_thesis.pdf
• Crispini, N. (2003). Considering the growing
  popularity of online games What contributes to
  making na online game attractive, addictive and
  compelling? http//www.saeuk.com/downloads/researc
  h/nick_crispini_oct_2003.pdf

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Overview

• 2 experiments - evaluation, memory
• Professionally developed advergames
• Homegrown concentration advergame
• College students

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Overview Research Goals

• Evaluation
• Memory for product related information on screen
• Memory for game content - aided and unaided

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Overview Professionally developed games

• Ritz Bits SMores Sumo Wrestling
• Planters Peanuts Bag Toss
• Life savers Whiffleball
• Jack Daniels bartender
• Mikes Hard Limeade Air Hockey
• Heineken Simon

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Overview Homegrown game

• Concentration
• Cereal mascots as game pieces
• Half in color, half black and white
• No timer, no score recorded, no competitions
• Low intensity

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Evaluation Commercial Games are Bad

• What did you like/dislike about game?
• Overall negative evaluations
• 80 of comments for alcohol games were negative
  (41 out of 51 comments)
• 57 of comments for snack food games were
  negative (63 out of 110 comments)

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Evaluation Negative Categories

• Not fun (17)
• Too hard to play/win (29)
• Game design issues (14)

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Evaluation Positive Categories

• Engaging (17)
• Appreciate creative effort (6)

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Evaluation Commercial Games

• Would you play the game again?
• Alcohol games - 71 negative (36 of 51 comments)
• Snack food games 72 negative (80 of 110 comments

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Evaluation Wouldnt play again

• Boring (35)
• Bad game features (17)

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Evaluation Cereal Concentration

• Nostalgic
• Lots of conversations afterwards about who
  remembered what mascot, and cereal eating
  experiences

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Memory for Sidebar Info

• 5 True-False questions
• Only 2 answered all 5 correctly
• 16 got none correct

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Memory for Mascots

• Mascots in the game - under the blue tiles
• More than 95 correctly identified all of the
  mascots seen AND not seen

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Conclusions

• Have to think of advergames as GAMES as much as
  advertisement
• All screen geography is not created equal

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Conclusion/Request

• Involve academics
• Access to target audience members
• Knowledge of previous research
• Time to do the analysis
• We like games, too