Games + Adware = Don’t Buy It or Give Me A Discount
Do you read the license agreements when you install software, or do you just keep hitting next? Well if you downloaded the newly released Hellgate: London demo you should have, since you get the extra bonus of adware included. (Advertising-supported software)
Here’s the pertinent section of the license you have to agree to once Hellgate is installed onto your system:
The Software incorporates technology of Massive Incorporated (”Massive”) that enables in-game advertising, and the display of other similar in-game objects, which are uploaded temporarily to your personal computer or game console and replaced during online game play. As part of this process, Massive may collect your Internet protocol address and other basic anonymous information, and will use this information for the general purposes of transmitting and measuring in-game advertising. Massive does not store or use any of this information for the purpose of discovering your personal identity. For additional details regarding Massive’s in-game advertising practices, and to understand your options with respect to in-game advertising and data collection, please see Massive’s privacy policy. The trademarks and copyrighted material contained in all in-game advertising are the property of the respective owners. Portions of this product are © 2007 Massive Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Consent to Use of Data. You agree that EA, its affiliates, and each Related Party may collect, use, store and transmit technical and related information that identifies your computer, including without limitation your Internet Protocol address, operating system, application software and peripheral hardware, that may be gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, dynamically served content, product support and other services to you, including online play. EA and/or the Related Parties may also use this information in the aggregate and, in a form which does not personally identify you, to improve our products and services and we may share that aggregate data with our third party service providers.
Here is one better example for you As reported on CNN.com about splinter cell and other titles serving in-game ads for the UK Xbox 360 users.
Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) is taking a new approach to attracting new recruits. ‘The monthlong ad campaign, which starts at the end of October, is being run by GCHQ, the recruitment firm TMP Worldwide and Microsoft-owned in-game ad agency Massive Inc. Ads headed ‘Careers in British Intelligence’ will appear as billboards in scenes in Splinter Cell and other games including Need for Speed Carbon and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars when they are played on computers and Microsoft Xbox consoles in Britain.
You might be saying well the ads are only posters on walls in certain areas, but with the adware fully incorporated into the game they don’t have to stop at just posters on walls. You could find yourself kicking the crap out of some Zombie flesh by chucking some Windows ME CDs at it, since Massive is owned by The Borg errr Microsoft.
I am ok with including this crap err technology with a free demo but to be included in a game you’re paying full price or paying a monthly fee for … NEVER! I have refused to buy a game at full price that has in game ads in it. I feel the same way about in game ads as I did when I found out Blizzard and World of Warcraft had been stealing my bandwidth to substitute for having game patch servers by using a bittorrent system. This would have been ok if they would have had an option to turn it off or receive the download some other way, or *Gasp* discounted my bill for supplying them with bandwidth.
Us as a consumers have allowed this to continue and dare I say it, even grow. More greedy game studios are looking at this as a great option to pad the bank account even more than the already high prices they charge for games.
If you don’t like it, do something about it like write emails, don’t by the game or setup a petition. But for your sake do something or all the games you play will be just like watching TV with commercials popping up at every loading screen / save point.
What do you think take the poll on your right or leave us a comment about your thoughts.
