In-game ads coming to CS 1.6 :(

[Triple_6]

December 08, 2006 - CS-Nation interviewed Valve's Doug Lombardi about the inclusion of in-game ads in the v1.6 update for Counter-Strike:

CS-Nation: Why is in-game advertising being added into CS 1.6? Why not add this into CS: Source, Condition Zero, or one of Valve's more modern titles?

Doug Lombardi: As for why CS 1.6, the main attraction for potential advertisers is the audience size. Counter-Strike is the largest online action game in the world. Putting ads into our games is a new thing for us. Whenever we're testing something new, we try to be somewhat scientific — isolating the implementation so we can measure its success or failure. That's why we chose just one title.

-- Robert 'Apache' Howarth

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/750/750164p1.html

[Triple_6]

I will not play and condone any game with in-game ads that I have already paid full price for, ever. I knew as soon as EA did this shit with Battlefield then more publishers would follow suit, and here we are. If this moves to CS:S then count me the fuck out. I will stop playing video games period if this crap continues. I'm so fed up with these big name publishers with their little god damn micro-transactions, their in-game advertising, their releasing buggy, unfinished products; all this nickel and diming bullshit they're doing. FUCK YOU.

[zero]

If they enforce ads for CS:S on a server WE PAY FOR then fuck them. If there's a way to disable them somehow or if it generates US revenue for the server since we are the ones hosting the ads then I might be able to live with it. But if it's gonna be like BF2 then I think I'll be done as well.

[Phenix]

fuck that shit. count me out if thats the case. goddamn fucktards

[[KdK]Metalgod]

I can see it now Viagra ads in game :lol:

[papa smurf]

or condom adds (they come in different flavours)

[McTucket]

i personally dont give a fuck as long as it doesnt affect game play.

[Nebula]

who still plays 1.6?

Christ, get source already!!! :wink:

oh yeah, and in-game advertisements for the loss.

[HHBizzle]

let's start a class action suit!
maybe we can each geta million bucks

[MiddleFinger]

Well, I read the steam subscriber agreement, and I didn't find anything in there about in game adverts, but they do have this nice little section that will probably eliminate any chance for legal action.


I personally don't care. I don't spend much time looking at the walls anyway.

12. AMENDMENTS TO THIS AGREEMENT

Valve may amend this Agreement at any time in its sole discretion. As a Subscriber, you agree that Valve may amend the terms of this Agreement. If Valve amends the Agreement, such amendment shall be effective thirty (30) days after your receiving notice of the amended Agreement, either via e-mail or as a notification within the Steam Software. You can view the Agreement at any time at http://www.steampowered.com/. Your failure to cancel your Account thirty (30) days after receiving notification of an amended Agreement will mean that you accept all such amendments. If you don't agree to the amendments or to any of the terms in this Agreement, your only remedy is to cancel your Account or a particular Subscription.

[Triple_6]

CS 1.6 is just the testing phase of these adverts. If it's "successful" Valve plans on implementing it in their other games. Oh well, one more company on my boycott list.

[sylverarrow]

I'll stop playing as well. I paid for this game, the servers are paid for and I have to see adverts? blah.

[McTucket]

wouldnt we be able to.. disable that bullshit?

it worked with dynamic pricing.

[zero]

Dynamic pricing is a feature that changes gameplay. In-game ads don't affect the game, they're just an added annoyance to make Valve more money using our servers. And I never heard of being able to disable them in BF2142. If everyone could just disable it there would be no reason for them to do it to begin with.

[Triple_6]

I've read they'll be putting them in several places, like the spectator screen, the scoreboard, and billboards all over the map. Valve has stressed it won't be optional. This really bothers me to no end. I can't see how people can just lay down for this shit. Advertisements are by their very nature designed to be intrusive. If it's not grabbing your attention then it's not doing its job. Saying you won't notice them is being very naive.

It's bad enough we get email spam, commercials on the tv and radio, billboards on the highway, telemarketers calling us during dinner, pop-ups while we browse the internet, and now adverts in the games we play. What part of our everyday lives are we not getting bombarded by an advertisement of some sort trying to entice us to buy a product? It's fucking bullshit, man. I just want to be left the fuck alone and enjoy my games without getting manipulated into buying something.

[McTucket]

ok well bottom line, im playing cs...

[Thunder]

Will this be coming to DoD if it goes over well?

[Maull]

what does valve gain from the advertisements? what types of ads are we talking about? like computer ads or car ads or what? would they have to constantly update steam to rotate the ads/billbords?

fuck man, cant they realize that doing this is possibly going to hurt their buisness? or fuck; maybe they already made their money on cs and hl2 and their just trying to cash in one last time? fuck you, we already made our money now eat this shit and like it. fuck the man.

[McTucket]

in the words of michael richards... " thats what happens when you interrupt the white man!"

[zero]

Will this be coming to DoD if it goes over well?
If this is "successful" and makes them some money I'm sure you'll see it any every game Valve can put it in, including DOD. And then probably every other game publisher will do the same. I could see EA doing this for sure. It will be the decline of gaming as we know it. And with newer consoles connecting to the internet they have new opportunities to put content sensitive ads in console games to! How exciting. Maybe then I can finally ditch my windows box because I won't have any games to play on it anymore.

[Phenix]

If this is "successful" and makes them some money I'm sure you'll see it any every game Valve can put it in, including DOD. And then probably every other game publisher will do the same. I could see EA doing this for sure. It will be the decline of gaming as we know it. And with newer consoles connecting to the internet they have new opportunities to put content sensitive ads in console games to! How exciting. Maybe then I can finally ditch my windows box because I won't have any games to play on it anymore.

linux ftw!!! the only the Windows is good for is games

[Sammie]

Capitalism FTL!!!!



Pinko's


:wink:

[McTucket]

you guys are all rediculous if you stop playing cs just because of your views on capitalism at its best.

do you stop watching boxing, nascar, or soccer just because they do the same thing? no.

[Sammie]

I just think its funny that pro-capitalists are offended by the by products of the system

[zero]

The difference is we paid to play this game and they want to make more money on top of it. There are commercials on TV because you don't pay for it (cable is a different story). And no one watches NASCAR because it's gay.

[Sammie]

but you do pay for cable and you do have commercials

you pay for magazines and they are full of ad's

you pay to see a movie and the beginning is full of ads

and they even have a ton of product placement in the actual movie
....and on and on and on.
The examples are practically endless.

its capitalism.

buy, sell and be bought

if you dont like it, then bitch about the core of the problem...the entire economic infrastructure.

Dont bother trying to swat at flies on a rotting corpse.
It will only frustrate you.
Get rid of the corpse or tolerate the flies.

Anything else is a fruitless endevour.

[Triple_6]

Zero pretty much spelled it out. It has nothing to do with my views on capitalism. Advertising is not capitalism. It's a byproduct of modern capitalism but capitalism could survive without it. I just don't like the intrusive nature of it. I should never be forced to sit there and look at an advertisement unless it benefits me in some way. Free TV like football is one example. Games that utilize in-game advertising but are free, like Anarchy Online, are another good example. Websites that are free to look at but still have bandwidth costs that need to be covered, etc. are another.

What Valve is doing is pure greed and in no way helps the gamer. People have paid for CS, people fund the servers, major development is over and done with and what little support they do give is funded by selling more copies. How does in-game advertising on a game that is almost a decade old help us?

I'll tell you what is happening. World of Warcraft now has 7.5 million subscribers. That's 7.5 million people each paying 15 dollars a month for the service of playing that game. WoW is one of the most successful games in history and is generating huge amounts of profit for Blizzard and Vivendi. The other major publishers like EA and Valve are envious of its success, so they are trying to replicate it in the only way they can, in-game advertising which generates a constant stream of revenue even after the box copies are sold. It's total bullshit and I won't go along with it. I know I'm not alone and I think there will be a huge backlash against these major publishers for trying to pull this shit. EA already has a terrible reputation. Software companies like Starforce are going bankrupt from grassroots consumerism. Nothing is inevitable. You have power as a consumer.

[Phenix]

EA already has a terrible reputation.

Especially in the game industry. I have associates who work there and or ahve worked there, and nobody likes EA.

[McTucket]

you guys are rediculous. you say wont play the game. fine. but i bet you do.

apply your answer for cs to everything.

like sammie said. stop buying cable. . and mags... and everything else you enjoy.


its just an unfortunate byproduct.


you've not bought... or even thought of buying anything from an add you saw? what? you say no? i call bullshit.

[zero]

I don't have cable or satellite or XM or Sirius, the only content I pay for is my connection to the internet. I block every ad I possibly can on webpages with Adblock because ads are annoying. I don't tend to buy anything I see advertised, I buy what suites my needs based on research and comparison shopping, not because it was on TV or in a magazine.

If Valve implements this in such a way that the ads are delivered by separate servers or through something dumb like URLs, then I'll just happily block them at my router, and may consider to continue playing.

[Triple_6]

I'm not saying advertising isn't effective either. I KNOW it's effective. It's a multi-billion dollar business and they know what they're doing. Sex, violence, peer pressure, attacks on self-esteem, utilizing colors with different feels, these are all tools advertisers use to manipulate you into buying their products. Have I ever bought something because of an advertisement? Absolutely. Was it a conscious choice? More often than not, no. Because I don't fall for ordinary bullshit and am frugal with my money.

You guys are fucking frustrating. So you want to sit there and look at ads all day, go right ahead. But people like me hate to look at them. That's why people are on the national do-not-call list, why they have TIVO, spam blockers, pop-up blockers and a host of other things to tone down the amount of unwanted exposure. Who the fuck wants to sit there and look and listen to some company try to bullshit you? If you like that then I honestly don't know what to say to you. If you don't like it then you need to quit with this attitude that everything a big corporation does is inevitable and you can't do anything about it. You need to get educated about how our government and a pluralist democracy operates, what a consumer and grassroots organizations can do to empower the ordinary person who would normally be helpless.

This isn't the ideology of a nut or a tree hugger, it's the knowledge I've acquired from going to a top 10 school and spending thousands of dollars listening to intelligent people tell me how things are and what I can do to get things done. You think I will play CS after they put ads in? I'll bet you fucking anything I don't, because I realize the power I have as a consumer. I didn't buy BF2142 when I heard they put ads in, I didn't buy Need For Speed when I heard they were in there, and I won't play CS or buy any Valve product that has them either. I realize that advertisements are a normal part of everyday life, but I'm not gonna support their encroachment in the one venue I have left where I don't have to deal with real world shit. It's that important to me.

[McTucket]

ooh mr big college and "i listen to tony robbins"... :)


i block as many calls and emails as i can too... but cs is different to me. so many fucking things in my life has changed... cs has been one of the few constants. il play, even if the gear i wear as a ct says kotex on the back.

[Triple_6]

I so thought about editing that out lol. The last thing I want to be seen as is some snide punk talking down to people, but I also didn't want you discarding what I said as the ramblings of a typical uneducated, rage against the machine (I love that band btw), save the manatees, disillusioned pinko. :cool:

It looks like I've failed anyway, hehe. You guys don't want to listen to Triple. Fiiiiiiiiiiiiine.

[Sammie]

. It has nothing to do with my views on capitalism. Advertising is not capitalism. It's a byproduct of modern capitalism but capitalism could survive without it..

I beg to differ


exactly what is "modern capitalism" other than the natural progression that the institution of capitalism has created (i.e. reality).

Does it require it? I guess that's an armchair debate that we could take on but the fact of the matter is that it does in fact utilize it, quite effectively I might add.

Whether the total inuandation of buy/comsume/sell is necessary in our culture for the survival of capitalism in an purist sense, I can not say.
But it is certainly a powerful tool in any profit based economy.




You are correct, the consumer has the power. But let's face it, the vast majority of consumers dont give a damn. They dont want power.
They want to be led.
The general public wants to be bought and sold.
Isnt that why they are called consumers? lol


If you feel strongly about it. then chuck the game(s) that utlilize marketing strategies in game but I think its a loosing battle. And besides, I think its a inconsistent stance considering other things we easily tolerate that fall under, if not the same than very similar categories.










(Try to let it (mass advertising) pass over you like white noise. Its just a distraction. So dont get caught up and become distracted)



You have the power :D





That's just my 2 cents on the matter anyway


BTW: This made me giggle

This isn't the ideology of a nut or a tree hugger, it's the knowledge I've acquired from going to a top 10 school and spending thousands of dollars listening to intelligent people tell me how things are and what I can do to get things done..


Good luck on your crusade old wise one :p

<3


added: I think its noble to have principals and live by them. And I respect yours. I just think you are setting yourself up for disappointment if you think this trend is going to die out.
And yes, I do think its a necessary by product of our economic system....capitalism...restained capitalism....capitalist socialism...whatever label one desires to put on it. The out come is still the same.

[Triple_6]

I'm not trying to lead a crusade or change the world. That's the whole point of my posts is that I as an ordinary person can make simple decisions which make a difference or contribute to making a difference. Click my profile. See my homepage? When you talk about how bad capitalism is, you're preaching to the fucking choir. But I'm also practical enough to realize that capitalism is here to stay, so what do we do about that? We get educated, we learn the system, and how to work it, and we play the game like the elite of this country do. The Constitution is one of the greatest documents ever created. It set up a pluralist democracy that leaves us many avenues to take our grievances. We've got the legislative, the executive, the judicial branches of government, we've got local government, state government, federal government. The internet has opened up even more doors for us through organization, blogs and forums to get the word out, information.

Now I don't claim to be the smartest guy in the world and I'm not a crusader, but in my mind you can either join the "woe is me" crowd and sit around complaining about the system, or you can learn the ins and outs of that system and use its strengths to your advantage. That's why I cited my school, because before I got here I was just like Sammie. Fuck it all, nothing will ever change, let me sit here quoting Das Kapital and Che Guevara and dream about liberating the proletariat. That stuff does no good. I used to spend days writing leftist articles and circulating them over the internet, trying to light a fire under the people's collective asses. A few months ago just for shits and giggles I googled some of my titles just to see if any of them were still floating around out there. I came up nada. Not one of them made a lasting effect on anybody.

So fuck em. If people don't give a shit, why should I give a shit for them. All I can do is stand by my principles and use my brain. Valve wants to put in-game advertising in their products? Fuck you, I won't buy them. That's the strongest message you can send a company. Am I alone? From what I've gathered from this thread and others, no. Collectively, will us not buying anymore of Valve's products included with in-game advertising make a difference? Maybe, maybe not. Given the average CS player spraying gay porn, probably not, but I can lay my head down knowing I stood firm in my convictions, and all I had to do was keep my money in my pocket. A simple pleasure no doubt, but I'll take it anyway. The little things do add up, and if you feel really strongly about something, the avenues are there for you to make a difference.

[Sammie]

you have a lot more hope/ belief in our system than I do.

im not crying and bitching. you were :p

I may be a pessimist, but I'm also a realist.

I think its imporatant to be a principal oriented consumer.

I dont disagree with your stance.

I respect you for standing behind it.

I just think there is a lot more to the subject than video game advertising.

Where do you draw the line? Why here and not in other places.

I just find it curious.


And you "were like me"

lol

Silly Rabbit, Tricks are for kids

[Triple_6]

Lol, I was worse than you. You should read some of the shit I wrote.

In my mind, you draw the line depending on how strongly you feel about something. One can't change the world but you can make a difference. As a consumer, you can hurt a company by refusing to buy their products or services. As a citizen, you can refuse to vote for a particular party or incumbent who won't listen to your grievances. As a professional, you can create or join an interest group of like-minded people who will probe the different levels of government and try to find a sympathetic ear. All of these are proven, effective methods for change and they are simple and easy. All you need are principles and the assumption that nobody is looking out for you.

That last one is important. For example, I used to work at a shipyard before coming back to school. Tucket probably knows the one. Newport News Shipbuilding. We had a union there and a damn good one. They negotiated some very nice contracts for us and safety was of the highest concern. A worker couldn't ask for anything more. One day I was walking back to my car with a buddy of mine and we started talking about the union and what would happen if a strike occurred. He says to me, "I'm not in the union. Why should I have to pay dues when I get the benefit of the union anyway?" That is probably the worst attitude to have, but it's a common one. Political scientists and economists call it the "free-rider problem" and it basically means people support issues but don't contribute any resources to an interest group, because they assume everybody else is and they'll reap the benefits anyway.

If you feel strongly about the right to bear arms then join the NRA. If you feel strongly about civil liberties then join the ACLU. Nobody is asking you to go lobby Congress in person, but your membership dues help pay for professional lobbyists who will speak on your behalf. Just little things like that are what I'm talking about. Being proactive. Knowing the system. Standing firm in your convictions.

But anyway, I need to get some sleep. Thanks for the chat. :P

[McTucket]

fuckin nice, guys.

[thegreaterbad]

CS is one of the biggest PC games on the market right now.

And with CS crazed players come kids who have nothing better to do then learn computers in and out and take advantage of their knowledge to wreck havoc at their whim. Pretty much HACKERS.

And if something like this pisses off the likes of people like me and you, who have full-time jobs and other things in our lives that may keep us from online gaming at times.

Imagine how pissed these kids who could hack your computer down to the likes of a Tandy will be when their precious CS is infiltrated by BS advertisements that will ruin the strategy of the game by ruining concealment and shadows people use to their advantage.

I think Valve is going to get a major wake-up call when they run this gig into CS 1.6 and they will see kids and adults working around the clock to make sure it gets shut down.

Would it be possible to use custom maps that would disable the ability to show the advertisements? Then all Valve will see is servers switching all their rotations to custom maps where their advertisements cant reach and the companies will drop their support of Valve and whoo-la! no more BS advertisements.

Its a stretch of an idea, but I have no doubt in my fellow gamers that with their computer-savvy abilities, they will kill this monster before it can rear its ugly head too far into the gaming world

[papa smurf]

you have a lot more hope/ belief in our system than I do.

im not crying and bitching. you were :p

I may be a pessimist, but I'm also a realist.

I think its imporatant to be a principal oriented consumer.

I dont disagree with your stance.

I respect you for standing behind it.

I just think there is a lot more to the subject than video game advertising.

Where do you draw the line? Why here and not in other places.

I just find it curious.


And you "were like me"

lol

Silly Rabbit, Tricks are for kids hahaha u showed him:lol:

[JimbobSS]

they call those people at the Newport News shipyard Scabs T6 =)
I used to hear about it from another friend of mine that worked there as a welder.