The "Scene", self-styled "Robin Hood" hackers of the computer world allegedly fighting for you and me, who first made the no-CD crack and then the cracked DRM, are starting to target the intrusive adverts that are now appearing in today's hottest game titles such as the latest Deus Ex:
That Star Wars ad adds nothing to the gameplay and looks somewhat jarring and out of place there, doesn't it? Ads are generally perceived to be unwanted and annoying by the target audience, so it's not hard to see a gamer's frustration at having to put up with them in a game that they paid good money for. Unfortunately, there's a nasty trend now to sneak in intrusive ads with
no warning before you buy the game. This is likely to alienate a significant percentage of people and reduce their future game spending with that software house, so the strategy could backfire. However, the problem with ads, is that they're integrated into the story and gameplay, so unfortunately, it may not be easy or possible to just exorcise them like you can with DRM, without leaving a big hole. From now on, this reporter will most certainly be checking game reviews and forums carefully for the presence of these ads and their intrusiveness, before purchase.
If you'd like to know more about this, there's an interesting and detailed article over at
TechCrunch.
Source: TechCrunch