Gaming

Funny how many engagement debates settle themselves with bribery. The Guinness adult beverage site has rolled out an advergame called "The Legend of the Golden Domino." You watch video clips to find clues, which you use to find codes, which in turn unlock dominoes that release video clips -- which you can ultimately assemble into a finished Guinness ad. If you succeed you can win a solid gold domino.

Microsoft has gone Hollywood. Or to be more specific, it has hired veteran producer Peter Safran to create video content for the download section of its Xbox Live platform. The goal is to jump-start sluggish video consumption among Xbox Live subscribers, so don't be surprised if the content mirrors the games' themes -- gun play, competition, mayhem. You know, all a young man's favorites.

On a tip from Adrants, I took a look at a flash game presented by PETA. While I'm certainly for the ethical treatment of animals, it's prudent to remember that people are animals also. The game gives you some spray paint, which you use to vandalize fur coats while avoiding store security. Hmmm. In a gaming environment where crashing into police cars and shooting up entire city populations is routine entertainment, perhaps a little property damage isn't so bad. But that ethical claim seems a bit dubious.

According to PQ Media, advergaming and webisodes are the fastest growing branded entertainment segments, climbing at a 51.7 percent compound annual growth rate from 2002 to 2007. That's because online games and simulations are great at educating prospects in both the consumer and B2B marketplaces across a broad range of industries -- financial, health, lifestyle, technology, sports, retail, automotive and more.

In a GameDaily exclusive, Jon Epstein, Chief Executive of in-game advertising firm Double Fusion, talks about lessons learned in in-game ads, the growth of the market, and how the industry can help push in-game ads forward.