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If you thought randomly-placed in-game advertisements were annoying, you’d better be sitting down for this one. It’s come to light that Sony filed a patent that would implement content-suspending advertisements in video games.
As the patent outlines, players would start playing a game and at some point would be given a warning that a commercial was pending. When it’s time to watch the ad, the game would be paused and the player would have to sit through the commercial. Once it’s done, the game would resume where it was paused or a point slightly before the ad took over.
This could seemingly only work in single-player mode as otherwise, all gamers in a multiplayer session would have to watch a commercial at the same time.
While this is essentially no different than watching a television show that’s constantly interrupted by commercials, the landscape is totally different given the fact that people buy games at upwards of $60 a pop. It’d be no different than if movie studios inserted random commercials in the middle of a Blu-ray film you purchased or if record labels tossed in ads mid-song on a CD or digital content you own.
Television and streaming media sources can get away with this practice because you don’t own the content. When you buy a game, it’s yours. Perhaps the only way this could work without ticking off every gamer on the planet would be to utilize a model similar to free mobile games. If a quality console or PC game was free, then yeah, the ads would be reasonable.
The patent application was originally filed on July 22, 2011 and was published on November 10, 2011. According to Digital Trends, the patent was first spotted by a member of the NeoGAF forum yesterday.
User Comments: 41
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I'd like to see them try this inane idea in their movies.
They'd go bankrupt.
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Ahmed90 said:
lol sony strikes again!
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Jeeves, sony really need to fire up the guy behind these stupidities,,, sony is going down soh fast noone will save then!
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I've stopped buying anything Sony years ago (beside the PS3). But seriously, this company is digging its grave; first the price fixing and now this ? LOL@Sony ! Quite the panic mode eh !
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Renrew said:
I don't see why everyones knickers are in such a bunch over this.
You're watching commercials on paid cable every minute of every day.
You buy a ticket to a sporting event and are treated to commercials everywhere you look including the name of the stadium.
You purchase an airplane ticket and are charged for every convenience that used to be included, plus the increase in jet fuel and soon the use of the bathroom.
Ya almost ruined Netflix when U failed to toe the line, maybe you should continue to vote with your wallet
Quit yer bitchin' and open your wallet and assume the bent over position. It's the way of the world.
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3DCGMODELER said:
<p>I don't see why everyones knickers are in such a bunch over this.</p><p> </p>
<p> You're watching commercials on paid cable every minute of every day. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> You buy a ticket to a sporting event and are treated to commercials everywhere you look including the name of the stadium.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> You purchase an airplane ticket and are charged for every convenience that used to be included, plus the increase in jet fuel and soon the use of the bathroom.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> Ya almost ruined Netflix when U failed to toe the line, maybe you should continue to vote with your wallet</p>
<p> </p>
<p> Quit yer bitchin' and open your wallet and assume the bent over position. It's the way of the world.</p>
I gave up tv 3 yrs ago
I hate Commercials to many of them..
netflix is the way now.. no commercials.... yet ...
netflix adds commercials.. I will stop netflixing...
I mean I do whatch commercials with the mute button....
the new dish DVR bleeps out the commercials automatically
Thats next
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Aren't TV commercials prior art?
Does the USPTO even care anymore? Seems all they see is $$$.
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Only free to play games should even be considered for ad placement. When you buy a dvd or bluray one of the glorious extras is the lack of advertising so you can watch the entire movie or tv episode without break. Why should video games be any different?
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"We're sorry, your game can not continue due to a commercial load error
Please contact Sony for further support or try again."
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Gars said:
So, instead pirated versions of the games, we will see some kind of "NoScript" apps that blocks the ad's?
anyway, this is stupid
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I play your games because they expand my life, not your affiliates.
I suggest everyone take a deep breath and detach their rabid desire for entertainment, just so much that we can act with prudence when deciding if someone who sells something with forced ads is someone we really want to show support for.
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Doctor John said:
No. NO! :eek:
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Howard Stringer to the new guy in charge of Sony:
We're losing money. It must be because our products are not being advertised, after all, all our products are the greatest thing since sliced bread. I know, we'll advertised in video games. That will fix our bottom mine. Make it so, New Guy.
Yet another stupid move from a stupid company. My bet is this has the opposite of the desired effect.
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If it means games are free, or more like how TV is paid for (single licence) I'd be more than happy to be interrupted by comercials every now and then, would remind me to strech my legs, go get a drink, and not turn into a mindless gaming machine for 9 odd hours every weekend. ^^
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cookiedude said:
I think people are taking quite an anti-sony line on this unnecessarily. All they have done is have a patent approved for such a mechanism in-game, they haven't said they're going to implement it. I think it will prove far more lucrative for them when others now have to start licensing the use of the patent from them. From this point of view it could be a very shrewd move from Sony... but if they choose to use this in their own premium, pay upfront games then they will indeed have shot themselves in the foot once again! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the former
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Please Sega, come back and save us all!
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