Topic: Google grows up.

[Pugnate]

http://pc.ign.com/articles/788/788346p1.html

Google To Track In-Game Behavior?
The Internet monolith may start monitoring how we play.
by Micah Seff

May 14, 2007 - It finally seems like Google may be putting its $23 million acquisition of AdScape to good use. UK newspaper, The Guardian, has caught wind of a patent filed by Google concerning in-game advertising. Judging by the details of the patent, the imposing Internet presence may be readying itself to monitor the games we play, and the way in which we play them.

Google believes that it will be able to track in-game behavior in order to determine crucial information about an individual's purchasing tendencies. The information gathered in this manner could then be sold to advertisers for a pretty penny, we imagine. The details of the patent state that Google will be able to monitor people playing on any game console that hooks up to the Internet, including the PS3, the Xbox 360, and the Wii.

According to the patent, "User dialogue (eg from role playing games, simulation games, etc) may be used to characterize the user (eg literate, profane, blunt or polite, quiet etc). Also, user play may be used to characterize the user (eg cautious, risk-taker, aggressive, non-confrontational, stealthy, honest, cooperative, uncooperative, etc)." Google believes that this information will allow for companies to tailor in-game advertising to make it more "relevant to the user."

Google then cited some fairly ridiculous examples of just how this might play out in actual practice. Players who explore a lot in online games, for instance, "may be interested in vacations, so the system may show ads for vacations." On the other hand, those who spend much of their in-game time communicating with others, might encounter ads for cell phones or other communication-based products. Additionally, the patent covered in-game ad delivery that was not based on behavioral clues. "In a car racing game, after a user crashes his Honda Civic, an announcer could be used to advertise by saying 'if he had a Hummer, he would have gotten the better of that altercation', etc," the patent states. "If the user has been playing for over two hours continuously, the system may display ads for Pizza Hut, Coke, coffee."

While this might all just seem like a fairly harmless method of streamlining ad delivery, the move has worried certain privacy campaigners who found the prospect of such massive data collection "alarming."

"I can understand why they are interested in this, but I would be deeply disturbed by a company holding a psychological profile," stated Sue Charman of online campaign Open rights Group. "Whenever you have large amounts of information, it becomes attractive to people - we've already seen the American federal government going to court over data from companies including Google."

Nevertheless, Google may have tapped into something that could prove quite profitable further down the line. Games like Second Life and World of Warcraft are not only massively popular, but involve community interaction, a key element in analyzing players' behavioral patterns. Virtual worlds such as these are projected to be among the most profitable sources of advertising revenue on the web. Second Life and World of Warcraft currently have 5 and 8 million subscribers respectively. A recent report conducted by analyst firm, Screen Digest, indicated that the market for virtual worlds in the west already exceeds $1 billion each year.

The one drawback to this sort of ad-tracking/delivery is that it would require game developers to incorporate Google's ad technology into their games. Nevertheless, in an industry constantly looking for new ways to rake in the dough, targeted ad delivery must seem like a pretty appealing prospect.

"Publishers are becoming more like media companies," said Justin Townsend, an executive at in-game advertising company IGA. "More games are being optimised for advertising." Of course, none of this should take precedence over privacy considerations. "Both consumers, publishers and the advertising industry are very aware of privacy issues," he claimed. "You cannot afford to be vague in these areas."

While this seems harmless, it is just baby steps in the qualification for BAC (Big Asshole Company).

Though it would be interesting to see your own psychological profile. I bet D's will say,"Likes to to do a gazillion things at once." Idol's will say,"Likes to look at nekkid elves." Keebler's will say,"Likes to look at male nekkid elves."

[Quemaqua]

Mine will say, "Error, cannot read from database.  Google headquarters destroyed by ballistic weapons fire and a series of successive, structure-crippling explosions."

[gpw11]

I've been of the opinion that google's been what you refer to as a BAC for a while now - they just have a really good PR department. 

Look, I don't mind in game ads at all as long as they aren't intrusive.  If I'm going to be ignoring a loading screen or an in game bilboard, it might as well be one with a picture of Juicy Fruit on it.  Some will disagree, but whatever, in game ads aren't going to go anywhere.  We do, however, have to draw a line, and for me its right here.


The demographic for ingame ads is broken down enough as it is, this isn't neccesary.  You know I like videogames, know I don't hate the genre for whatever game I'm playing, know I either have a console, pc, or whatever, and know that I have a bit of disposably income among other things.  That's already a prettty prime and specific audience demographic for any advertising endevour.  Any more is uneccesary for the level of intrustion that they're trying to get away with. 

We let them scan our emails and they got bolder.  So they're compiling profiles based on our gaming habits.  "Oh, what?  Google released a desktop office suite?  awesome!   Yeah, I guess it kind of sucks that it phones home every time I write an essay, but it can't be any more intrusive then when they phoneing home every time I tried to organize a game of Monopoly Online".  "Sweet, a Google operating system?  Awesome!  Why would I care about the fact that it records everything I do?  Do No Evil Man, Do No Evil."  "Hey, where'd all this junk mail come from?"

Before anyone accuses me of a logical fallacy here, I'd like to state my case:  It's a legitimate slippery slope as it deals with the desensitising (sp?) nature of information collection rather than an illegitimate attempt to show how a course of action can and will lead to a conclusion which is not directly and logically related.

Anyways, that's my main problem; the desensitization (sp this time?) towords data collection.  We should probably make it known we won't have any of it before companies start looking for more and more ways to pry into our personal lives.  That and while google seems like a perfectly moral company now, god knows where they will be in 5-10 years....and you can bet they'll still have all that info. 

[Quemaqua]

Exactly.  What he said.  Particularly the last part.

[Pugnate]

Yea that last point is excellent.