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AUSTIN, Texas - Internet search and advertising leader Google said Thursday that it is working on methods to display ads in computer games, expanding on the approach used by AdScape Media, an in-game advertising firm it purchased in February for $23 million. Games Seen As "Perfect Medium" In computer games Google sees a good community to which it can offer targeting advertising. "We are  currently in tests to determine the best approach to in-game advertising," said Google in a response to news service Agence France-Presse (AFP). "We think this rich environment is a perfect medium to deliver relevant, targeted advertising that ultimately benefits the user, the video game publisher and the advertiser," Google said. The testing by Google comes on the heels of recent plans to expand its vastly successful Internet search and advertising business to include cell phones by way of the company's Open Handset Alliance platform, and social networking through its new OpenSocial framework. Google has also entered into the traditional mediums of radio, television and newspapers, as well as such novel areas as the local gas pump as the result of a partnership announced Wednesday. A Captive Audience Some see video game players as a good target audience due to the concentration needed to play many games, and it is thought that advertising messages might have a greater impression on game players, who also represent a valuable demographic to advertisers. Video games of all types may eventually contain Google ads in creatively placed areas, such as on billboards flying by in racing games, or on the sides of cars or buildings. The Google video game ads would be able to change periodically taking advantage of the Internet connectivity included with modern gaming consoles and desktop computer games. Keeping Playability at a Maximum Google must be careful in its handling of any ads it places in video games, so that the players game experience isn't degraded through overly intrusive ads or code that slows down the speedy game play many of today's gamers have come to expect. Google appears to take gamers concerns seriously. "We are working with publishers to help advertisers reach their target audiences while maintaining a high quality, engaging user experience," Google said. Specifics of System Forthcoming At present Google has not released detailed information about its  forthcoming advertising system for video games. Om Malik, former senior writer for Business 2.0 magazine and now running the GigaOm Web site, sees Google looking to embed short video ads in several games made by startup video game company Bunchball Games, and cites sources familiar with the matter as expecting an announcement as early as next week. Some of the games Bunchball produces are made for social networking site Facebook, and the company is also a partner with Google in the new OpenSocial platform. Not the First Game Advertisements Google will enter a video game advertising market that already includes Sony and Microsoft. Microsoft sells in- game advertising on games played on its Xbox Live platform using technology it acquired when it purchased in-game advertising company Massive last year. Sony has a team that has been working on developing interactive in-game advertising since last month for its PlayStation video gaming consoles. Google's Gaming Grab Google faces a challenge in distributing ads inside video games which operate on many of the major proprietary consoles, such as those of Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. As Google conducts tests in preparation for entry into the video game advertising marketplace, competitors and gamers alike may wonder whether the search leader will succeed by trying to break down the proprietary nature of the gaming world. Related Links:
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11:00 pm on Nov. 9, 2007 (utc 0)