No political ads in online games--execs

WITH only less than 15 months left before the 2010 presidential elections, some political candidates are now making headway with subtle campaigns on television and other mediums, including the Internet. Filipino online gamers, however, can be assured that their virtual worlds will not have political advertisements even as online game publishers are ramping up their in-game advertising business. "We're not going to allow political ads because it might be construed negatively by our players who may or may not be interested in politics," said IPVG CEO Enrique Gonzalez during a gaming forum. He said IPVG has a policy against political advertisements in online games, which the company publishes through online gaming subsidiary IP e-Games. "We don't deny that there is money to be made in political ads but it might draw some players to think that we're supporting candidates,” Gonzalez said. Gonzalez said that in-game advertising, which is also called as “advergaming,” is a potential revenue source for game publishers. But it remains to be a small and unexplored market. "As a company, we don't promote one political party or another. What we advocate though is for our players to exercise their democratic rights to vote in the elections," the executive said. Rival game publisher Level Up! Philippines has also policies against political advertising, same as it has against tobacco and liquor ads. Carlo Ople, Level Up! Philippines marketing manager, said in a statement that the local game publisher wants to remain impartial during the elections. "We believe that people need to make informed choices, one that goes beyond hype and popularity,” Ople said. Both Level Up! Philippines and IP e-Games have been engaged in advergaming in partnership with companies offering consumer products like clothes, food and beverages. Both game publishers offer virtual versions of these products that players can "consume" to enhance their online characters. Game publishers are now using advergaming to target specific markets, in this case, the young online gamers who are also expected to purchase products and services marketed through these virtual worlds.