2008 may have been a tempestuous year for the global economy, but online games developers appear to be weathering the storm in style. In fact, statistics from comScore show the over 25 per cent of internet users play online games each week, roughly totalling around 200 million people worldwide.So it's no surprise then that Google is eager to capitalise on the success of the industry. The search giant announced today on the official AdSense blog that it is rolling out a beta trial of its AdSense advertising programme for online games developers.
Essentially, AdSense for Games will allow developers to place code in certain web-based games that will allow for the sale and placement of video ads in that game. Developers will be allowed to choose where to install the code and thereby determine where the ads will appear - for example, before the game begins, between level changes or when the game has been completed. Ad revenue will ultimately be split between Google and the developers.
Ryan Hayward from Google's Ad Product Marketing division said on the blog: "Members of our AdWords team will sell you in-game ad placements directly to top brand advertisers, and you'll also see contextually targeted text and image ads based on content and demographic information.
"In addition, you'll be able to control the ads you see on your pages using our filtering options."
In a statement, Google also suggested ways in which the adverts could be used. It said: "For instance, in anticipation of a sporting event, an advertiser can use the technology of AdSense for Games to feature its logo within that sports event's accompanying online game and reach its relevant demographic as a result."
Preliminary developers participating in the trials include Konami, Playfish, Zynga and Mochi Media. Early advertisers also include Sony Pictures, American insurance comparison site Esurance and US mobile network Sprint.
There are restrictions on which games publishers are allowing to enter the trials that could severely limit the number of trial applicants Google receives. Currently, each participant must have a minimum of 500,000 game plays per day, with 80 per cent of their traffic originating from the US or the UK. It's expected that these regulations could change, however, depending on the initial success of the beta programme.
