Andre Yoskowitz
24 Dec 2007 15:53
The Scottish government announced today that it would be paying to insert advertisements discouraging drinking and driving into video games on the Xbox 360.
The $20,000 USD trial project will see the advertisements appearing on virtual billboards in the games. The games, appearing on the 360, will be "Need for Speed: Carbon," "Project Gotham Racing 4" and "NBA Live."
Scottish transport minister Stewart Stevenson said that "road accidents" were increasing and that innovative approaches are needed to reach the youth population. The government estimates that 73 percent of Britain's 15- to 24-year-olds have access to a gaming console at home.
"The technology is non-intrusive, subtle, but the message can be seen in the background, loud and clear," Stevenson said.
Officials expressed that if the trial was successful, the program would be expanded to include other road safety messages.
The trial is not the first example of a government targeting young Britons with in-game ads. In October, GCHQ, the intelligence agency said it was seeking out new recruits placing job ads in games such as "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent."
Source:
Yahoo