Ever thought why we crave for a drink or want to order a pizza while playing video games? Although we don’t really yearn for it, still our impulses persuade us. This is known as the art of In-game advertising.  With rules of advertising shifting through the development of technology, the applications of logo design are on the rise. Long gone are the days when companies were restricted to advertise through conventional ways. With the advent of video games and its rampant popularity, corporations have found a new way of advertising their corporate logo design to the masses. It’s time to say bye-bye to conventional advertising and hello to In-game advertising, the latest hype in the corporate promotion world.

Popularly known as IGA (in-game advertising) has gained corporate attention for its extensive usage and widespread reach. The technique used to advertise a corporate logo in a video game is called subliminal advertising. The users of video games are inadvertently exposed to the corporate logos in the background of the game. This stimulates the subconscious mind of the viewer and generates the necessary response from the advertisement. According to industry reports, in-game advertising will continue to rise to $1 billion by 2014.

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Did you know that Barack Obama spent over $ 44,000 on in-game ads for his presidential campaign? Take a look at the screen shots taken from the hit games, “Burnout” and “NBA”.

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While conventional mode of advertising still holds the bulk share, the trends of corporate advertising are changing rapidly. Corporations are shifting to more unique and contemporary forms of promoting their logo design with the help of In-Game Advertising.

Over the past 30 years or so, video games have come a long way. Those of us who remember the days of Atari and old school Nintendo can really appreciate the way games have advanced, but we learn to take the good with the bad. There have been a lot of terrible attempts at games, but then there are others that are created well and pave the way. What helps sell a game? Whether it’s a video game, board game, computer game, card game, DVD game, or whatever else might be out there, games are there for entertainment value, so as long as they are fun and well thought out, they will sell. What makes the the public interested enough to buy a game and start that word of mouth that helps them sell? Well, it seems that is where the marketing aspect comes in and packaging and logos are the best way to get a game started and selling off the shelves.

Creating any game is a challenging concept and some are great, while others fail. Where does the inspiration come from to make a game let alone a logo to sell it? I suppose it can come from anywhere, but usually popular events like sports or skiing or the Olympics inspire most games. As long as there is a collection of quirky characters thrown in, a great game is born. Games have always been the greatest form of interactive entertainment and as technology progressed, so did the nature of the games. With motion sensor and wireless technology, we have Nintendo’s Wii, which opened up a whole world of possibilities for gaming. It’s just a shame that Nintendo failed in almost every way in making successful games for their fantastic system. The best game is still the one that the system came with. Most of their games have great potential but are lacking in many areas. Video games rely more on word of mouth to get sales, but great logos always makes a major difference. Here are a few examples of game system logos.

Game systems themselves have creative logos and they should, since the gaming companies have to sell you on the console before they can sell you the games themselves, so the system logos are just as important. The console logo is also usually displayed on all the games that go with that system as well.

I love how a simple idea became such a popular and addicting game. Guitar Hero is a great interactive game that really is a lot of fun and great for groups. The logo works well because it has a cutting edge font and a great feel for the rocker style. The typography is very linear and the thick, black edges make it appear tough and foreboding.

Here is a classic symbol for a classic game. This is one of those that stirs up arcade memories in dedicated gamers.

I really like the Kingdom Heart’s logo. It is fun and adventurous and really draws you in. The font is very medieval and Gothic in appearance and something like that attached to a video game just screams mythical journey or adventure, which everyone has a natural attraction to. The background heart and crown design just brings it all together and creates a well established overall look.

I like how the DDR logo has that great arcade look to it. Since it is an original arcade game that was later modified to play at home, the logo works very well. It’s bold and colorful and full of energy. The circle of color behind the letters looks like a form of disco ball. It seems to be exactly how a logo should look for a game that represents dancing.

Video games probably still have a long road ahead of them. We still haven’t explored all the virtual reality options that are most likely approaching in the near future. It’s only a matter of time before we feel we can jump right into the TV screen when involved in a game. These future prospects are always good news for logo designers, since future games mean a need for new or updated logos!

-Nora Reed