Why Game Advertising is the Attention-Centric Media for Brands

Gaming dominates the media landscape, and it's not hard to see why — nearly everyone games. 

Over 3 billion people play games on PCs, laptops, or mobile devices worldwide. Players are fully engaged in their gaming experience regardless of the device. 

This level of engagement remains consistent across gaming platforms, making gaming a uniquely captivating medium and highlighting game advertising effectiveness as a channel.

Let’s explore the game media landscape and why it will likely overtake other media channels by 2030.

The Attention Economy and Gamer Engagement

The effectiveness of advertising channels is significantly influenced by audience attentiveness, which varies across different media channels.

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Advertisers often believe their ads are being actively seen just because they are visible or exposed to large audiences.

The reality is that even if an ad is viewable, it doesn’t mean it will be viewed. 

Below is how Amplified Intelligence defines the level of attention:

• Active attention: Directly viewing an ad.
• Passive attention: Eyes looking in the vicinity but not directly at the ad.
• Non-attention: The face is not detected.

Amplified Intelligence explains that according to Media Rating Council (MRC) standards, an ad is only considered viewable if at least 50% of its area is visible for at least;

• One second for display ads, or 
• Two seconds for video ads. 

However, two seconds of attention is not enough for most ad types, as memory retention only kicks in after viewing an ad for about three seconds. Every second of active attention after that leads to an average of three days of memory retention.

Social media is an example of passive attention. People are often in passive consumption mode, scrolling aimlessly and not consciously consuming the media they view.  

This behaviour makes it challenging for brands to make a lasting impression with their campaigns, as users quickly move on and forget the content appearing on their feed.

Gaming Outperforms Other Media Channels in Attention

Gaming audiences are focused while playing, making them more receptive to advertising messages.

Unlike other channels, gaming engages users and maintains audience attention over extended periods. This focused attention, often referred to as "slow to decay" attention, is invaluable for brands.

Karen Nelson-Field, founder and CEO of Amplified Intelligence, explains the concept that not all reach is equal and how quality platforms, ad quality, and formats play a role in the type of attention captured - fast or slow to decay attention:

"The concept of 'not all reach is equal' stems from how we, as humans, interact with different formats and platforms. Some formats, platforms, and genres are so engaging that you can't easily scroll away from the user experience. This concept is especially true for gaming."

Gaming is an engaging channel by nature, and this engagement offers a powerful medium for storytelling in advertisements, where every second of active attention significantly boosts brand recognition and recall.

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How Games Are Changing Brand Engagement

Gaming has become a staple form of entertainment, and the integration of advertising within gaming platforms, such as Roblox, marks a significant evolution in how brands connect with and captivate game audiences' attention.

Brands are integrating products directly into these game platforms and engaging with their audiences in a much more fun, authentic, and organic way.

The interactive aspect of gaming enables direct engagement with audiences, creating a more conversational way for brands to communicate with their audience through gaming.

A good example is INFLUENZA, the educational board game experiment designed by researchers to address vaccine hesitancy through gameplay. 

The board game experiment explored how game design could be used as a research tool to educate players about disease transmission and vaccination dynamics.

It successfully achieved its educational objectives, particularly regarding vaccination awareness and addressing vaccine hesitancy.

Rewarded video advertising in mobile gaming is another example of how gaming creates the opportunity for honest value exchange between brands and audiences. 

For instance, players can watch a video for a reward or a much-needed in-game boost.

Regardless of the game advertising environment, there is always a value exchange between brands and their audiences. 

This model benefits players by offering a free way to enhance their gaming experience, benefits developers through increased engagement and revenue, and ensures advertisers receive focused attention on their content.

Brand Engagement in Diverse Gaming Environments

Gaming audiences excel in environments that support active engagement, whether through gameplay, live streams, web interactions, or content creation. Each activity offers unique opportunities for brands to connect with their audience.

Playing games requires continuous focus and active attention regardless of the device. 

Creating game mods, for example, demands time and creativity, while live streams require active participation. Web forums and other game content offer ‘lighter attention’, but ongoing engagement. 

Recognising these engagement and interaction levels helps brands and advertisers craft better and more effective game advertising strategies.

Regardless of the game advertising environment, there is always a value exchange between brands and their audiences. 

This model benefits players by enhancing their gaming experience for free, supports developers through increased engagement and revenue, and ensures advertisers receive focused attention on their content.

• In-game ads enhance gameplay by integrating into the immersive environment. This benefits players with a richer experience and provides brands with increased visibility, engagement, and improved recall.

• Around-the-game ads, such as those appearing between levels or session breaks in mobile games, offer value through rewards that can be used in the game, driving higher engagement and conversion rates. 

• Away-from-the-game ads on websites or live streams reach attentive audiences, creating community and brand advocacy, ideal for brand and product discovery.

Engaging audiences involves using a mix of ad formats: custom mobile placements, avatar sponsorships, blended in-game ads, and less interactive formats like game mods, live streams, and web community engagement.

Formats, placements, engagement types, and metrics vary, making it essential for advertisers to implement a holistic strategy tailored to their product, audience, and objectives. 

Combining experiential and complementary ad formats allows advertisers to harness the full value of high attention rates across various gaming journeys. This approach ensures every interaction is meaningful and effective, maximising their impact within the gaming ecosystem.

Strategies to Maximise Advertising Impact in Gaming

Not all reach is equal; different devices, platforms, formats, contexts, demographics, and creative elements capture attention in unique ways. By understanding these nuances, advertisers can craft a holistic strategy that maximises engagement across all gaming touchpoints.

Running gaming campaigns across multiple gaming platforms simultaneously allows brands to maintain a unified message, enhancing brand recall and recognition. 

This approach fully harnesses gamer engagement, boosting ad performance and brand impact.

For example, a sports brand could build awareness with in-game sponsorships in a soccer game, reaching players with shared interests. The brand could enhance its campaign through influencer-led ad placements on gaming live streams, boosting reach and credibility.

The immersiion game advertising platform unifies advertisers' efforts with a single solution, offering streamlined media management, and access to all gaming inventory. This purpose-built platform helps tailor strategies to different gaming environments, ensuring no opportunities are missed and boosting efficiency.

Advertisers can build personalised and contextual campaigns that resonate deeply with gamers, ensuring meaningful and impactful interactions. 

immersiion’s (iion’s proprietary platform) attention measurement capabilities, backed by Amplified Intelligence’s attentionTRACE, measures human-gaze attention to ads within live gaming environments across mobile, desktop, and TV.Using a consistent methodology across all devices and formats, it captures real-time data on where and how long players look at ads.

This data feeds into the attentionPROVE model, providing scalable attention measurement for precise insights into ad visibility and engagement. These insights allow advertisers to fine-tune their strategies and maximise their brand's impact across the gaming ecosystem.

Gaming: Leading the Way in Advertising and Engagement

Gaming is set to surpass traditional advertising channels by 2030, thanks to its unmatched ability to engage and captivate audiences. 

As a medium, game advertising offers deep immersion, interactive experiences, and a solid value exchange,highlighting gaming as the future of online engagement. 

As technology advances and the demand for interactive entertainment increases, gaming is set to become an even more prominent part of the global entertainment landscape, making it a lucrative frontier for advertising and media.

Brands that embrace game advertising will find themselves at the forefront of audience attention and influence.