Medium-Specific Factors and their Relation with Game Genre in the Study of Attitudes towards In-Game Advertising

Abstract

Digital games are one of the fastest growing advertising media. This paper contributes to the study of general attitudes towards in-game advertising (IGA) by exploring medium-specific factors (Intrusion, Realism, Avoidance, and Appropriateness) related to IGA and studying how these relate to the playing frequency of specific game genres, and predict general IGA attitudes. A large-scale survey with avid players (N=708) showed that players of more realistic game genres (Racing games and Shooters) found IGA less intrusive, more realism enhancing, and were less likely to avoid games containing IGA compared to less frequent players of these genres. The medium-specific factors Intrusion and Realism, together with the general attitude towards advertising, were found to be predictive for general IGA attitudes. We discuss the findings in the light of current gaming literature.