ADVERTISING WHERE YOU PLAY The young gamer glanced at the clock He had enough time to play his favorite strategy game so he clicked Play Now Now the screen read Start Here Free Download His older brother had already told him not to click on it This wasn't part of the game It was an advertisement designed to look like a game download If he clicked it the ad would pull him out of the game and to another site Instead he closed the window It's nearly impossible to escape advertising which is even found in video games
There were so many ads in the game Some were in sidebars to the left and right of the screen These were easier to recognize They were for a fantasy game that looked very different from his game He was glad he knew what they were Clicking them would also take him away from his game He preferred the ads on his brother's SPONSORSHIPS Race car drivers and teams seek sponsors to help cover their costs This money pays for racing fees for car repairs and even for new cars A company that sponsors a racing team gets its name and logo on the car and on the drivers jumpsuits These are often long term agreements The sponsorship may last months or years In contrast an ad on a website may appear for only a brief time favorite racing game They were just like the ads in real racing Some cars were painted with the names and logos of sponsors There were also ads on billboards near the start of the race These ads were just part of the background He didn't have to worry about clicking on them and leaving
Race cars are covered with advertisements promoting companies that sponsor their teams the game This mattered because he just wanted to play not to shop Still he knew no matter where the ads appeared they were trying to sell him something