Today, children seem to be spending more time playing video games then watching TV. Marketers have capitalized on this trend by placing advertisements within games. The British Health Foundation are disturbed with the type of ads that are being marketed.
A sprite ad appears in Xbox 360 Basketball game NBA street homecourt, you can order a pizza within the role-playing game Everquest II, there is a banner for Coca-cola within Football Manager, and a ad for Subway in Counter-Strike.
All of these games have age restrictions placed on them. This article argues that kids under these ages are playing the games. Personally, I do not feel that it is the marketers fault. Parents should be aware of the age restrictions placed on these games. If their child is under the age, there is probably a good reason they are not old enough to play that game.
As I stated earlier, we live in a world where advertisements are unavoidable. If the Coca-Cola banner was removed from Football Manager who is to say a child will not see a banner on the corner of their home town? I agree that certain regulations need to be put in place to protect our children, but if their is already an age restriction on these games, I think it is fair for marketers to assume the audience will be an older demographic.
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