However, in other games, -I- am choosing to go on Live to play a game. Or, I’m getting some great functionality that requires a lot of bandwidth for my single player game. I’m sacrificing my ability to background download for features that enhance my experience.
In this case, it’s stopping my background downloads to actually -lessen- my enjoyment of the game. There is zero benefit to me or anyone else for the interruption of the download… and there is nothing I can do to stop it, other than to disconnect from Live altogether.
In-game advertising is the same as any other advertising. As long as it treads the fine line between inobtrusiveness and exposure worth the money paid for it in the first place, it’s fine with me. Especially if helps games get made, which I would have to assume it does.
I tried out xbox live the other day. Downloaded some demos and videos, while getting ready for Rock Band DLC. Now that I know it works, I took the ethernet cable out. (Fuck multiplayer! I’m really quite antisocial.) Guess that won’t work for you sociable shooter maniacs.
I don’t mind ads in a modern setting if they are placed logically and with some restraint. I’ve seen more than a few examples where restraint was obviously not the primary goal. :P
Generally, though, the fewer ads, the better. The example people often bring up – ads on a soft drink vending machine – is one I don’t think I’ve ever seen used for real ads. That’s one that would increase immersion a good bit for me simply because the damn machines are so prolific in shooters and the fake Gummo Cola ads on them are more distracting than actual Pepsi or Coca Cola ads would be.
I don’t watch TV or listen to the radio, largely because of the ads. (The rest is because of the mostly-insipid content.) So I save even more electricity than that!
I am, however, paying something like $1/episode for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report…
