Google buys video game ad company

Google AdSense ads, out of all online ads, tick me off the least: I don't think I've ever seen an ad in Chinese asking if I want an American passport via AdSense ads, and if I have, it wasn't as tall as my screen & flashing multiple colors. So maybe they'll be able to carry that low-key (as far as these things go) advertising to in-game efforts? With their very recent acquisition of Adscape for a cool $23 million, looks like they're still itching to expand the Google empire.

Still, some insiders are saying that Google has no experience with in-game advertising, a beast of a different color.

“There is a whole world of difference between the form of advertising done by Google and Madison Avenue,” one source familiar with the in-game ad business said, comparing Google's familiar text-based ads to the rich media used in videogames. “While everyone appreciates the dollars Google can throw around, when it comes to [in-game ad] experience they just don’t have it.”

I don't really play any games that have in game advertising, but I'm all for subtlety in whatever form. I'll be interested to see the results of Google combining their plentiful advertising experience with in game ads.

Google Agrees to Buy Adscape [Red Herring]