Tuesday, May 15, 2007

IF YOU LIKED THE +5/+10 FLAMESWORD OF GROTHMAUG, YOU'LL LOVE NEW CHORIZOS EXTRA HOT CHORIZO SAUSAGE SNACK CHIPS: There have been reports that Google has filed a patent covering a scheme to target ads to video gamers based on in-game behavior. No, I haven't found a link to the actual application. Yes, I am too busy (lazy) to dig it up.

I particularly liked the claim that "User dialogue (e.g., from role playing games, simulation games, etc) may be used to characterise the user (e.g., literate, profane, blunt or polite, quiet etc)" and generate appropriate adverts. Given some of the (NSFW!) "user dialog" (NSFW!) that is prevalent in these environments, I can't begin to imagine the ad copy that might result.

More interesting to me though, is the basic premise. Could a long-enough log of gaming behavior provide a good dataset for reconstructing the player's personality? Significant aspects of the personality? What behaviors or responses could be predicted, and how reliably? The answers to these questions will attest to the richness of games as media, and may also suggest other more serious questions about how such media are deployed in the future.

Via Slashdot.

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