Anyone who has played a game on their phone has most likely seen what is known as a mobile game ad, which can either refer to an ad shown on a mobile game or an advertisement for a mobile game. These types of ads have a certain style to them that has evolved over the years.
Overstaying their welcome, threatening loss of rewards if skipped, the infamous tiny “x” button and other such tactics have historically been used by mobile game companies to keep players’ attention on the ad in the desperate hope to get them to download their app.
As time has gone on, especially within the last few years, mobile game ads have become games in and of themselves, usually showcasing a short level that features the main gameplay loop of the game. Most times, these levels are either impossible to beat or cut players off before they can beat the level, increasing the likelihood of players downloading the game.These types of mobile game ads are only ever shown on other mobile games as a cycle of ad revenue between all the different mobile game companies.
Another not-so-recent trend mobile game ads have been partaking in, specifically on streaming sites like YouTube, is using a tactic called “goonbait.” Put simply, these ads show visuals, audio and storylines that are highly suggestive in nature, especially pertaining to young-looking anime girls or high-school-age characters. This tactic attempts to pander to an audience who wish to be stimulated by such material. This is a trend that has been evolving for years despite having not been fully proven whether it helps or hurts brand recognition.
Sometimes, the ad shown on a mobile game is not for another mobile game. Rather, they are for apps that turn out to be gambling platforms. Often, these ads will be too short for whatever time requirement there is in the deals between the app companies, so the ad will loop until the time requirement has been filled.
One more way that mobile game ads have attempted to keep a player engrossed in the ad for as long as possible, is by making players press multiple buttons and go through numerous menus to finally exit the ad. The current popular standard is two or three extra screens after the ad depending on whether the app store is automatically brought up or not.
Each screen typically also has its own varying wait time before the exit button can be pressed, pulling the rug out from under the player’s sense of how much longer they had until they could continue playing their game.
Overall, mobile game ads have been slowly evolving into the most optimized way of getting someone to consume a product, which paints a frankly worrisome picture for the future of advertising in general.