Effect of Advergames on Children: A Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

The modern business landscape is marked by the digital culture. For companies trying to place their products on this digital plane, electronic games have become an extremely important platform. One of the innovative techniques of electronic marketing is commonly known as ‘advergaming’. Advergaming is a mixture of advertisement and entertainment that takes the form of video games. It is primarily used by companies to target children and adolescents. Effective thematic presentations are added in the game content to disseminate information about the brand/product within the virtual gaming world. However, the ethical angle of marketing to children through advergames has become debatable, as it has blurred the differences between commercial and entertainment content. Therefore, the present study seeks to examine the ethical concerns involved in advergaming. The study investigates the marketing practices of some of the gaming websites currently popular with young Indian consumers. The main aim of the study is to undertake a situation analysis and document the knowledge gaps in issues related to unethical or misleading content of advergames. The study also attempts to provide an overview of the codes currently in place to regulate online advertising in India.

Keywords: Digital Advertising and Marketing, Advergames, Ethics, Children, Media Literacy

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