Advergames – it’s not child’s play

What parents need to know December 2012

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Advergames are a type of advertising.

They are increasingly used to target

children.

There are two main types of advergames:

1. Games that are used to advertise

a product or a brand.

2. Product placement in games or

apps

Where you can find them:

• On company websites, such as Weetabix, Lego or Chewits.

• On social media sites such as Youtube and Facebook.

• In apps downloaded onto phones.

• Embedded in video games.

Here is one example taken from the Nickelodeon website

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What do regulations say?

The Code of Practice on Advertising Practice states clearly that

‘adverts must be obviously identifiable as such.’

This means children should be able to tell that a game is being used to

encourage them to like the product/brand and to buy it.

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New research: children and advergames

We commissioned a review of the research on children and

advergames.

Read full review

The research looked at over 60 studies, across 12 different

countries.

We wanted to find out what we do (and don’t) know about the

effects of advergames on children and make recommendations for

industry and regulators.

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So can children tell the difference

between an advert and a game?

• An increasing number of studies

all agree that not all or even a

majority of children realise that

advergames are designed to sell

products.

• Children understanding of the

purpose of advergames is

significantly lower than their

understanding of TV advertising.

• Young people as old as 15 are

confused about the purpose of

advergames.

Watch Professor Agnes Nairns

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Does it matter?

• This form of advertising works because children don’t notice that it’s an advert.

• The brain processes advergames in a different way from traditional advertising.

It can change children’s behaviour without them being consciously aware of it.

• Many of these games promote products that are high in salt, sugar and fat

(junk food).

• Advergames appear to be used extensively to encourage children to eat

unhealthy food.

• Adverts for products high in sugar, salt and fat are banned from being shown

on TV around children’s programmes. Yet they can be accessed by children at

any time of day or night through their computers or on their phones.

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What techniques are used to encourage

children to extend their play of

advergames?

A study of advergames on 73 food websites found that:

• 90% used music and sound effects to keep attention

• 71% explicitly asked children to play again

• 45% offered multiple levels of play

• 39% offered customisation

• 39% offered the chance to post game scores online.

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A TV advert allows a child to be exposed to a product

for 30 seconds at a time.

Children can play these games for hours online.

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What can parents do?

• Spend some time with your child on their favourite websites and try

to spot advertising.

– How easy is it to recognise?

– Does your child understand that a message that says “play” is actually trying to

sell something?

• Look for TV adverts on websites

– especially ones for high salt, sugar and fat food and drinks that would not be

allowed around children’s TV programmes.

• Let us know what you find and complain to the Advertising Standards

Association if you find something you don’t like. Please mention that

you’ve seen our report.

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Tell us what you think

Very little research has been done on what parents think.

Please tell us what you think and leave a comment on our website.