Another day, another step forward in online-advertising domination for Google
The world's leading Web company took its popular marketing platform to the casual-gaming space last night, when it formally introduced AdSense for Games. Publishers of online games -- built on Adobe's
Developers can incorporate text-based, video, or display ads. Google serves up the targeted ads between breaks in the gameplay, and the game sites share in the ad revenue. Google is initially limiting its roster of publishers to those who draw at least 80% of their traffic from the United States and the United Kingdom -- and for games with at least 500,000 plays -- but it will surely expand its reach over time. That's just the Google Way. Just as webmasters, big and small, can count on the original contextual marketing program to populate their sites with "Ads by Google," it's time for Google to put on its game face.
It doesn't hurt that Microsoft
Casual gaming isn't an easy niche to break into, despite the simplicity of Flash-based games. THQ
However, one doesn't need a dedicated gaming portal to propel an online game into fandom. Between social-networking widgets and the wide variety of games selling briskly through Apple's
Google may not show up fashionably early to a hot trend soiree, but when it does, it's usually dressed to kill.
Step back, everyone. Microsoft and Google are going at it again.
Other ways to spin the content bottle: