Video games feature ads for Obama's campaign

An advert for Barack Obama has been inserted into the XBox360 Live version of the video game NBA Live 08.

WASHINGTON // For those too busy playing video games to watch presidential ads on television, Barack Obama has a solution. He's become the first presidential candidate to buy ad space inside a game. Eighteen video games, including the extremely popular Guitar Hero and Madden 09, will feature in-game ads from the Obama campaign in the final weeks before the election. The ads - appearing on billboards and other signage - remind players that early voting has begun and plug a campaign website that encourages people to register for early voting.

Obama campaign officials said the video game ads target 10 states that allow early voting, including several battleground states: Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Montana, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Nevada, New Mexico, Florida and Colorado. "These ads will help us expand the reach of VoteforChange.com, so that more people can use this easy tool to find their early vote location and make sure their voice is heard," said Mr Obama's spokesman Nick Shapiro.

The campaign did not say how much it cost to launch the ad blitz on gamers. The idea of embedding advertising temporarily inside a video game is relatively new, having only begun about 18 months ago, and Mr Obama is the first presidential candidate to buy space, according to Holly Rockwood, a spokeswoman for Electronic Arts, whose company is featuring the Obama ads in nine of its games. The Democrat's ads are aimed primarily at game players who like sport, including NASCAR, the NBA, the NHL and skateboarding. That means EA Sports' motto, "It's in the game", now applies to presidential politics as well.

Ms Rockwood would not say how much the ads cost, but she said they are running on the Xbox Live versions of the game through Nov 3. They began earlier this month. The timing of the Obama ads within the video game varies from state to state. Players in smaller states may see the Obama ads for almost an entire month, while users in bigger states may see them for a shorter period. "It reaches an audience that is typically hard to reach - young males, roughly 18 to 34," said Ms Rockwood. "That's very appealing to our advertisers."

She declined to say how much revenue the company generates from selling ad space in its games. The company has struck past ad deals with Ford and Puma. The Xbox 360 console connects to the internet, so it can be updated with new features, including ads. In the case of Burnout: Paradise, the game came out in stores in January, but the Obama ads were only inserted this month.

*AP