Google launches AdSense for Games

Google has launched AdSense for Games , a program that integrates video advertisements into web-based games, complemented by text and image ads. According to Google, these ads can be displayed before a game, after a level change, or when a game is over, as predefined by game developers and publishers.

The service is currently available in beta to select partners in US. Google is working with select game developers and publishers including Konami, Playfish, Zynga, Demand Media, games network Mochi Media, as well as beta advertisers such as Esurance, Sprint, and Sony Pictures.

AdSense for Games delivers video ads based on intended placements, as well as image or text ads based on contextual targeting with keywords and tags supplied by developers and publishers. Advertisers are charged on a cost-per-impression or cost-per-click basis, and ad revenue is split between Google and game developers or publishers.

According to data released by comScore for July 2007, over 25 per cent of internet users worldwide play online games every week, which amounts to over 200 million people. This number is growing at a rate of almost 17 per cent each year.