Advertising or games? advergames on the internet gaming sites targeting children

This study analysed advergames on top online gaming websites for children. The content of 131 websites was analysed to see whether each site contained advergames, particularly advergames for food products, and the way the advergames were presented to children. Results showed that very few websites made a distinction between advergames and general games. Only about 10% of the advergames notified users of their commercial nature via ad breaks during the game, and those breaks demonstrated potential problems in terms of visibility, content and readability. Furthermore, advergames featuring food products in the games tend to show foods high in calories and with low nutritional value.