Important Battlefield 2142 Info, EA now in the spyware biz Options

[Knightsword]

http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/battlefie...9893&page=2

On a peculiar note, even though the world is ending in 2142, it appears that advertising will still be around. Battlefield 2142 features in-game ads, though we didn't get to see them firsthand during our testing. Still, there is a printed disclaimer that comes with the game telling you that Battlefield 2142 will analyze certain "advertising data" on your machine to determine what ads to display to you. Ironically, EA says that if you don't want your data shared with its advertising partner then "do not install or play the software on any platform that is used to connect to the Internet." But that would pretty much defeat the purpose of playing Battlefield 2142, wouldn't it? Of course, you could always play single-player against the artificial intelligence, though the AI won't be mistaken for human opponents any time soon, and the single-player is still limited to 16-player maps. Still, this is an example of things to come, as we begin to see dynamic in-game ads appear in more and more games.

http://pnmedia.gamespy.com/planetbattlefie...news/igavy2.jpg

[Kari]

I really, really hope EA advertises in a good, clean way rather than a barrage of popup spyware and toolbars. I'll be really upset if that becomes a trend in gaming. I don't want to ruin my PC box every time I want to install a game.

I wonder, though, does this mean that they're simply collecting data harmlessly? I didn't understand the context fully, but it sounds like they'll collect data and then display ads to you.

It gets on my nerves because I'm paying for the game, nor paying for the game plus advertisements. I don't mind the little slip-ins that they throw in with the box -- I can just throw those away -- but having perpetual ads for as long as I have the game installed, if not longer? You can count me out for Battlefield 2142 if it's going to be detrimental to the upkeep of my spyware-free PC.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what kind of advertising they have in mind, if any This is definitely not a positive development on EA's part. I wish they'd release more details on the nature of the advertising.