Obama ‘09, Available on Xbox

If it seems that you can’t escape Barack Obama’s ubiquitous smiling mug no matter where you go, be careful to not turn on your Xbox. Obama has become the first presidential candidate to buy ad space inside a video game. Among the games are the popular “Madden ‘09” football and “Burnout: Paradise” racing.

Sydney Morning Herald

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.

Nine video games from Electronic Arts, ranging from the extremely popular Madden 09 football game to the street racing Burnout: Paradise, feature in-game ads from the Obama campaign. The ads—they appear on billboards and other signage—remind players that early voting has begun and plug a campaign website.

The idea of embedding advertising temporarily inside a video game is relatively new, having only begun about 18 months ago, and Obama is the first presidential candidate to buy space, company officials said.

Read more

360 gamer Jeffson

The Obama campaign’s focus on the youth vote probably led to the idea of advertising inside video games, which draw the vast majority of their users from those under 30.