In-Game Formats
Part of Advertising inside games
Understanding where an ad appears during play
Follow a game session to distinguish world surfaces, adjacent units, breaks and reward offers before approving a placement.
To understand a proposed game ad, follow an ordinary session and mark where the message enters the player's view. It might appear on a surface in the game world, beside play, at a transition or alongside a reward offer. Each position changes what the player can see and do.
Trace the player's route
Follow the menu, active play, a transition and any optional reward offer. Ask the seller to identify the precise point where its ad can appear. A placement diagram helps; a capture of normal play can also show surrounding controls, movement and timing.
| Position in the session | What to look for in the player view |
|---|---|
| Active play, within the world | Is the creative on a virtual surface the player may pass? |
| Active play, beside content | Does a display unit occupy screen space without covering important controls? |
| Transition or level break | Does a full-screen ad arrive when play has paused? |
| Reward offer | What choice does the player see, and what action earns the stated benefit? |
These are possible positions, not a sequence every game uses. Confirm what is available in the proposed title, device and version.
Distinguish the surface from the ad
A virtual billboard belongs to the game scene. Its apparent size and angle can change as the player moves, and another object may block it. Ask which surface receives the creative, whether the message rotates and what the player normally sees on approach. The existence of a billboard slot does not prove that the booked creative was displayed or viewable.
A banner or adjacent unit occupies part of the app display rather than a surface in the scene. An interstitial covers the screen at a transition. A rewarded placement adds a benefit, but the player flow depends on the format and network.
Where a placement offers a reward, platform policies cover how that offer is presented. Check the current rules for the specific unit and format, and confirm which flow applies to the proposed placement.
Check what a player can do
For each unit, ask whether the player can ignore, dismiss, tap or interact with it. Do not infer clickability from a button-shaped design on a game-world surface. Check the destination of any call to action and how the player returns to play. For a reward, distinguish accepting the offer, starting the ad and earning the benefit.
Review the normal route on the intended device. If sound carries essential information, check the experience with sound off as well as on. A screenshot shows layout at one instant; a short capture can show movement and timing. Neither is evidence that a campaign was delivered.
Describe the placement in the brief
State the game or app, device, stage of play, ad position, player action, destination and available reporting. Request the seller's impression definition and any viewability measure for that unit.
The IAB publishes intrinsic in-game advertising measurement guidelines. Check the scope of any measurement guidance against the formats in a package, and keep reporting methods separate when a package combines positions.
A clear placement description lets someone picture where the ad appears and what the player is doing then. If that remains unclear, request a demonstration before approving the creative or booking.
