Tonight on Unlikely Juxtaposition Theatre.. Silvio from HBO's The Sopranos endorses World Of Warcraft: Wrath Of The Lich King. Two great tastes that taste.. a bit odd together. Like Ziti Al Forno and Ogre Mead.

Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt) may be used to pimping of the more traditional nature but he has been able to adapt his skillset to help Blizzard get the message out about Lich King. "Just when I thought I was out..."

Up next - Al Swearengen from Deadwood for Peggle Nights.

[via MAXCONSOLE]

It is an advertising truism that Sex Sells, but so does fear. Whether it is fear of human odours fuelling deodorant marketing or fear of Terror selling a war, manipulating our darkest fears is a surefire way to get the public to sign on the dotted line.

Full marks then for Gamestop's latest ad which is all about the terror, with just a hint of sex underneath some TV-friendly pixellation. The horror.. THE HORROR.

The take home message is that you should always tell your relatives what you want for Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanzaa/Festivus although in this case 'new parents', 'a padlock' and 'a quantum of dignity' will doubtless edge out games consoles and gift tokens.

And really, why should it? It certainly hasn't prevented folks from watching TV, reading magazines or seeing movies. Just as long as I'm not killing anyone with a Subway sandwich, I don't mind in-game ads. The key here is being subtle. What about you, Kotakuites? —Brian Ashcraft

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So this is what a gamer orgy looks like. The beautiful people with perfectly coifed hair lounge on suede pillows, take off their linen shirts and play New Super Mario Bros. until their sweaty thumbs hurt. If only...

Nintendo of Europe has launched their new perfume DS Lite ads, featuring fashion model-types. A ballsy campaign, certain to raise a few eyebrows and freak a few out. Your father's Nintendo, this ain't. —Brian Ashcraft

More Gamer Orgy Here [GoNintendo]

A reader over at Go Nintendo was watching a White Sox/Mariners game, when he saw something: a DS Lite advert in Japanese. This shouldn't come as a total surprise, seeing how the team is Nintendo property and everyone in Japan is a Mariners fan. It's most likely for them, not us.

More Here [Go Nintendo]

As the graphics get better, so does the ad placement. In-game ad research site Brands In Games has a series of posts that trace the development of game advertising. Using EA as a model, the study follows the trend from 1983 right up to the present day.

Early games like World Tour Golf (1985) and Earl Weaver Baseball (1987) featured no ads at all. Even the first John Madden Football was ad-less. As the 1980's drew to a close, ads for fictional products like "Kool Cola" started appearing in-game. In the 1990's, the PGA and ProSet sports cards were featured in-game, but the real watershed came with the first FIFA. Adidas was spattered throughout the game.

Things went downhill from there with Nokia selling stuff in NCAA Football 98 and Coca-cola and Mastercard appearing in NHL 98. Why the delay? Graphics were part of the equation. Also companies realized that just like in movies, here was another place they could pitch their wares. Some argue that in-game ads bring greater realism to the titles as adverts dot our out-of-game landscape. Some hate that companies invaded the gaming space. Now that they have, fat chance they're leaving.

Scroll Down For More [Brands In Game]

The study surveyed 800 third graders in California and found that on average, they spend 12 hours playing video games and 10 hours watching TV each week. Kids asked their parents for a new toy once a week and food/drink two or three times a week. The concern is that the ads promote fatty foods, leading to increasingly overweight children.

"Younger children aren't even able to understand that ads, which are now cropping up in video games and movies, online and even in cell phones, are intended to sell them things," said Thomas Robinson, MD. "Marketers need to be part of the solution for the obesity epidemic by helping parents, not making it harder for them."

Ideally marketers would be part of the solution, but with advertising dollars driving the industry, it doesn't seem likely. Potato chips, cookies and soft drinks are were the money's at. Healthy in-game advertising? Fat chance. Literally.

Full Story Here [Gamasutra] Thanks, David!

Think PSP means PlayStation Portable? No ho ho. PSP means "PermaShield Pipe," at least according to the March issue of Clean Rooms magazine. A full-page advertisement features a rotund man in a "I *heart* PSP" sweatshirt, standing next to a large PermaShield Pipe. There is even the registered trademark symbol next to the word "PSP." Of course, Sony has trademarked "PSP," which leads us to wonder: Did the (R) or the (TM) come first? Can they peacefully coexist? Apparently, the (TM) is used during the time between the application and subsequent granting of registered trademark. Once it has been granted, the (TM) becomes a (R). Looks like Sony's lost out to this company. But hey, this could be another clever, clever Sony marketing campaign, designed to reel in DIY types and pipe layers. Next month, sneaky PSP viral ads hit Cat Fancy, promoting the PoopScoop Pouch.

Full Story Here