[tsimionescu]

> An advertisement for a game does not need to convince me to purchase it over an alternative product, it simply needs to make me aware of its existence and broadly convey what the game is about so that I will know whether it matches my specific game interests closely enough to investigate further.

I agree that it does not need to do more than inform you - but that doesn't mean it won't do more. Please show me a single advertisement for a game that doesn't use bombastic language, show highly selective graphics, or appeal to a sense of nostalgia. I for one haven't seen one, even ones for the niche indie games I respect the most. Sure, not all commercials are equally deceitful, but they are all meant to be persuasive more than informative.

[anonymous908213]

I don't exactly go around saving advertisements, but plainly informational ones do exist here and there. Off of memory, an example of an indie game trailer I think is well-made is that of Wargroove[1]. It's a simple and clear clip reel of gameplay showing off a variety of content and features, and if I recall correctly, advertisements for it were simply smaller slices of the trailer. I think there's nothing offensive about advertisements like this existing (although, that said, the number of times I wish to see such an advertisement is still exactly once).

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62nqJxq3E-4

[tsimionescu]

I will grant you that this type of advertisement is indeed benign (though if I were really really really nitpicky, I could claim that the pace of gameplay shown in the trailer is probably not indicative of how you'd play the actual game, and I'm not sure if the music is part of the game soundtrack).

Still, I think this is such a tiny minority of real advertisment that it's barely worth mentioning. For example, here is a trailer for the original The Binding of Isaac, which (while being an interesting piece of art in itself, which many ads are) is stil clearly not just meant to inform consumers about the game, but instead is meant to sell a certain image of the game that it may or may not invoke in you:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iDFnMfJnI7s

I'd also note that advertisments for artistic products such as games are some of the most ambiguous about the line between informative and persuasive, as the "feel" (atmosphere, tone, persuasive storytelling etc) of the final product is an intrinsic part of its value in a way that is not relevant for, say, produce, or consumer goods. It could be argued, for example, that the Story trailer for Elden Ring captures a real and important part of the appeal of that game, despite it including 0 details about the gameplay, and despite it being entirely original footage and dialog that is not in any way part of the game itself. The same ambiguity doesn't exist about an ad showing the glamorous lifestyle of someone who gets a mobile phone plan from company X, in contrast.