Emotions and Engagement: Why In-Game Advertising Belongs in Every Media Plan

Few media environments combine attention, emotional connection and active participation as effectively as gaming. According to Attention & Emotion in Play: How Gaming is Redefining Advertising Effectiveness, a new study from Gameloft for brands in collaboration with attention measurement specialist Mediamento and emotion analytics company Act Future, In-Game Advertising can outperform traditional digital formats across key branding metrics, from ad recall and brand affinity to purchase intent.

By combining eye-tracking analysis, attention measurement and emotional response tracking, the study explores how consumers respond to advertising in gaming environments compared with traditional digital video platforms. The results point to a clear opportunity for brands: gaming creates an environment where audiences are not simply exposed to advertising, but actively engaged with the experience around it.

Awareness needs to be connected to emotion

Capturing attention is only the beginning. To build lasting connections with consumers, brands need to turn attention into meaningful emotional engagement.

Gaming is particularly well suited to this. Unlike traditional video environments, where users primarily consume content, gaming is an active and immersive experience. Players are focused, engaged and emotionally involved and this changes the way they experience advertising.

In a game, advertising can become part of an experience rather than simply an interruption. Players interact, participate and make decisions, creating opportunities for brands to engage audiences in more meaningful and memorable ways.

The Attention & Emotion in Play study found that brand attention is 30% higher in gaming environments compared with other digital media.

“Video games are the only digital medium where emotions are not just observed, but lived. Players aren't spectators; they are participants, experiencing moments of challenge, reward and achievement in real time.” — Claudia Micah, Account Executive, Brand Partnerships & Advertising, Gameloft for brands.

In-Game Advertising drives tangible business outcomes

The combination of attention and emotion can translate into measurable brand impact.

According to the study, In-Game Advertising delivers:

• 35% higher brand affinity compared with video pre-roll advertising
• 25% higher ad recall
• 12.8% higher purchase intent
• 2.2x higher ad satisfaction compared with video pre-roll
• 22.3% stronger emotional responses
• 91% higher brand recall compared with traditional digital formats

Gaming also delivers twice the positive attention impact of traditional digital formats.

Why? In environments such as YouTube or the open web, attention can easily be disrupted by skip buttons, countdowns and surrounding content. In gaming, these distractions are reduced, allowing the brand message to become part of a more focused and emotionally engaging experience.

When advertising is introduced at the right moment, it can become more relevant, more memorable and ultimately more effective.

Awareness is only the first step

Today's media ecosystem is increasingly fragmented and saturated. Brands can still reach audiences, but reach and awareness alone are no longer enough.

The real challenge is turning attention into connection and connection into action.

Emotions play a critical role in how people process information, what they remember and the decisions they make. In advertising, emotional impact is therefore not simply a soft metric. It is a key driver of effectiveness.

Gaming provides a unique opportunity to build that connection because audiences are already immersed in an environment designed to generate emotion from challenge and anticipation to reward and achievement.

Gaming gives brands new opportunities to engage

The growth of gaming is opening up increasingly sophisticated opportunities for advertisers.

Interactive formats such as Rewarded Ads, interactive experiences and gamified campaigns allow players to decide when and how they want to engage with a brand.

This voluntary interaction can create a very different relationship between consumers and advertising. Rather than interrupting the experience, the best In-Game Advertising solutions complement it adding value while giving players a reason to engage.

Rewarded Video is a strong example. Players voluntarily watch an ad in exchange for an in-game reward, creating a value exchange between the player and the brand.

For advertisers, this means moving from simply placing advertising around audiences to creating experiences audiences actively choose to participate in.

Making In-Game Advertising accessible at scale

Despite its potential, gaming has traditionally been perceived by some brands as a complex or niche media environment.

One of the biggest challenges has been understanding the gaming ecosystem and knowing how to integrate it into broader media strategies. Gaming audiences are also often associated with younger or hardcore players, despite the reality that gaming reaches people across ages, genders and interests.

At Gameloft for brands, we are working to make the gaming ecosystem easier for brands to navigate.

Through COMBO!, our global Gaming Media Network, brands can access premium gaming inventory at scale while reaching specific audiences through advanced targeting capabilities.

With access to a global network of gaming audiences, COMBO! helps brands simplify the planning, activation and scaling of In-Game Advertising, while maintaining brand safety and quality environments.

Creativity makes the difference

As the In-Game Advertising ecosystem continues to evolve, creativity is becoming increasingly important.

The most effective campaigns don't simply place a brand message inside a game. They find ways to make that message feel natural to the gaming experience.

Whether through Rewarded Ads, interactive formats or gamified campaigns, the objective is the same: enhance the player experience rather than interrupt it.

This approach can create stronger engagement, more positive brand perceptions and more meaningful connections with audiences.

The Attention & Emotion in Play study found that gaming environments can deliver up to 92% sustained attention, highlighting the potential for creative In-Game Advertising to keep audiences engaged with a brand message.

Gaming brings a new dimension to the media mix

Gaming has moved far beyond the experimental stage.

With its scale, engaged audiences and proven ability to generate attention, emotion and action, gaming can stand alongside video, social and display as a powerful component of modern media strategies.

But its value goes beyond reach.

Gaming gives brands the opportunity to connect with audiences when they are focused, emotionally engaged and actively participating, creating a different kind of advertising experience.

For brands looking for more than visibility, In-Game Advertising offers a powerful way to turn attention into engagement, emotion and measurable business impact.

This article was originally published by W&V, you can read the full article here.