Microsoft patents system to freeze games and inject ads during downtimes — watching commercials earns ad-free playtime credits

[u/screwdriverfan]

https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/microsoft-patents-system-to-freeze-games-and-inject-ads-during-downtimes-watching-commercials-earns-ad-free-playtime-credits

[u/Wadarkhu]

On the bright side, Sony has a patent where people have to stand up and say the name of the product on the Ad. So just because it's patented doesn't mean it'll happen.

Never know these days I guess.

[u/NotInTheKnee → u/Wadarkhu]

[u/DigitusInRecto → u/NotInTheKnee]

Dear Lord, where's the author, I gotta ask him questions - he seems knowledgeable on the subject...

[u/JTGames1000 → u/Wadarkhu]

Kills me the way he gleefully throws his arms in the air, haha. "All hail our great and powerful corporate overlords!"

[u/Power_Stone → u/JTGames1000]

It's how you brainwash

[u/newbrevity → u/Power_Stone]

https://giphy.com/gifs/3oz8xN4I8nFhxMCCJi

[u/Power_Stone → u/newbrevity]

LMAO just watched this last night 😂 I know it's supposed to be a comedy but it's closer to a documentary at this point

[u/chocolatecoveredmeth → u/Power_Stone]

What is this from?

[u/Power_Stone → u/chocolatecoveredmeth]

Idiocracy

[u/ThePrussianGrippe → u/Power_Stone]

Can’t be a documentary. The world elected the smartest man on the planet as their president, and when he discovered someone smarter he took him seriously and implemented his ideas.

Idiocracy is not a documentary, as they have a more positive future to look forward to.

[u/Deaffin → u/Power_Stone]

https://xkcd.com/603/

[u/DarthShiv → u/Power_Stone]

Sony realised the US is already brainwashed without them needing to do this

[u/PictureVegetable9522 → u/DarthShiv]

how are they brainwashed or is this some stupid ass "trump bad so all americans must be brainwashed idiots" thing where dumbass redditers are obsessed with hating ALL americans because of trump

[u/DarthShiv → u/PictureVegetable9522]

So many things that are terrible about US society are because a huge amount of the population is told it's supposed to be that way.

This is not a Trump thing.

[u/Fucky0uthatswhy → u/JTGames1000]

He’s also watching a murder for some reason

[u/MiloPoint → u/Wadarkhu]

Read Fahrenheit 451… this is lifted straight from the pages.

[u/-JimmyTheHand- → u/MiloPoint]

Yes there was a lot of Xbox playing in that book

[u/spyboy70 → u/Wadarkhu]

Instructions unclear, I keep standing up and yelling "Fuck Sony" and my TV shuts off :(

[u/Ravensqueak → u/spyboy70]

I said "fuck LG" and I started noticing a van parked outside.

[u/hurrdurrmeh → u/Ravensqueak]

they have come to re-educate you, be thankful you traitor.

only somewhat /s because, you know, it's kinda happening

[u/kingk1teman → u/hurrdurrmeh]

they have come to re-educate you, be thankful you traitor.

LG is based out of the wrong Korea...

[u/Tomimosa → u/Ravensqueak]

[u/Balc0ra → u/Wadarkhu]

This is far from MS first ad related patent, nor will it be the last.

Just look up all the stuff Sony, EA, or Xbox have filed the past 2 decades, and be glad none of is used. More so than not, it's more of a "just in case" filing to prevent others from using it

[u/darkninja1047 → u/Balc0ra]

I would like to be optimistic and think they patented it because its such a horrible idea that they wanted to make sure nobody ever did it.

[u/misterFaceplant → u/darkninja1047]

It's a very broad line between optimistic and delusional, unfortunately you're well on the delusional side here.

[u/Ecotech101 → u/misterFaceplant]

Hey now, we can make this optimistic. Just imagine that they tested it on one of the execs by accident and it annoyed them so much that they decided to hide it so they personally don't have to deal with it.

[u/MeIsMyName → u/misterFaceplant]

There have been examples of companies doing this.

[u/misterFaceplant → u/MeIsMyName]

Sure but Microsoft will never be one of them.

[u/ThePrussianGrippe → u/darkninja1047]

Well that only blocks it for 25 years.

[u/Balc0ra → u/darkninja1047]

If anyone of them were used on a $60 game. They would be dead in the water instantly. They know that much. But in a f2p game? Who knows

[u/DeadlyYellow → u/Balc0ra]

Yet.

Hasn't been used, yet.

[u/crozone → u/Wadarkhu]

Please drink verification can

[u/scrotumscab → u/Wadarkhu]

Something like this would never fly as long as Americans with Disabilities Act still stands. How would a mute person end the ad?

[u/Ferro_Giconi → u/Wadarkhu]

I'm sure they'll add that feature eventually. Ads have been getting more invasive as time goes on and they will continue to get more invasive unless there is a violent revolution that overthrows the people in charge of those kinds of things. There is no limit to how invasive ads will get if they keep making it worse at a slow enough rate to avoid angering people too much all at once.

[u/Flyrpotacreepugmu → u/Ferro_Giconi]

Well there's also the possibility that once ads are bothersome enough, people's negative feelings toward the ads outweigh the increased exposure and the ads noticeably decrease sales. Then the money in selling ad slots would dry up and there wouldn't be incentive to continue showing them.

IMO it's more likely that ads move in the direction of trying look like people naturally and helpfully recommending something instead of this style of in-your-face presentation. Just look at how much focus there is on analyzing people's data to guess what ads they'll respond to, all the bot-like social media posts about how great certain things are, and all the companies trying to sponsor content creators for a more personal recommendation. They wouldn't be trying so many new things if simply shoving more ads in people's faces was still effective.

[u/ImSaneHonest → u/Wadarkhu]

Just because they're evil doesn't mean they're chaotic evil, wait for the patent to expire, then will see the really evil villains.

[u/GoldMountain5 → u/Wadarkhu]

Need to start a company that will patent all the insane ways to engage with content ads, just to make sure no other company can use them.

[u/Rohit_BFire → u/Wadarkhu]

At this point, I say it's time to go out and touch grass

[u/SAULOT_THE_WANDERER → u/Wadarkhu]

a patent is a legal tool for preventing other companies from using the tech, it's not a permit for using the claimed tech. such evil methods being patented is, in the end, good for customers

[u/CrashTestDumby1984 → u/Wadarkhu]

I feel like we as consumers need to start proactively thinking of all the ways companies could inject ads and patent them just so companies can’t do it. Corporations have been abusing the patent system for decades (looking at Warner Bros who patented the nemesis they don’t care about just so no one else can use it).

[u/Cavaquillo → u/Wadarkhu]

Yeah sometimes it means we won’t have to worry about it, but I’ll never fully trust anyone who works in tech

[u/kazegraf → u/Wadarkhu]

Don't make the exec remember this. At this rate, they gonna roll these out. 

[u/motoxim → u/Wadarkhu]

Oh shit

[u/Streakflash → u/Wadarkhu]

the tv will be a forbidden device at my house if this ever happens

[u/arina_bee → u/Wadarkhu]

I'll be real. If this happened, I'd skip boycotting and go straight to terror cells

[u/Significant-Way9330 → u/Wadarkhu]

I really hope this kinda stuff is them being patent squatters and just sitting on this stuff. Cause it is bleak out here. 

[u/VoidOmatic → u/Wadarkhu]

Doesn't mean it has happened yet.

[u/Aalnius → u/Wadarkhu]

One positive is if a big company has the patent its unlikely going to be used by other companies, but just because sony hasn't pulled this bullshit yet doesn't mean they won't theyre likely just working out when they think they can implement it.