Entertainment

Actions

Mobile game ads are weird, misleading — and effective

Mobile games are a huge part of the billion-dollar video game industry. So why do they rely so heavily on bizarre, misleading ads?
Posted
and last updated

If you've been anywhere online without an adblocker recently, you’ve probably seen ads like this. They're shocking, often racy, and generally frustrating — and they have very little to do with the actual games they're supposed to be advertising. 

Mobile games, designed specifically for phones and tablets, are a massive part of the video game industry — played by over 2 billion (yes, billion) people worldwide. But that huge global market is propelled by misleading and provocative ad campaigns, which seem more focused on drawing a reaction than actually convincing people to play their game.

Next Level: AI art is almost human, but it's fueled by unwilling artists

Next Level: AI art is almost human, but fueled by unwilling artists

What are the ethical, legal and moral boundaries of creating AI-generated content from other people's works?

LEARN MORE

The absurdity of many mobile game ads has us asking: Who is behind all this? And do these ads actually work? 

We talked with advertisers and analysts to understand how and why mobile game ads look the way they do — and how they might change as consumers and regulators start to pay more attention to their tactics.