This post covers one of the more controversial aspects of mobile games, the role of in-game ads. During development of MechDog, I had a crash course in in-game ad design. Faced with the decision of how to monetize MechDog, I was in a position where I realized the value of having ads, but at the same time was well aware of the stigma attached to ads.

Everything you see in this post is work in progress.

WHAT KIND OF ADS?

There are two popular formats for ads in mobile games.

Banner Ads
Placed on the game screen, these ads are always visible to the player when they are playing. A popular option for these ads lets players pay a fee to have them removed.

Interstitial Ads
These ads take up the entire screen for a certain amount of time. There are options to make these ads skippable or unskippable. Some games reward the player for choosing to watch these ads.

Shop Slot Spin

MechDog's ads are placed in the shop screen. Pressing the "Watch Ad" button:

Shows the ad (interstitial, unskippable)
Plays a slot roll animation that cycles between the 4 upgrade options
Lands on a random upgrade which is awarded to the player

I attached an extrinsic reward to the ads to supply a positive with a negative. In terms of when this ad appears, they show up after a challenging dungeon section providing a lull in the game's intensity.

Design

What caused caution when implementing ads?

As mentioned at the top of the post, there is a danger when implementing ads in a game. Sticking an ad close to hotspots for touch controls can easily cause frustration, and following a game over screen with an ad can instantly turn a player off to a game. A poorly placed ad can be obtrusive, stagnating, and even punishing for the player.

What was the approach for MechDog's Ad Placement?

There were two rules I followed when placing ads in MechDog

Have Purpose for the Placement
Any ad shown in the game should have a greater purpose than merely being to make money. It's a simple rule, but it is easily broken when ad design is lazily approached.
Don't Punctuate Negative Feedback
By the nature of what they are, ads are a negative. They interrupt flow/concentration by showing unrelated content. Accompanying a negative action in-game with an ad puts focus on how intrusive the ad is.