In-game advertising has been a hot topic for years, but it wasn't until broadband really took off that the topic was thrust into most gamers' awareness. Streaming technology had been around for years, but with the advent of high-speed services like Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network, would-be advertisers finally had an avenue to reach millions of gamers with their streamed, on-screen ads. And of course, when Microsoft bought the ad-serving company Massive Inc., gamers knew it was just a matter of time before ads exploded onto their shooters and action games.
