Gaming and Esports

Advertising Framework
As the gaming ad market continues to grow rapidly and demand for innovative new formats
intensifies, we have worked with our members and industry partners from the UK, Europe and
US to create a unified advertising framework for gaming and esports. Our aim is that this
framework will enable further growth of the gaming ad market in a sustainable and efficient
way, ensuring that key terms are standardised and that there is shared understanding within
the industry. The below framework can be used internationally and we will continue to update it
as the market evolves.

Contents
1 Player
1.1 Environment
1.2 Delivery Methods
1.3 Ad Context
1.4 Ad Asset Type
1.5 User Information
2 Viewer
2.1 Environment
2.2 Ad Context
2.3 Ad Asset Type
2.4 User
1 Player
A lean-in user who is directly influencing gameplay.

1.1 Environment
The hardware, software and runtime context around an ad experience.

1.1.1 Equipment
The hardware used to operate a video game.

1.1.1.1 Console
Propriety computer systems specially made for playing video games such
as home consoles, handhelds or hybrid consoles.

1.1.1.2 PC
Personal computer systems that can run video games.

1.1.1.3 Mobile
Personal smart phone devices and tablets that can run video games.

1.1.2 Game
The software required to play a video game

1.1.2.1 Publisher
The company that publishes a given video game title that has been
developed either internally or by a 2rd party developer.

1.1.2.2 Title
The name of a specific video game.

1.1.2.3 Player Mode

The descriptor as to whether a gaming experience is individual or
alongside other players.

1.1.2.3.1 Singleplayer
There is one player within the game environment.

1.1.2.3.2 Multiplayer
There are multiple players interacting with each other inside of the game
environment. Multiple players can be interacting online, locally or both.

1.1.2.4 Revenue Model

The system by which a given video game generates revenue for the publisher.

1.1.2.4.1 Free
A purely advertising business model, no purchase is required of the
game or available within the game.

1.1.2.4.2 Upfront Cost

An initial sum of money paid before the acquisition of a video game.
May also include other preliminary costs.
 1.1.2.4.3 Subscription
A business model in gaming that applies subscription fees to access
the game.

1.1.2.4.4 Freemium
An advertising business model, but with the addition of microtransactions
that represent low-cost purchases that provide some form of additional
content to the user.

1.1.2.5 Player Perspective

The in-game perspective of a player in a given video game title (video game titles
can offer multiple perspectives)

1.1.2.5.1 2D
A game where the player’s view is locked to a 2D plane on a top-down
or side-scrolling perspective.

1.1.2.5.2 2.5D (Isometric)

A 2D game that uses 3D geometry for the environment and characters,
but restricts the gameplay to two dimensions, meaning the 3D effect is
purely visual.

1.1.2.5.3 3D
A game where the player’s perspective of objects and the environment
has a sense of changing length, height and depth creating a 3D effect.

1.1.2.5.4 AR
A perspective in which the player’s view of the real world is partially
altered to create gameplay.

1.1.2.5.5 VR
A perspective in which the player’s view is fully altered to create a sense
of being surrounded by the game environment.

1.1.2.6 Genre
The style or category of a given video game title (video game titles may have multiple
genres).

1.1.2.6.1 Action
Action games emphasize physical challenges that require hand-eye
coordination and motor skill to overcome. They center around the
player, who is in control of most of the action.

1.1.2.6.2 Adventure
Adventure games normally require the player to solve various puzzles
by interacting with people or the environment, most often in a
non-confrontational way.

1.1.2.6.3 Arcade
A game that mimics the gameplay of classic arcade games, including
pinball, platformers, and space invaders.

1.1.2.6.4 Puzzle
A game that emphasizes puzzle solving and can include a variety of word
puzzles, logic puzzles or pattern puzzles amongst others.
 1.1.2.6.5 Racing
Racing games involve the player competing against time or opponents
using some means of transportation.

1.1.2.6.6 Role-Playing (RPG)

RPGs cast the player into the role of a character and allow the player
freedom to influence their own story.

1.1.2.6.7 Shooting
Players use ranged weapons to participate in the action. Most shooters
involve violent gameplay, however, some shooters have non-violent
objectives.

1.1.2.6.8 Simulation
Simulation games are designed to closely simulate aspects of a real or
fictional reality.

1.1.2.6.9 Sports
Sports games emulate the playing of traditional or fictional sports.

1.1.2.6.10 Social Casino

Games emulating casino or other gambling products, either with or
without financial capital risked by the player.

1.1.2.6.11 Music
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video
game where the gameplay is oriented around the player’s interactions with
a musical score or individual songs.

1.1.2.6.12 Painting and Drawing

A game that uses art as the main way of interacting with the game world.

1.1.2.6.13 Trivia
A game where players are asked questions about interesting facts in
many subjects.

1.1.2.6.14 Strategy
Strategy video games focus on gameplay requiring careful and skilful
thinking and planning in order to achieve success.

1.1.2.6.15 Educational
A game with the explicit purpose to educate the player on a certain
subject or topic.

1.1.2.6.16 Word
A sub-category of puzzle game that involves word and linguistic puzzles.

1.1.2.7 Distribution Scale

The informal categorisation of the resources used to develop, publish and distribute
a video game.

1.1.2.7.1 AAA
Video games produced and distributed by major game publishers,
typically having higher development and marketing budgets.
 1.1.2.7.2 AA
Less commonly used than either AAA or Indie, AA games are games that
have neither notably high nor low development and marketing budgets.

1.1.2.7.3 Indie
Video games typically created by individuals or smaller development
teams without the financial and technical support of a large video
games publisher.

1.1.2.8 Graphics Style

The artistic style of a video game as perceived by the player.

1.1.2.8.1 Photorealistic
An environment that appears visually realistic to the user.

1.1.2.8.2 Cartoon Stylized

An environment that contains elements which are unrealistic or
exaggerated to the point of not being visually realistic.

1.1.2.8.3 Stylized
An environment that consists primarily of shape, form, colour and line to
create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from
visual references in the real world.

1.1.2.9 Rating
A categorisation of games to determine the appropriacy of the content to various
age groups.

1.1.2.9.1 ESRB Rating

An American rating board that assigns age and content ratings to video
games using six age-based levels (Rating Pending, Everyone, Everyone
10+, Teen, Mature 17+, and Adults Only 18+).

1.1.2.9.2 PEGI Rating

A European rating board established to help consumers make informed
decisions when buying video games or apps. PEGI has 5 age categories
(PEGI 3, 7, 12, 16, and 18).

1.1.2.9.3 Apple App Store Rating

Apple’s rating system for games on the Apple App Store, consisting of 4
ratings (4+, 9+, 12+, 17+).

1.1.2.9.4 Google Play Store Rating

Google Play Store’s rating system uses local rating systems to categorise
it’s games (for example PEGI for Europe and ESRB for the USA).
1.2 Delivery Methods
Available mechanisms to deliver ads to the game. One might be tempted to classify this as an attribute of
the ad, but it is the game software itself that executes insertions.

1.2.1 Direct
Manual transaction between a seller and a buyer, that requires direct communication,
negotiation, signed contract, guaranteed budget and impressions, and fixed CPM.

1.2.2 Sponsorship
Ownership of all or an agreed amount of ad placements within a game by one advertiser for a
specific time period.

1.2.3 Programmatic RTB

Automated auction-based environment where algorithm is used to decide which ads are placed
in which position and to define the bid for each impression.

1.2.4 Programmatic PMP

A programmatic marketplace where real time bidding occurs, yet only select advertisers are
allowed to bid on a vendor’s inventory.

1.2.5 Programmatic PG
Somewhat automated direct transaction where both sides agree on the fixed price and
guaranteed budget. The deal goes through the programmatic pipes, and allows buyers more
control and visibility than manual transaction.

1.2.6 Open Marketplace

Standardised inventory made available to be bought programmatically.

1.3 Ad Context
The context within which an ad may be served.

1.3.1 Intrinsic In-Game

Sometimes referred to as Native In-Game or In-Play, these ad placements are “in the game”,
a seamless part of the gameplay environment.

1.3.2 Adjacent
The ad placement is “next to the game”, such as a banner image ad below a mobile puzzle game.

1.3.3 Interstitial
The ad placement is “around the game”, as gameplay stops and the ad itself becomes the focus.

1.3.4 Audio
The ad placement is purely audio in nature, overlayed during gameplay without pausing the game.

1.4 Ad Asset Type

The creative asset that may be served in a given ad context.

1.4.1 Image
The ad asset consists of a static image to be displayed to the user.

1.4.2 Video
The ad asset consists of a video to be displayed to the user.
 1.4.3 Interactive
The ad asset consists of an interactive ad unit (for example a gamified ad).

1.4.4 Standard Branded Object

The ad asset consists of a skin for an object that is standardised across multiple games.

1.4.5 Bespoke Branded Object

The ad asset consists of a bespoke skin for a specific game or group of games.

1.5 User Information

Data on the player.

1.5.1 Frequency Capping

Limiting the number of times an ad is shown to a user within a session or a game, over a
specified time period.

1.5.2 Demographic Data

Targeting based on specific audience segments defined by demographic characteristics (such as
age or gender).

1.5.3 Geography
The location of a given user, as defined by available location data such as GPS or IP address.

1.5.4 Custom Audience Segment

A selection of users collated based off of specific targeting criteria. For example gaming mothers,
gaming students or gamers with specific genres of interest.

1.5.5 Gamer Type

An informal designation of the engagement a gamer has with video games, and of the type of
game they are likely to play.

1.5.5.1 Hardcore
A knowledgeable, active and committed individual with a high degree of interest or
commitment to playing video games.

1.5.5.2 Midcore
A player with a broad range of gaming interests that is more likely to enthusiastically
play different types of games, but without the amount of time spent and sense of
competition of a hardcore gamer.

1.5.5.3 Casual
The term is often used for gamers who primarily play more accessible and often
mainstream games, but can also refer to gamers who play less frequently than
other gamers.

1.5.5.4 Hypercasual
A person who enjoys a game that is easy-to-play and extremely accessible, usually
without any tutorial or instructions, and that are playable whilst multitasking.
Hypercasual gamers are unlikely to identify as gamers at all.
2 Viewer
A lean-back consumer, who is spectating the gameplay but not directly influencing.

2.1 Environment
See 1.1

2.1.1 Live Event

A large scale live event such as an esports tournament, usually streamed across various platforms.

2.1.2 Passive Stream

An individual stream which lacks interactive features such as chat, emotes and polls.

2.1.3 Active Stream

An individual stream which includes interactive features such as chat, emotes and polls.

2.1.4 Video On Demand (VOD)

A prerecorded piece of gaming content available on demand by a viewer.

2.1.5 Game
See 1.1.2

2.1.6 Stream Genre

The labelled style or category of a given stream as labelled by the streamer.

2.1.6.1 Action and Adventure Stream

A stream featuring predominantly gaming content of the action and adventure genres.

2.1.6.2 Shooter Stream

A stream featuring predominantly gaming content of the action and adventure genres.

2.1.6.3 MOBA and Strategy Stream

A stream featuring predominantly gaming content related to the strategy genre, and
specifically the multiplayer online battle arena sub genre.

2.1.6.4 Role Playing Games Stream

A stream featuring predominantly gaming content related to the role playing genre
of games.

2.1.6.5 Card and Board Games Stream

A stream featuring predominantly gaming content related to virtual or real life card
and board games.

2.1.6.6 Racing and Sports Stream

A stream featuring predominantly gaming content related to the racing and sports
game genres.

2.1.6.7 Horror Stream

A stream featuring predominantly gaming content with a horrific element.

2.1.6.8 Fighting Stream

A stream featuring predominantly gaming content involving fighting and
action elements.
 2.2 Ad Context
See 1.3

2.2.1 Sponsorship
An event or livestream that is sponsored by one or several brands with real life branding conveyed
over livestream or video.

2.2.2 Host-read
An ad placement or narrative, read by an influencer or host that is embedded within the content.

2.2.3 Intrinsic
Product placement within the content setup, such as branded clothing and props in view of
the camera.

2.2.4 Adjacent
An ad that occupies screen real estate but does not cover any of the content.

2.2.5 Interstitial
A “commercial break” style ad context, that interrupts the content for a sponsored message.
Includes pre-roll advertising.

2.3 Ad Asset Type

See 1.4

2.3.1 Image
See 1.4.1

2.3.2 Video
See 1.4.2

2.3.3 Interactive
See 1.4.3

2.3.4 Scripted
The ad asset consists of a pre-determined message to be verbally included in the content.

2.4 User
See 1.5

Thank you

IAB UK IAB Games and Esports

Gaming Group Marketplace Board