According to Next Generation, the Nielsen Media Research will announce plans to add videogame metrics to its line-up of entertainment offerings sometime in mid-2007.

The service, named Nielsen Gameplay Metrics, will establish new metrics for the buying and selling of advertising in videogames. The data from the service will be provided to subscribers on a weekly basis and will show gamers' activities across other media platforms like TV and the Internet. Why does George Orwell's 1984 come to mind?

Anyway, the service is set to provide advertisers, agencies, hardware manufacturers, and game developers demographic data for negotiating for in-game and around-game advertising. It's reported that the new data will allow the videogame industry to develop an "advertising business model" to offset the steep development costs of new titles for next-generation consoles.

Now the around-game advertising we can handle. We really like the Coca-cola advert that was GTA based. We also like all product ads that use WoW characters. It's just that we can't seem to wrap our heads around the possibility of seeing Ryu Hayabusa (in the game mind you, not on a TV ad) chug down a Pepsi before he (luckily) gets to fight those scantily clad Ninjas.

Now more on the creepy 1984-ness of all of this. They say that the metrics will give advertisers a greater level of precision for targeting the digital consumer. The companies will get access to comprehensive analysis on how video game play affects or complements the use of other electronic media. For example, the data will show what television programs gamers watch when they're not playing games.

It just feels wrong for all the wrong reasons. We know that this has been common practice already for TV land, but for gaming? Isn't it already obvious what shows and genres and things gamers really like? It's like having someone with the omniscience of Big Brother watch hamsters turn a hamster wheel.

Anyway, as weirded out about this as some of us here in QJ are, we can see the good things that can come from this development. For one thing we'll see more media that's tailor made for us gamers. That's always a good thing right?