AOL's GameDaily revamp includes social features

The world of gaming is going social. With AOL's revamped GameDaily set to include user reviews, widgets and other rich media resources, users - and advertisers - have a lot more to look forward to.

by Kristina Knight

Several big name advertisers, including Blockbuster and Doritos, have signed on to advertise on the new site, which should appeal to hardcore gamers as well as those who play during their downtime.

GameDaily offers cheat codes for users, screenshot galleries and even interviews with game developers. It also allows users to share games, screenshots and video through widgets. And, while the audience is still primarily male (60%) between the ages of 16 and 24, the varied amount of content now being offered on the site will make it more appealing to advertisers. According to AOL the site pulled in 2 million visitors in July.

Advertisers can sponsor sections like game titles or game categories or can advertise with skins, corner peels and a download of the day. There are also campaigns available that allow advertising over the sites blogs.

With more content sites providing games and more users logging on to play, advertising on gaming hubs is a sound idea for marketers. A recent comScore report indicates that gaming is actually driving the ecommerce sector. Video games, consoles and accessories showed 155% growth from 2006 to 2007.