Last week, Funcom and Massive announced a new sort of billboard ad in Anarchy Online. Called "interactive advertisement technology" this new feature will allow players to do more than just passively look at an ad. Instead, players can interact with the ad and see a more detailed model of the Toyota Yaris, for example.

Massive Incorporated CEO Mitch Davis commented at the time that this was "a tremendous step forward in terms of giving advertisers what they want- the ability to target the elusive male 18-34 range and allowing them to interact with the products for a more memorable experience," and added, "This is just the beginning of interactive ads in games."

But what does it mean for advertisers? And how will players react? We sat down with Terri Perkins, Product Manager for Funcom, and Nicholas Longano, President of New Media at Massive, to find out.

Now, with these sorts of interactive ads, one might think that the potential for alienation would be high. After all, most people probably wouldn't list the Flash ads that roll over, animate and make noise as particularly charming. However, the response to these ads has been very positive, according to Perkins and Longano

"The reaction to the Toyota ads was very positive and our players seem quite happy to be given an alternative to the normal subscription method!" said Perkins. "The interactivity will allow for some creative things to happen that have not been possible before. We utilize the billboards not only for paid ads but for fictional in game ads and this opens up the doorway to allow for interaction with this content as well. This is the beginning of a new revolution in in game advertising and it will be fascinating to watch how it evolves and what creative things we can bring to the table."

"We're always looking at new inventory elements, new ideas that will help advertisers push their ads further and also for gamers as well," said Longano. "Take for example, a barrel you can smash it and and get gold. It's part of the interactive experience that makes a game. With interactive ads, we asked gamers about it and about 80% said, 'Yeah, if we can interact and it's interesting, we'll go for it.' The number of gamers that will click on the ad and interact with it is immense. If you want to know more about it, just click and you can find out."

"Before we put the ads out, we make sure that they appeal," he added. "We don't leave anything to risk or chance, we test with groups to see how they react. It's your choice; you determine whether or not you're going to click on it. That's what gamers want, they want choice. There's no pop-up associated and it doesn't take you out of the game. We try to be respectful and mindful of the game experience."