Analysts are predicting that the video game industry will generate revenues of somewhere around $68 billion in 2012. This number is roughly 10% higher than it was in 2011, and, just in case you're not good with math, that's a lot of money. In fact, video games represent the most profitable wing of the entertainment industry these days, and they're only getting bigger.

Given the staggering amount of money that surrounds the gaming industry, it's no wonder that we're starting to see an increasing number of people trying to elbow their way into the business. However, with more mouths to feed, producers must constantly try to squeeze every last cent of out a title before moving on to the next project. And, unsurprisingly, this has meant that advertisements are becoming more and more common in video games.

In-game advertising has been around for a while, but over the last several years, it has ramped up significantly. The very first known example of an in-game advertisement was in a 1978 title called Adventureland. In it, the developer, Adventure International, placed a small advertisement for an upcoming game called Pirate Adventure. Innocent enough, right? Well, Adventure International's innocent little concept has turned into a multimillion-dollar industry. In 2009, in-game advertising amassed about $699 million in the U.S., and it's expected to reach $1 billion by 2015.

Now, you're probably expecting me to rail on the producers and developers for trying to wring every last penny from their customers through advertisements—and that's coming too—but I actually want to talk about the customers themselves first.

I'm getting incredibly tired of listening to self-important gamers constantly complain about in-game advertisements. Why do you people think that your precious video games have the right to remain in an unadulterated fantasy land? No other area of entertainment industry plays by the same ridiculous set of rules you've set for video games, and your personal opinion about they way that the industry should operate has no actual bearing on reality.

In-game advertisements offer another line of revenue that ensures your favorite game will spawn spinoffs, DLC, and sequels galore. Sales finally aren't the only thing driving a developer's decision-making process, so you can enjoy whatever crappy video game you want, and it will probably be around forever. (I'm looking at you, Off-Road Velociraptor Safari.)

Plus, the in-game advertisement/micropayment model has recently been adopted by a host of titles, which means that you essentially get an unlimited number of free games thanks to in-game advertising. Why do you hate free games so much?

Also, games that are set in reality (or some approximation of reality) have every right to be chocked full of in-game advertising. Second Life and The Sims should be positively overflowing with advertisements. Why? Because reality is overflowing with advertisements, and if you're playing a reality sim to escape reality and you're angry about the advertisements, you probably deserved to be slapped.

And do you want to know what's more annoying than in-game advertisements? Those idiotic fake advertisements that video game developers create to avoid using actual product names. There's nothing more distracting than seeing my favorite semi-believable characters drinking a can of something generically labeled "beer" or "cola." Though, I do miss seeing those absurd self-promotional billboards in Double Dragon.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not trying to defend the greedy antics of the money-grabbing developers, but nuking in-game advertising altogether is certainly not the best option. Unfortunately, this advertising offers far too many benefits to the gamer.

The thing that I think both developers and gamers are having a hard time grasping is that context is everything. Developers simply want to coat every surface with advertising, cash the check, and hope not too many gamers notice, but players don't want to feel like they're continuously being manipulated.

A few years ago, Sony took a fair amount of flack for implementing video ads during the WipEout HD's loading screens. The ads increased load times, angered gamers, and clued the public in on Sony's greed. This is probably the type of in-game advertisements that developers should avoid. The ad disrupted the player's experience and made customers feel like the industry simply viewed them as brainless drones with open wallets. If customers can see through the ads, then they're not working anyway.

But gamers also need to give developers a little more slack. In-game advertising probably isn't going anywhere, and, in some cases, you should be sending developers a thank you card. Hopefully, you have enough self-control to avoid buying whatever product the ad is shucking, and if you don't, you probably should ask someone to poke your eyes out with a knitting needle. Otherwise, your bank is going to be very frustrated with you come adulthood.

Plus, if you're really the type of narcissistic loudmouth who thinks that you deserve to live in a world where no one tries to sell you a product, you might want to ask your doctor for a psych referral. I'm no psychologist, but you're probably a sociopath.

By Josh Engen Contributing Writer @JoshEngen Date: February 20, 2012

*The views expressed within this article are solely the opinion of the author and do not express the views held by Cheat Code Central. This week's is also purely a work of fiction*