8 Video Game Product Placements So Good We Bought In

6. LOOM (The Secret Of Monkey Island)

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Lucasarts

In-game advertorials aren't all gloom and doom. This one, from Ron Gilbert's universally immaculate The Secret of Monkey Island, for example, was LOOM.

Just about the first person wannabe pirate Guybrush Threepwood encounters shortly after alighting on the shores of Mélêe Island, aside from the lookout, is Cobb, one of the SCUMM Bar's many grounded pirates. There's something not quite right about this brown-eyed buccaneer though; his bicorne is the sort you might expect at a themed kid's birthday party, and though linguistically consistent, he only answers every question with the single word "Aye".

That is until you follow the explicit instructions on his badge, and ask him about 'LOOM'. Establishing the game's unrelentingly satirical tone, the phony 'pirate' launches into an impassioned treatise on the merits of Brian Moriarty's musical mindbender. All the while, the words [ADVERTISEMENT] flash up on the bottom of the screen, lightly poking fun at the practice of product placement. Whilst still being product placement. Given how good Monkey Island was - exemplified by this joke - how could anyone not want to buy LOOM after this sales pitch?

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.