How is this advertisement acceptable?

EDIT: looks like @jeff and @rorie took care of this, thank you.

I recently picked up 1Passowrd since it's 50% off this week and decided to clear my browser history and start from scratch so I can add all my passwords into the program. I cleared my cookies and went to the Giant Bomb homepage and was greeted with this.

Why. Why is this garbage on Giant Bomb. I understand that websites need to make money and that's done with web ads but this is disgusting. I recall @jeff talking about this kind of ad years before, I can't remember exactly what podcast or video he said this but he described these ads as "Fucking Eye blasters!" I would count this ad to fall into that category. (It would be great if someone could find that clip. I could only find this formspring post...)

When sites have this kind of ad on the homepage, I won't ever be visiting that site again. I want websites to make money, it's why I don't run ad blockers, but I feel like websites that do this are more interested in making a profit than promoting the content (well I guess making money is the most important....but you know what I mean. Your content should be the star, not ads) Does the site need that kind of advertising money that badly? Frankly, I don't really understand how the site makes a profit when its paying hosting bills for 2+ hour videos almost every day, and paying salaries that someone could actually live on. The hosting bill must be enormous.

GiantBomb.com is one of the few websites that actually look nice. I just don't want it to be seen like this to people who are discovering this awesome site.

I know that this topic has been brought up a million times before with mechs walking around and free Obama iPhones and such but.......I don't know. It's lame that this is what websites are becoming now.

It isn't and we're working on it. Thanks for your feedback.

Yeah its pretty horrible, blame Rorie.

I think this kind of ads are actually pretty neat. Though they are really annoying at the end of the day. The worst part is they restrict your from doing anything else but they are the ads that make the company the most money as you are required to watch them. Though I do agree, get this kind of stuff off of here. Makes the site seem like fucking IGN.

Hm, I don't see the problem, it looks pretty unintrusive to me.

Erm, I mean, are you sure it wasn't a jar time video that he said that?

That's the worst advert I've ever seen on a website, wow.

@beachthunder: I'm generally curious as to how you can consider that non-intrusive. Did you watch the video, or just look at the thumbnail? The ad literally takes over the entire screen.

@zoozilla: I think this is one of those times when text has failed to properly communicate sarcasm.

I know sarcasm doesn't usually work on the internet, but that ad is just so egregious that I thought it would be clear that I was being sarcastic =(

That really is a dreadful ad! I too remember Jeff calling these "Fucking eye blasters" and stating that he abhorred them. It's a level of hypocrisy that's disheartening.

"GiantBomb.com is one of the few websites that actually look nice. I just don't want it to be seen like this to people who are discovering this awesome site."

Is a very good point! I know this website has a great deal to offer, so I will overlook these intrusive ads, but if I had just stumbled upon this site eager to explorer, well I would be very put off and move on.

EDIT: Just read Jeff's comment -- Faith restored!

The '20 Hottest Sports WAGs/Daughters You Should Be Fapping Over!' ones are pretty gross too. But I still click 'em.

Premium member so I don't see them and adblock in every other case.

I was actually trying to log in and caught a glimpse of an ad like that and I was a little saddened by it, too.

No one deserves that, premium or not! I'm sure no one among the top men or the editors intended for that kinda ad, though, as it sounds like from Jeff's reply earlier so I wouldn't necessarily live in prolonged fear or resentment towards these ads as it sounds like they're definitely not here to stay.

Well looks like Jeff is already on top of that one.

They make me think I've been on too much pr0n sites and I'm hallucinating up all these sexy ads.

I think this is actually just part of a long term co-marketing deal with Jeffrey Tambor that started with that Hollywood Squares game.

Wow that is shocking. Fair play to Jeff for responding to this thread so fast!

o.O damn glad i don't have to see that shit.

Ads are just a reality. Money makes everything go, for better or for worse.

WOW, response from the first post. One of the many reasons why I love this website.

I can't wait to see a fat Kane and lynch 3 ad but, alas woe is me, I'm just a premium member... Darn!

Wow that is a shitty ad. Good thing I don't have to see that shit.

People overuse the term disgusting in this forum. It's a slight inconvenience at most nothing disgusting about it.

Awww, I wanted to make a Jeffrey Tambor joke!

@mariachimacabre said:

Sorry, the Jeffrey Tambor jokes are all mine! No touching!

Arrested Development Joke! First! Boom!

Usually I have a very "deal with it" attitude to non members complaining about ads but in this case there us absolutely a valid complaint. Holy shit. That's awful.

The biggest part was the ad bar at the top of the page. It covered both the site logo, Live Show status, search bar and part of the user CP. Not so slight.

but Jeff is aware and is on it.

@beachthunder: @chaser324: Oh, man. Poe's law got me.

i thought that giant bomb had a different opinion on this stuff. i guess it changed when they went from 'indie video game journalists' back to corporate video game journalists with gamespot?

That's gutting. I'd always thought Arrested Development was too classy to pull that kind of advertising. Oh yeah, they've got new owners now haven't they?

@jeff IS ON THE FUCKING CASE! YEAH!!!

Thank you Adblock, for keeping me safe and ignorant of the horror that is the actual internet.

@tarsier: You should probably read the first reply.

It didn't feel too long ago when the Bomb dudes were desperately hoping for Jeffrey Tambor to take the center square. Brad Garrett doesn't seem so bad now, does he?

(I seriously don't care for those ads either. AV Club is lousy with them. Considering they also just lost half of their best writers too, I'm having trouble coming up with reasons to visit that site.)

Your abuse of power has to stop. It's like selling houses to Middle Eastern despots.

That ad is some incredible bullshit.

Yeah, the advertisements this website had showing "Roadkill" t-shirts are far more classy.

Ad should be down now. Sorry for that, folks.

@chaser324: I agree that these type of adverts are terrible, if Giant Bomb are that strapped for cash they should remember that there is always money in the banana stand. (Sorry couldn't resist)

I want an ice cream sandwich now....

They don't get a say on ads before they go up. Oftentimes, they don't even know until they go up live on the site. Kudos to them for always noticing it through user feedback and getting it pulled down ASAP.

Wow, somebody's on the ball. Good work!

Jeff is gonna go all Hoobastank on someone's ass. I don't even know what that means.

to everyone having a go at giant bomb for this - pretty sure this is engineered at a higher level, like in a general CBSi way? i know the staffers can't really say that and probably wouldn't, but before pointing any fingers you should probably consider that. i see a lot of shared ads on last.fm and gamespot etc.

@mendelson9: I recently complained about this in an earlier thread. The staff's taking care of it.

And the top men do it again! I'm glad it's fixed for you guys.

@tarsier: That's an unfair bullshit response.

They all have housing to pay for and some have children to raise. The CBS deal bought the ability to put ads in, not control the content. It's an obtrusive ad and as you can see, it's more of us gold members complaining vs non members.

If you see them change their content, then you can call them corporate puppets. They have a business to run and sometimes things take a bit. Their content has not changed since they were sold based on the buyout. Some of it has changed, but again it's changed because they are humans and having lives. None of the content has changed to fit CBSi.

The ad sucks, it doesn't mean it's time to go that route. They need money, look at Jeff's apartment, he's not living like a king. I'm one of the most anticorporate assholes you'd ever meet, but ads are a way of life sometimes. Or, like me I paid to not see them because I was spending a lot of time here.

Ad-block all day. I ad-block and wait and see if the site is of quality to warrant a paid subscription by me. Giantbomb obviously deserves my money...... and only them.