Posted By: Judy Smith

Thu Nov 2, 12:30 AM ET

Ryan Arp is a student and is a self-professed gamer. He has been playing video games for about 10 years.
var lrec_target="_blank";var lrec_URL=new Array();
lrec_URL[1]="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12gna152k/M=559015.9528062.10255464.1442997/D=news/S=38062118:LREC/_ylt=A9FJqa7EwUpFiewARgAmyEQC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1162534372/A=4063844/R=0/id=flash/SIG=11rsghdsi/*http://www.reply.com/models/PortalBLP/auto.asp?AdID=44394";
var lrec_fv="clickTAG=javascript:lrec_window(1)";
var lrec_swf="http://us.a2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/a/re/reply_com/reply_car_red_300x250.swf";
var lrec_altURL="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12gna152k/M=559015.9528062.10255464.1442997/D=news/S=38062118:LREC/_ylt=A9FJqa7EwUpFiewARgAmyEQC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1162534372/A=4063844/R=1/id=altimg/SIG=11rsghdsi/*http://www.reply.com/models/PortalBLP/auto.asp?AdID=44394";
var lrec_altimg="http://us.a2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/a/re/reply_com/reply_car_red_300x250.gif";
var lrec_w=300;var lrec_h=250;
if (window.yzq_a == null) document.write("");if (window.yzq_a)
{
yzq_a('p', 'P=A.TDx0LaS.Y2AyluU_p7.wkuSDRIwkVKwcQADdxE&T=18m6h7lgd%2fX%3d1162527172%2fE%3d38062118%2fR%3dnews%2fK%3d5%2fV%3d1.1%2fW%3d8%2fY%3dYAHOO%2fF%3d63275944%2fH%3dY2FjaGVoaW50PSJuZXdzIiBjb250ZW50PSJ2aWRlbztJdDtzZXJ2ZXJzO01pY3Jvc29mdDtzZWN1cml0eTtpdDt0ZWNobm9sb2d5O2dpdmU7Y2hpbGQ7SVA7aGVscDsiIHJlZnVybD0iIiB0b3BpY3M9IiI-%2fS%3d1%2fJ%3dAEA949D1');
yzq_a('a', '&U=13aq4kg2t%2fN%3dz6AVBkLaSso-%2fC%3d559015.9528062.10255464.1442997%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d4063844');
}

“I've been into games since Nintendo and Super Mario Bros.,” said Arp.

“What I like is when you're playing online with other people, you're on a program where you can talk to other people,” said Arp.

The latest game Arp is playing is called “Battlefield 2142.” The game is a futuristic war game from game company Electronic Arts.

Arp said he likes the game, but he doesn’t like what he discovered in the game’s packaging.

“It basically says they're going to be using advertising and data on your computer,” said Arp.

Arp said the game has built-in advertising, which many experts said is not unusual these days.

However, what is out of the ordinary is the spyware from software company IGA Worldwide found in the game, said Arp.

“It would be great if they’d put a disclaimer on the outside of the box,” added Arp.

The only warning about the advertising came inside the game’s packaging. A gamer would have to purchase the game to receive the warning.

The disclaimer in the game packaging said:

By installing and using the software, you agree to: the transfer of advertising data to servers located outside of your country of residence the collection and use of advertising data the delivery of advertising and marketing content

Arp uncovered another problem while playing the game.

Many people might have problems running the game and the company recommended those with problems running the software to uninstall a critical Microsoft security update.

10News investigators found out to play the game, a gamer would have to remove the computer’s security patch. Worse yet, once the security is removed, gamers find themselves vulnerable.

“That patch happens to be a critical patch that prevents hackers and others from attacking your computer and literally taking it over,” said 10News information technology manager Jim Phalan.

Phalan said computer games are often more dangerous than they look.

“Anytime we give up information on our computers, especially when we give up info unknowingly, who do we really trust?” said Phalan.

Privacy experts and child advocates told 10News they are concerned and said it is not smart to buy a game knowing it could make your computer vulnerable.

A representative from EA sent 10News investigators the following statement on the “Battlefield 2142” video game and its in-game advertising:

Here is some more information about how the in-game advertising in BF 2142 works: It does not capture personal data such as cookies, account login detail, or surfing history. The advertising in Battlefield 2142 does not access any files which are not directly related to the game. Battlefield 2142 delivers ads by region. The advertising system uses a player's IP address to determine the region of the player, assisting to serve the appropriate ads by region and language. For instance, a player in Paris might be presented with ads in French. Battlefield 2142 tracks impression data related to in-game advertisements: location of a billboard in the game, brand advertised, duration of advertisement impression, etc. This information is used to help advertisers qualify the reach of a given advertisement. The information collected will not be repurposed for other uses.

The information reported above is property of Yahoo! inc. and reprinted or modified with legitimate permission.