Business Week has an interesting article about the creeping malice that is in-game advertising: Is That a Video Game — or an Ad?. While Sims publisher Electronic Arts decided against product placement in their next expansion pack, The Sims 2 Open for Business, others are selling static and/or dynamic ad space in their games. With game development costs spiraling ever higher, in-game advertisment may be a necessary evil … plus, at $1 and $2 per connected game unit, that’s a lot of gravy.