Awaiting launch of hot games,
like Vision Gran Turismo for PS3

During Christmas, as gamers camped outside for a shot at taking home a PS3 or a Nintendo Wii, the major gaming-centric sites - like IGN.com, its ad traffic up 33 percent during the holiday season - enjoyed a brief ad inventory shortfall, but as game publishers begin to catch up to the new consoles with new game launches, the latter half of 2007 should see a big surge of new ads to the sites.

The surge is expected to swell between $150 and $200 million, according to MediaWeek. Gaming media includes IGN.com, GameSpot.com, and now includes Ziff Davis Media newcomers GameVideos.com and GamesRadar.com. Additionally, buyers are turning to entertainment sites like Heavy.com and Maxim.com to reach the gamer.

But, surprisingly, gaming sites are getting a boost from non-endemic advertising, tiding inventories over until gaming publishers start their advertising blitzes.

GamesRadar.com, for example, has already run campaigns for brands like Dodge and Kraft, a sign that other categories are catching onto the billion-dollar cultural phenomenon that is videogames.