The Kaiser Family Foundation released a report on advergaming this week, entitled It’s Child’s Play: Advergaming and the Online Marketing of Food to Children. The media, notably (The SF Gate and CNN) immediately pounced on the hardly shocking issue … big companies use fun stuff (aka: online advergames) to push cereals and other sugary products to kids. Well, gee … is this a surprise? Is advergaming evil? Or are there other issues at play?

Okay, I admit it. I have been known to enjoy playing Flash-based advergames online. I even have developer friends that specialize in cranking out awesome games. I’m in awe of the flash chops it takes to create a great game.

Once upon a time, I was addicted to a Bubble Yum game at Neopets for weeks on end. (Weeks, I tell ya!) But I got over it. My kids got over it. We didn’t buy more gum because of a harmless advergame.

Just this week, I was enticed to buy the extra large size box of Rice Krispies because it included a snazzy free plastic skull strobe light, while the smaller box did not. No advergame. No sugar. Coincidence or alignment of the stars? I simply changed my purchase decision because of fun stuff.

Do companies really sell more boxes of chocolate-covered fat-laden sugar-encrusted Super Wombat Crunch because they’ve hooked kids with free advergames? Perhaps, so. It’s all part of the package … after all, these companies are the best at what they do … creating demand for air-filled products out of thin air.