Let’s be honest: the gaming ad industry has been sprinting on vibes and vaporware for far too long.

Every time I asked someone how they’re measuring ROI on that flashy Roblox campaign or that brand-safe moment in Call of Duty, I got some version of the same answer: “We’re seeing great engagement.” Translation? No one had a clue what was actually working. They just hoped the CMO’s teenager saw it and thought it was cool.

But now, in a move that’s either bold reform or an overdue cleanup job (probably both), the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has dropped what it's calling the Gaming Measurement Framework—a formal blueprint designed to give gaming the same kind of measurement hygiene marketers have (theoretically) demanded from social, digital, and TV.

So here’s what it is, what it isn’t, and why it’s either going to fix everything or become the next slide no one reads in a media deck.