Marketing is definitely an industry focused on selling products. Sometimes, this involves a bit of clever misdirection. However, creatives behind advertisements often have some freedom to design memorable campaigns, and occasionally, they hit a home run with something truly captivating.
That said, most gaming ads from the past were wildly strange, not necessarily because of any ulterior motives of the marketers but due to their shock value. In many cases, these ads seemed more connected to the culture of the time than to the games they promoted. Looking back, they can be both amusing and puzzling. Here are a few of the most memorable ads from a different era of gaming.
8
Practice Your Mental Wealth
Scottish People Are Aliens, Apparently
In 1999, PlayStation ran some truly bizarre ads, promoting the original PlayStation while also hinting at the remarkable capabilities of the PlayStation 2. One ad featured a young girl discussing ‘mental wealth’ and the true power of the PS2, along with something about landing on moons. Notably, she had an exaggeratedly bulbous head with wide-set eyes. The ad treated her appearance as totally normal, making it seem as if being Scottish was just like that.
Just to clarify, Scottish people don’t actually look like that.
7
More Fun Than a Ferret Down Your Pants
A Ferret Down Your Pants Would Be Rather Unfun!
The 90s were a strange era when anything seemingly went in advertising. There was plenty of machismo and sexism, but sometimes it was just plain odd. Even Nintendo joined the fray, stepping outside their traditionally clean image.
For example, one ad claimed that playing a Game Boy was supposedly “more fun than a ferret down your pants.” Honestly, I can’t imagine anyone thinking having a ferret in their pants would be fun; that sounds bizarre and likely quite painful! However, I can agree that playing a Game Boy might be a lot of fun in comparison.
6
Dante’s Inferno’s Everything
EA Literally Paid People to Call the Company the Anti-Christ
Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy is a unique piece of fan fiction, featuring characters from literature, including Vergil, who plays a guiding role. The game “Dante’s Inferno,” however, strayed far from its literary roots, focusing instead on blood, violence, and a series of bizarre ads. The strangest part? EA actually hired individuals to protest the game, labeling it as sinful, while distributing marketing packages that mocked anyone who accepted payment to promote it.
The staged protests even triggered real backlash from religious groups, which was quite ironic!
5
Welcome to the Third Space
No, David Lynch Didn’t Know What a PS2 Was
David Lynch is known for creating many intriguing works that often flirt with ambiguity. It was quite a big deal when he made a commercial for the PlayStation 2.
In retrospect, it almost resembles a promo for “Twin Peaks: The Return,” with its black-and-white visuals, references to a ‘third space’, and eerie effects. While it may not have effectively sold the PS2, it certainly piqued my interest in Lynch’s creative universe, even if I didn’t get it as a kid.
4
PlayStation Condoms
At Least One of Them Might Be Effective
It’s worth noting that this article reflects on ads from my childhood. Despite gaming being marketed to adults, it was also primarily seen as a kid’s thing. The gaming magazines I collected were filled with ads that were, frankly, inappropriate for young audiences, featuring scantily clad women promoting game cheat codes for no other reason than to attract attention.
Advertising condoms to a four-year-old? A peculiar choice, to say the least. The condoms themselves look odd; I can’t even begin to fathom what an X-shaped condom would feel like. At least this ad somewhat connects to PlayStation, which is a small redeeming quality.
3
Rayman’s Package
I Never Really Thought About Rayman’s Limbs Before
I have fond memories of Rayman, particularly the third installment, which I adored as a child. So I was surprised by the odd advertising surrounding the game. Either my memory fails me, or these ads completely misrepresented Rayman!
Rayman is known for his quirky floating limbs; there’s hardly any need to comment on that. The advertising focus on his ‘large features’ is bizarre. While I enjoyed collecting special claw hands in the game, I never thought much about his hidden limbs until these ads came along. It’s truly odd!
2
Play Beyond Baby
Nothing Sells Your Console Like An Unsettling Plastic Baby
Amid the hyper-masculine and often sexist ads aimed at men, there were some truly peculiar ones. When it came to marketing the PS3, they took a different approach with a rather eerie plastic baby.
The ad is brief, running around 30 seconds, but after the years, I recently saw it again, which left me feeling uneasy. The baby just stares at the PS3 as it starts to levitate and emits strange sounds as if it’s picking up radio signals. Tears drop and then retract, creating a surreal effect. Without the sound, it seemed almost humorous, but the moment you add the audio, it transforms into something entirely unsettling.
1
Life Is Too Short
And Somehow, This Ad Was Too Long
This entry might be a bit of a stretch, as I only saw this ad for the first time recently. However, there’s a good reason for that—it was specifically designed to promote the original Xbox in Europe and was even banned due to its controversial depiction of childbirth.
The ad shows a woman giving birth with such intensity that the baby literally shoots out the window and ages rapidly until it crashes into its grave. I genuinely don’t see how this promotes the Xbox. Is it saying that life is short and you should play Xbox while you can? Or perhaps suggesting more controlled births? It remains a mystery!
