Something Sony is often credited for is helping gaming grow up. When it launched the PlayStation, it set itself apart from Sega and Nintendo, with advertising that was grittierr, darker, and more obscure.
As the PlayStation family grew, so did the self-conscious edginess of its advertising. Nowhere was this more true than Europe, where PlayStation ads would go out of their way to court controversy - bringing its own reward by sparking moral indignation and public outrage.
Here's a gallery featuring some of Sony Europe's most baffling attempts to shock.
As the PlayStation family grew, so did the self-conscious edginess of its advertising. Nowhere was this more true than Europe, where PlayStation ads would go out of their way to court controversy - bringing its own reward by sparking moral indignation and public outrage.
Here's a gallery featuring some of Sony Europe's most baffling attempts to shock.
SEXLESS BABY
If you've ever been fortunate enough to witness a birth first-hand, you'll know there's nothing magical or pretty about it.
It's an eruption of blood and viscera, with screaming and grunting and the ripping of skin, and then this horrible purple, squished thing appears, and somebody hands you a pair of scissors and asks you to cut through a tube of meat, and it's so tough that you spend several minutes hacking away at it in a daze, and then you get through it finally, and it explodes in an eruption of claret which goes everywhere, like you've suddenly found yourself in a Tarantino movie.
Sony thought this would be a good way to advertise the PlayStation 2, albeit with a tattooed, sexless, baby. Why?
WHY?
It's an eruption of blood and viscera, with screaming and grunting and the ripping of skin, and then this horrible purple, squished thing appears, and somebody hands you a pair of scissors and asks you to cut through a tube of meat, and it's so tough that you spend several minutes hacking away at it in a daze, and then you get through it finally, and it explodes in an eruption of claret which goes everywhere, like you've suddenly found yourself in a Tarantino movie.
Sony thought this would be a good way to advertise the PlayStation 2, albeit with a tattooed, sexless, baby. Why?
WHY?
FULL-GROWN BABY
What troubles me about this image is that they've clearly gone for a model who's intended to be sexy, yet that's offset to some considerable degree by the disgusting sight of her giving birth to a fully-grown man.
Perhaps somebody within the advertising agency has a fetish about disappearing up a lady's chuff and then being squeezed out, all covered in amniotic fluid. Again; I've seen what happens when even a small human being emerges from a lady's chuff, and it's about as far from sexy as it's possible to get. In fact, it's literally the most unnatural thing I could imagine.
And-far-worse-for-the-man-joke.
Perhaps somebody within the advertising agency has a fetish about disappearing up a lady's chuff and then being squeezed out, all covered in amniotic fluid. Again; I've seen what happens when even a small human being emerges from a lady's chuff, and it's about as far from sexy as it's possible to get. In fact, it's literally the most unnatural thing I could imagine.
And-far-worse-for-the-man-joke.
STILL ATTACHED
Further evidence of Sony's utter obsession with birth and umbilical cords and that, this time to promote the PS3 wireless controller. Yes, we get it. Very clever. Also: basically disgusting.
IT ISN'T JUST A LUMP OF MEAT. THEY NEVER TOLD ME IT'D BASICALLY BE A HOSE FULL OF BLOOD.
IT ISN'T JUST A LUMP OF MEAT. THEY NEVER TOLD ME IT'D BASICALLY BE A HOSE FULL OF BLOOD.
SELF-HARM
Self-harm is a good way to promote your consumer products, yes? As that bloke from Manic Street Preachers taught us all, cutting yourself is all cool and edgy and that, and not sad or damaged or anything. Here's another idea for you: a load of turds in the shape of the PlayStation icons, hanging from nooses made out of umbilical cords. Plus they've all got erect penises. Which are pierced.
GIRLS AND BOYS
The world has changed a lot over the past decade or so, and most of us are now far more accepting and understanding of what it means to be transgender. Suffice to say, could you imagine the absolute hellstorm Sony would justifiably find itself in if this ad ran today?
Imagine that now. I'll wait...
Imagine that now. I'll wait...
SNIFFING KNICKERS
Here's a man sniffing underwear in the shape of the PlayStation button icons. What a lovely image it conjures; a filthy bedsit, and an ageing pervert in some way getting off on the musty stink of vaginal discharge. Thanks for that, Sony! Sign me up for your new console!
WEIRD ORGY
This poorly-Photoshopped, Giger-esque, fetish tableaux - as with most of these ads, you'd be hard-pressed to realise it was trying to sell you a video game console - is perhaps most distressing because of the lady drinking urine from a monkey's skull.
You know who else drank urine? The pervert Rolf Harris apparently enjoyed sipping on his very own amber nectar.
"Can you tell what it is yet?"
"Yes, Rolf. It's your piss."
"ROFL."
You know who else drank urine? The pervert Rolf Harris apparently enjoyed sipping on his very own amber nectar.
"Can you tell what it is yet?"
"Yes, Rolf. It's your piss."
"ROFL."
FOURBOOBS
Would this be sexy? I mean, would it actually be sexy in real-life? You'd just be a bit freaked out if you gave a new romantic interest a special cuddle, and she had a couple of extra lumps on her back... like Quasimodo, or a camel. Or, most likely, you'd be worried that they were massive tumours.
Not so much "Added enjoyment" as "Sudden, unwanted concern".
Not so much "Added enjoyment" as "Sudden, unwanted concern".
FLESH SHAPES
Again, with the weird sex stuff. Here, a skinny model is frolicking with a bunch of hairy PlayStation flesh-lumps, as her husband walks in on her. At least, that's what they want you to take from this, but it looks more like she's paying a visit to the world's most distressing soft play centre.
Easily the worst aspect of this image is that curious, dark, crease in the fold of the X. I think it's meant to be an anus!!!!!
Easily the worst aspect of this image is that curious, dark, crease in the fold of the X. I think it's meant to be an anus!!!!!
BLATANT RACISM
This billboard campaign ran in the Netherlands to promote the release of the white PlayStation Portable. It doesn't take a genius to realise why it might've proved sliiiiiightly controversial, and was swiftly taken down, following the wrong sort of publicity. You know: what with it being quite astonishingly racist and troubling.
ENGELBERT THUMB-ER-DICK
REVEAL:
You're going to have to press reveal to see the final image, because, upon first glance, it appears to show a semi-naked model with a very slender willy. Closer inspection - and let's face it, everyone would be looking at it as closely as possible - would reveal that said penis is actually a thumb.
Because, y'know... uh... PlayStation... reasons...
Because, y'know... uh... PlayStation... reasons...
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