To give you a little bit of context on what I’m trying to convey in this article I find it imperative to watch the video or read this transcript of the infamous “Mental Wealth” ad for the Playstation, directed by Chris Cunningham, who also collaborated with Aphex Twin (in the making of the music video for “Come to daddy” and “Windowlicker”), Bjork, Squarepusher, Autechre and Madonna ("Frozen").
This ad featuring an alien girl sitting in an interviewing room talking about human endeavor also convinced David Lynch to partake in some ads for the Playstation 2. Most notably Welcome To The Third Space and Blind.
Gaming was often criticized as a waste of time, particularly by older generations, but it was also seen as a legitimate form of entertainment and an emerging industry. However what most of the youths would associate gaming with was (and still is) escapism. And the marketing for this sort of escapism revealed a profound shift on how this medium was being framed. Not as a mere diversion but as liminal experiences, promoting the value of introspection and providing a space for individuation.
This wave of commercials such as what Nintendo did with its Who are you? Campaign and this GBA USA commercial, or this one, toyed with the expectations of the audience, inducing deeper reflection on the nature of gaming and technology.
However, in my opinion, no one has gone harder than Sony with this approach, provided the gorgeous postmodern GEN X Soft-Club commercials, of which I have given three examples of. (Mental Wealth, Third Space and Blind). There are many more to be visited online and I encourage you to do so, as most are merely passed as being weird and nothing more. Double Life is another one worth checking out. I encourage you to visit the hyperlinks in this article.
Back to what “the alien girl” said:
There’s this implied promise of mentally enriching adventures that gaming can offer, which taps into this sense of technological utopia of the early 2000s of self improvement through technology.
To see this place you don't need eyesight, you need vision
Nintendo DS’s Touching is Good, (funniest one imo) suggests this intimate (or erotic, as this ad was made with the the marketing lead being self aware of its connotation) interaction and affection between human and machine.
Sega Dreamcast’s It’s thinking, which is not as disturbing today as it would have been on 9.9.99, still whispers this anxiety of sentient and desiring machine. An ominous theme rather than a playful one such as the Touching is Good one, probably because the fear of Y2K has faded, being replaced with digital optimism. There is also this Sonic DJ ad which is basically a hell yeah simulator and would have made me buy the console in a heartbeat.
As we all are, these marketing schemes have been targeted on the human’s soul searching nature, seeking of experiences, craving for presence, risk, transformation and also emotion, memory and symbolic struggle. You must probably have treated some games like this, so did I, as some titles which have been sitting on my backlog needed a ritualistic approach to begin indulging in them. Because sometimes this is what they seem to be, they are not mere idle past-times, they are rituals of self repair and rediscovery, in which we explore the ruins of our unconsciousness.
And as we continue on this shared pilgrimage that scratches the modern soul’s longing I hope you find moments that stay with you, kindle sparks of purpose and progress in your life. We are lucky the line has not been blurred that hard in a way which would cloud our judgement regarding priorities. As it is in the quiet decisions and relfecions, prayers, the human connections, and simple things in life where meaning take root in your soul. Treat gaming for what it is at its best, a mirror of the unconsciousness and a companion of mindfullness, not a mask.
Man this was a hard review for Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town but I’m glad you stayed with me ‘til the end. Love you guys! :)
Last edited:
