David Lynch created a PS2 ad that left a lasting impression on many. I know that may seem like satire, but it was truly a thing back in the 2000s. The director, renowned for works like Twin Peaks and the 1984 adaptation of Dune, has a distinctive approach to creating visual art. If you are unaware, it’s been over seven months since the acclaimed director passed away. A sting that many enjoyers of his work (including me) still feel to this day. The director is known for his own “out there” brand when it comes to making things. Something that even the gaming world could not escape.
Back in the year 2000, PlayStation wasn’t doing the Play Has No Limits campaign that you see today. Rather, they commissioned David Lynch to come up with a PS2 ad. And you know what? He did just that, with his twist. The PlayStation commercial quickly became iconic for its departure from the usual Sony ads. The idea was to have the PS2 serve as a doorway to another, much more odd type of universe. This work by David Lynch would come to be known as Welcome to the Third Place. And it’s something else to see.
A New Way to Make PlayStation 2 Ads
Welcome to the Third Place (also known as Welcome to the Third Space) is a great PS2 ad in my mind. It was a shakeup to the status quo and brought David Lynch’s style of creativity to a new generation. The ad is shot entirely in black and white and does a perfect job at portraying a portal to a new world. Which is realistically what the PS2 felt like. Gaming is all about different worlds to explore. This one-minute ad gave us the feeling of some of the weird places we could go to.
Not just that, but it blends both the old and new together perfectly. The old-style audio and film effects with younger and newer actors. It creates something relatable to audiences of various ages. Usually, you see commercials during this time with young adults or kids playing on the system with iconic games. Trying to show you how fun it is in the process. But David Lynch taking the reins was a bold new step by showing that ads can also be artistic for the viewer to enjoy.
Sure, seeing others playing and enjoying the console is fun, but overdone. The first time you see the man’s head come off and float around was wacky. And had you thinking you were expecting an episode of Twin Peaks to be starting. It doesn’t feel like an ad at all, and that’s another part of the genius. It feels like a very short and mysterious TV episode.
David Lynch Brings Intrigue to PS2
When it comes to the PS2 ad, it also does something most ads don’t do. It doesn’t show the actual product in any of the airtime, in this case, just over a minute. So what it does is create intrigue in the viewer in the perfect way. Not only are you seeing something that is very uncanny, but you don’t know what it’s for. It’s not until the end of the ad that you see the logo for the PS2 come up. It’s honestly one of the best ways you could have an ad, how Sony has had one created in general.
Because now the viewer is hooked into wanting to know more about the PlayStation 2. More so if you have never played a game console before. It shows you that the console makes it feel like there is more out there. Because technically, there are all of the different games to enjoy. In some cases, games can leave you with a sense of uneasiness or uncertainty. The same way that the commercial does. Furthermore, it’s his name behind it that helps. Whether it’s fans of his films or the star power, it helps to bring people in with intrigue in the best way possible.
Overall, the David Lynch PS2 ad was remarkable for its time. In my mind, it’s still an incredible thing to this day. PlayStation commercials are rampant still, but they are all the same. It usually is a quick cut of different games and then “Play Has No Limits.” But the Welcome to the Third Place commercial was perfect in stunning audiences. Not just that, but wanting them to look into things and sell a product all in one. We need more uncanny style advertisements from game companies, and Sony needs to go back to its roots with this.
