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Friday brings PS3, irrationality November 17, 2006
So the Playstation 3 (PS3) launched today, providing unequal measures of relief and frustration to the hundreds (thousands?) of numskulls who camped out in all kinds of awful circumstances ranging from bad weather to drive-by shootings (with BB guns, but still) to robberry to near riots when hapless store managers tried to move the line a few feet to the left. Personally I'm completely baffled by all this, but still utterly fascinated.
Why on Earth would people do this? The obvious answer is that some portion --perhaps a generous, man-sized portion-- of these people hope to snag a PS3 and flip it on e-Bay. With bids on preorders for the $600 console reportedly going for $2,000 or more, it's easy to see the appeal of that get rich quick scheme. Well, until you realize that because Sony botched their production leading up to launch, you're not guaranteed a PS3 just because you show up outside Best Buy with a pop tent, a cell phone, and a stack of peanut butter sandwiches. Apparently a lot of those exasperated store managers --guys and gals who no doubt wish this obscene madness would just vanish so they could go back to rearranging the latest 50 Cent CDs-- were coming out to these semiprofessional loiterers and and telling them "Look, we're only going to get ten consoles. There are like fifty of you people out here blocking the fire exits and trying to bathe in the bathroom sinks. Could forty of you JUST GO AWAY?" But they didn't, because they've got sunk costs and don't want to be wussies about it. Shine on you crazy nincompoops.
But what really boggles me are the unknown proportion of gamers who really want the consoles for themselves. Not that they'd want it at all, ever, but that they'd want it RIGHT NOW to the point that they'd wallow in their own filth for days, braving other overzealous shoppers just to get a chance at buying one. Why? Looking at the list of launch games for this thing isn't exactly an invitation to hyperventilate with joy. Most of them are ports of games already released on other systems! If I had the time I'd have gone down to Best Buy to stand outside the exit and pelt them with slumped shoulders and confused expressions.
If I had to guess what really drives these people, especially the ones who aren't just e-Bay flippers, I'd say it's the desire to be part of an event. It's not about getting a PS3, it's about taking part in the launch craze and boosting your fan credentials. It's the journey, not the destination, because the destination is where some minimum-wage earning register jockey in a blue polo shirt (a clean shirt, unlike yours at the moment) just shrugs at you and points to the guy who just bought the last console. The guy who's walking out the door and composing his auction posting on his cell phone as he goes. That and what my psychology textbooks called Escallation of Commitment. But still, it's fun for some people.
And I'm not completely immune, either. When the Playstation 2 launched, I got up at an ungodly hour and went down to the megastore to see them open the doors. I didn't actually buy one, but I felt like I should be there since I was working for GameSpy at the time and was kind of part of the biz. And honestly I'm kind of excited about the Nintendo Wii this weekend, too. I plan on trying to buy one on launch day, in part because I want to play the new Zelda game, but also because I want to contribute to and revel in the buzz and excitement that's already been building up in various online communities for months. Sometimes it's fun to boost your geek chic rating through being a hardcore, early adopter.
The difference is, I guess, that I'm not camping out. Since Nintendo actually produced a few million consoles to have on hand for launch day, my plan revolves around moseying into Target on Sunday afternoon and seeing if I can pick one up. No tents or grousing about line management involved. Failing that, I may wander over to a few more stores in the area to see if they have the Wii in stock, but if I can't find one I'll just sigh and go back home to play some more Guitar Hero on my trusty ole' Playstation 2 and try again next week.
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Tags: GameSpy, Gaming, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3
