The dawn of the PS2

     

Welcome to another edition of Hardcore my, now becoming, weekly series celebrating what it means to be a true hardcore video gamer. If you have any comments or ideas for future editions of this series feel free to e-mail me at Jason@nemesisonline.com. Today’s edition is all about one of the most extreme things hardcore gamers have been know to do, camp out. Yes, we all have done it at one point or another. You know that system you really want is going to be hard to get a hold of after launch and you didn’t manage to get a preorder in on time (or like me simply refuse to buy one of the bundles all the stores are pushing these days). Faced with the reality you may not get your new next generation hardware you decide to find your nearest electronics outlet and on the eve of the system’s launch camp out for one of the first sold. It can be a very unique experience to say the least. The first time I ever camped out for a video game system was for the Playstation 2. Not knowing I was going to have the cash by the time of launch I failed to get a preorder in. Well things changed for me financially as the launch day neared and I decided I had to get one if I could. Like any smart gamer, I called around to see who would have the most systems available that morning, near where I lived that happened to be Best Buy. Finding out the Best Buy was going to have, right around, 130 systems for purchase I made plans to make my stand there. I remember heading over to the Best Buy at around 11:00 the night before thinking surely I would have to be at the top of the line. To my surprise there were over 40 people already there in line. Thankful I would still be able to get my system I secured my spot and started the long wait. There were a lot of stories that night about riots and fights at other stores over places in line and secured PS2’s, luckily my line had no such problems. In fact, it went surprisingly well. People were able to take breaks from the line when needed (i.e. go to the restroom) and no one seemed that stressed out over getting a unit. One of the local restaurants even brought food at one point. Really the only problems that night were created in the morning when some cocky soccer moms thought it was a good idea to drive up minutes before opening and try and walk in for a system. Let’s just say it earned more than a few laughs when the store manager tried to explain the lady there was already more than enough people outside in line already. One of the best things about camping out for a video game system is you get to meet a lot of other video gamers who are as passionate about the hobby as you are. Sure there are your people who are only there to buy a system and sell it that day on eBay for some ridiculous price, but thankfully they are a minority. Most people out there, like you, are fanboys who can’t stand the thought of going one day past launch without the new system. I even met fellow NOMG staff member Greg Kettering that night. It really is a great way to tap into the local gaming community. The fact that people will do something like this goes a long way to show how dedicated we video gamers can be, too. The video game industry has come a long way and over time has earned the admiration and loyalty of people around the world. In closing, we all should be proud of this, few hobbies can claim as such. Don’t forget to keep watching this site for future Hardcore updates.