I don't normally do the launch day thing, but I figured I'd give it a go this time. My plan was to hit up my local Toys R Us before it opened on Sunday morning, secure my preorder for the Wii, and essentially be done with the stressful portion of the process.Of course, I just had to stop by TRU the night before, just to see if anyone was silly enough to camp out. Sure enough, at 11pm on Saturday, there were already ten people in line, setting up tents and prepping a grill for the long night ahead.
I could have made my stand right there. I had the option of gathering supplies at home, and returning in under an hour, bundled up with my DS and a nice comfy stool to sit on. I also knew someone staying at the hotel across the street, and even had the option of crashing at their place, waking up early Sunday morning to drag my weary bones over to the store at some ungodly hour.
But why bother?
At that point the absurdity of the whole thing far outweighed the fun of it. I can understand camping out for the console itself: At the end of a long waiting period, you would go into the store, be handed the big, shiny box, and you would know that you're going to be playing it as soon as you get it home.
But with preorders, you do the same amount of waiting, and all it leaves you with is a receipt. You're cold, run-down, deprived of sleep, and all you have to show for it is a slip of paper saying "come back in three weeks." Where's the fun in that?
This post is for all those who didn't wait out in the cold. You might camp out on the actual launch day, or you might not. Maybe you're not an early adopter; maybe you're still saving your pennies; or maybe you're just waiting for Brawl. Whatever the case may be, you spent Saturday night indoors, and you're no worse the wear for it. Kudos.
