I will edit this for a faster read, go ahead and read all if interested....
Wednesday started out without much surprise. The event began at 4pm, but there were already about 100 people in line by the time we arrived at 3:45pm. Attendees at the front of the line claimed to have been waiting for about five hours already, a true testament to the desire that so many Nintendo fans feel for the forthcoming brawler. After spending some time talking to attendees and checking out the area, we finally decided to get in the line that was now closer to 200 people and forming outside the store. There was only one Wii U set up for Smash Bros. to be played on, and only one brave Nintendo rep organizing the whole thing while store employees worked on crowd control. It was immediately apparent that the wait was going to be long.
. Smash Bros. players were coming out of the store claiming that others had jumped into the inside line. The outside queue that we were a part of for four hours hadn't moved, but people just arriving to the store were already playing the game. Word was that we, the growing group patiently waiting out of sight, had been forgotten.
The murmur turned into yelling, the yelling turned into arguments, and the arguments eventually turned into a plan.
That's when the rioting began.
All at once, someone at the front of our line broke through the flimsy barrier that was keeping us at bay and the crowd charged forward. Falling into mob mentality, we all moved as a unit, making our way through the front entrance and to the back of the store where our long awaited Smash Bros. stood. The crowd neared its target when a barrage of Best Buy employees stepped in to block our progress and send us all back outside. Some attendees argued and threatened to get physical. They were thrown out of the store and asked not to return. The majority of us returned to our original post outside, waiting for our inevitable punishment.
We were assured that we would all get a chance to play, but we were also assured that if we acted out again, the event would be cancelled and the police would be called. It was around this time that the crowd calmed down once again, realizing the mistake that it had made. The absurdity that some among us were ready to attack simply to play a demo of a game that is still months away from release is astounding. It was both impressive and frightening (segat's note : and pathetic) to see how strong of a hold video games have over some people.
The rest of the evening went by calmly, as was originally intended. We were eventually invited into the store and had our chance at experiencing the main event. There was no more yelling, no more rioting, and those individuals who were the most problematic were not heard from again. At the front of the line we were pleasantly greeted by the Nintendo rep who handed us our Pro Controllers.
-'The Payoff!' - We played a round, handed our controllers back, and were thanked for coming out to the event. When all is said and done, the day could have gone much worse.
I said, wow. I mean, to stand in line that long just to play ONE ROUND of Smash Brothers? And the whole 'riot' thing after being trolled by people coming out of the store who waited 5 hours in line before the even began? Sorry, but this is way too much. What a waste of time. Does this story cross the line over a minimum standard of self respect? I say yes.
What are your thoughts?